With the $ millions wasted telling the 200 people that don't have cable or sat TV that they need a converter box, it looks very strong that the switchover will now be delayed beyond February as there are still ten people who haven't heard of the switch. Hey, what's a few million more dollars of our tax money to tell folks again that their TVs will not work someday. I say let them figure it out for themselves. Turn TV on, no picture. Go to store, be told, you need a converter box.
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Feb 17th... not so fast
- Thread starter Walter Graff
- Start date
So.. does this mean I wasted $40 on a converter box since the conversion ain't happening? Stupid gov't.
THis is TELEVISION,,, not medical care, police, fire, or education,,, its ONLY TELEVISION. If someone is unable to watch their afternoon soap opera,, too damn bad. There has been plenty of warning, if you didn't get a coupon for a converter, its your fault. Go next door and watch it with your neighbor, or maybe you can read a book instead.
lso, Why should I subsidize someone so they can watch television anyway? We should be spending money on things like education, not TV. If this is so important to broadcast television, let them foot the bill.
lso, Why should I subsidize someone so they can watch television anyway? We should be spending money on things like education, not TV. If this is so important to broadcast television, let them foot the bill.
Sorry you already paid for it, just as you pay for everything. And the reason that it is going to be postponed is that they ran out of money for coupons so are afraid not everyone will be able to get a coupon. Considering that most folks affected by this are lower income, its more a welfare program for TV anyway. And it seems based on his recent statements that Obama likes welfare scenarios for the public. Expect word in the next few weeks of the postponement.
President-Elect Obama has asked Congress to extend the February 17th deadline.
It seems to be all but certain there will be an extension...probably until May or June. Concerns range from the coupon program running out of money to confused senior citizens to people getting up on their roofs during the middle of winter to install a new antenna.
Fixing the economy should be priority #1...but if a lot of people are left without TV, there will be hell to pay come reelection time (and even way before then).
It seems to be all but certain there will be an extension...probably until May or June. Concerns range from the coupon program running out of money to confused senior citizens to people getting up on their roofs during the middle of winter to install a new antenna.
Fixing the economy should be priority #1...but if a lot of people are left without TV, there will be hell to pay come reelection time (and even way before then).
There's always going to be someone who is not ready for the conversion. If you wait until everyone is ready than it will never happen. They just need to make the switch or they'll just keep pushing the date back a few more months here and there and it will keep getting delayed and delayed. They just need to stick to the Feb 17th deadline. I just don't see it being post poned this close to the transition date.
Well, the problem I see is maybe there are some TV STATIONS left behind.
99% have gone digital, just your LPs and small town independents that have yet to catch up.
Second, think of the sudden environmental impact of BILLIONS of now suddenly obsolete TVs. I'm sure that's also a factor.
And bear in mind analog TVs were being sold as late as 2005.
From the beginning, I always said a process like the conversion from analog to DTV can't and shouldn't be done so hastily. But rather gradually. It was only in the beginning of 2008 when we started seeing the TV spots about the conversion en masse.
And finally, DTV reception is merely fair to non existent in MANY areas over the air.
Now I know big TV has spent a hell of a lot of money on their own conversion and the last thing they want to hear is they'll still have to keep paying that analog power bill indefinitely. But there are areas still inaccessible to cable systems, fiber optic and satellite because of terrain. Only analog signals make it in. Unless power/height levels are dramatically increased to TWICE their current levels - something I really think will have to happen because most DTV signals coming from their less than ideal analog towers and analog signals are still the best, snowy, barely visible way to do it. And still there's enough of these areas with enough people in a bad economy to perhaps maybe would make the looming deadine enough of a concern to maybe push it back.
It wasn't a terribly bright idea for the government to fund these converter boxes for EVERYBODY (I can see it for a poor retired or disabled person on Social Security or needs other assistance, but that's probably another twist in this too. There's a LOT of able folks needing assistance now in every way they can get. DTV coupons are one of them. Just a sudden demand on these alone is enough to totally bankrupt the government. Think we got problems now? Just let THAT happen....)
So all in all, I think it's a prudent decision, if it comes to be. One that will finally allow some serious research into making DTV signals reach more effectively into rural areas, one that avoids an absolute environmental disaster and channels taxpayer money back into more important things right now......
99% have gone digital, just your LPs and small town independents that have yet to catch up.
Second, think of the sudden environmental impact of BILLIONS of now suddenly obsolete TVs. I'm sure that's also a factor.
And bear in mind analog TVs were being sold as late as 2005.
From the beginning, I always said a process like the conversion from analog to DTV can't and shouldn't be done so hastily. But rather gradually. It was only in the beginning of 2008 when we started seeing the TV spots about the conversion en masse.
And finally, DTV reception is merely fair to non existent in MANY areas over the air.
Now I know big TV has spent a hell of a lot of money on their own conversion and the last thing they want to hear is they'll still have to keep paying that analog power bill indefinitely. But there are areas still inaccessible to cable systems, fiber optic and satellite because of terrain. Only analog signals make it in. Unless power/height levels are dramatically increased to TWICE their current levels - something I really think will have to happen because most DTV signals coming from their less than ideal analog towers and analog signals are still the best, snowy, barely visible way to do it. And still there's enough of these areas with enough people in a bad economy to perhaps maybe would make the looming deadine enough of a concern to maybe push it back.
It wasn't a terribly bright idea for the government to fund these converter boxes for EVERYBODY (I can see it for a poor retired or disabled person on Social Security or needs other assistance, but that's probably another twist in this too. There's a LOT of able folks needing assistance now in every way they can get. DTV coupons are one of them. Just a sudden demand on these alone is enough to totally bankrupt the government. Think we got problems now? Just let THAT happen....)
So all in all, I think it's a prudent decision, if it comes to be. One that will finally allow some serious research into making DTV signals reach more effectively into rural areas, one that avoids an absolute environmental disaster and channels taxpayer money back into more important things right now......
Bongwater said:
Got news for you there, Bong...they won't. Any idea how many analog stations are already operating at reduced power, or on lower auxiliary antennas, or are gone completely because it's part of the process of converting to full-power DTV operation? A lot - and those signals won't be coming back, no matter what Congress might decree in the next few weeks.
I agree with you that there's still work to be done to improve DTV reception in remote areas, but you know what? A lot of that work depends on analog going away. We simply do not yet know how much of the difficulty some viewers experience with DTV signals is the result of co- or adjacent-channel analog interference; we can say with some certainty that digital signals will improve when more stations are able to top-mount their DTV antennas in the space presently occupied by analog antennas, and when other stations are able to move their digital signals to their former analog channels.
Then there's the promise of DTS, the on-channel booster system that works only with digital - but again, stations that are trying to nurse aging analog equipment along past the lifespan for which it was budgeted can't tackle that sort of innovation at the same time.
As for the "environmental disaster," the conversion of terrestrial broadcasting to DTV is at best a minor factor in the disposal of so many CRT TV sets. Most of those new LCD and plasma screens are being purchased not because they have ATSC tuners but because they have a desirable form factor and an attractive price point.
Walter Graff said:
6.8% of the total television viewing populace (the figure according to Nielsen estimates) is a lot more than 200 people. If you don't think the broadcast networks silently hope there's enough of a delay to get these folks covered, think again. Even if they aren't the most 'desirable' of audiences, they do not want to lose them this way.
Nate Wesley said:
No one is "loosing" anyone and this delay in the switch has nothing to do with the networks loosing audience. Congress appropriated $1.34 billion for 33.5 million $40 coupons. Demand for the coupons has been far greater than expected in the range of 46 million requests. Very simply, there aren’t enough coupons to go around. Right now, all new requests are being put on a waiting list and no additional coupons can be issued until those already issued expire. And guess what? A lot of folks who ordered coupons never used them. This was because they didn't need them, they just thought they did. And once ordered, regardless of use, it comes off the pool of money as being accounted for. And it takes time to get the coupon so right now it's too late to apply for a coupon and receive it before Feb. 17. Add to that the fact that while 46 million coupons have been requested, so far about 18 million boxes have been purchased (once again many folks who asked for the coupons and didn't use them ans will not).
There are only 11 million more boxes in inventory. But remaining demand is estimated to be 33 million to 60 million units. That leaves over 3o million potential folks who will not be able to get a box. Of course these numbers are way off and right now all that are left are basically the elderly, low income people, and non English speaking people. All demographics that networks don't care about cause advertisers don't care about them. The other fear is that in the days following the switch the FCC will get 1.5 million calls in two days, and they can only handle 700,000 calls.
Today I still think this whole thing is bullcrap.very poor planning.15 to 20 years ago of technical ideas of coming up with a better dtv system that uses the same channel bandwidth or more of it on the same xmitter as the analog signal. like digital am and fm, with the right compatable system,no need to buy a new tv. or the waste of money for those $40 dollar coupons. no rush to shut down on a special date.The tv station will be running one xmitter with both signals.if the user wants dtv ,he/she have to get the convertor.On deleting tv channels 2 to 6 and 52 to 69 for other uses are no problem with me.I did not miss channels 70 to 83.
Most of the problems associated with HD Radio involve problems of transmitting two signals on the same frequency. Low Signal strength especially. Having a cutover is a much better idea.WPPCProductions said:
PTBoardOp94 said:
Yes I realize that,Iboc on AM sucks.
Well considering this switch was only to sell off frequency's for $2 billion, broadcasters never asked for it and in fact hate it because they are making more money now than ever and don't need to spend all the money switching, and the powers to be decide on a transmission system based less on what worked best and more politics because the Europeans used the better system (just like using NTSC over PAL), you got a change that never had a good foundation in the first place.
Walter Graff said:
That's one of the points in my earlier post and thanks for mentioning it. On TOP of all the other reasons I wrote about.
Canada has a time limit for analog TV of August 2011. That makes more sense than the one year blitzkrieg of PSAs we saw all 2008 to get to now.
Second, CRT TVs and computer monitors are absolutely filled with deadly chemicals (freon, mercury, etc.) Just because they're not dumped upstream from you or somebody doesn't mean they're not SOMEWHERE. You'd be surprised at what little poor kids in the ghettos of Bangladesh and rural China get to play in. And they have parents that love them too. So folks, have a heart. Most of those old TVs still work perfectly good. Bulky, heavy, and in the case of late '90s large screens (those enormous black things, with all their sleek-by-design curved edges, assuring your very grip on this HUGE and HEAVY $700 analog CRT TV set you bought in1998 was as fun and challenging as a $1 water-filled Silly Snake), still popular in many middle class homes
DTV is FAR from acceptable in it's current form. The over the air signals are terrible, the sub channels are mediocre to non-existent on most commercial broadcasters. This is NOT how a terrestrial broadcaster SERIOUSLY competes with cable/satellite, etc. Part of that is the network's fault (Fox and NBC have a smorgasbord of extra cable networks they could be offering as affiliate DTV sub-channels. Why not?)
Fact is, over the air, free TV is far from dead and when times are tight, it's always on the rebound. It would be wise to slow down and consider EVERYTHING.....
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