Digital TV Switch delayed. But not for a 2nd time

[Easy Bakes 253]

http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2009/02/02/daily70.html

Delayed till June 12.

Havent they been running Ads telling us about this every day for a year now?

I see June 12 ariving and anothr delay for the same people who havent got on the ball and bought a new TV or a converter.Then another one.

Make the change already.

[Xyloxadoria 1,098]

I wouldnt have changed it. No matter how late you make it there will still be people that wait till the last minnute. Its like tax time. Theres a line a mile long at the end of the day on tax day for the post office here.  Same kind of people will crowd stores on June 10-12.

[Barbarossa 51]

.

  Edited September 7, 2012 by Barbarossa  

[saltandsauce 0]

personally i hate the TV switchover since it will allow the HD switchover and then some other kind of switchover, i don't care how many more channels of crap i get, i'm not getting a crappy pixelated (instead of blurred) poor signal. i'm content with the current arrangement

[Explodingsims 3]

Eh, even if the lower class can't afford the Box now, they had their chance to get a $40 coupon for it.

I knew when this date rolled around people would complain they never heard about this. But I didn't think they'd postpone it again.

It's already behind schedule by about 3 years...

[Orchid22 1]

But I hear some channels already switched. Does it cost them anything to switchover? If so, will the government pay them back?

[D2629 3]

Here in the UK some areas have already switched, with the whole country on digital by 2012, and the majority by next year. But we knew about all this since 2006 and they have ad campaigns and everything. Is it any different in the US? I think that as long as everyone has had time, say at least a year, then there's no excuse to be unprepared. Especially if they had the opportunity to get a free coupon.

[Zelgadis 638]

Actually, no, many didn't have the chance to get their coupon. The government is running out and they've been far to slow in getting their coupons out to the people. They also didn't seem to expect this many people to want it.

Big question is though... Why is this necessary? I've yet to hear of a good reason for it.

Oh well, I've already given up cable. When this silliness hits Canada, I'll just give up TV altogether. I only watch for 10 minutes a day anyway.

ISF

[hym 358]

There's more to it than whether or not people bought the requisite converter boxes and whatnot. There are people who, for no fault of their own, aren't going to have TV after this switch because they can't afford pay-for services and the digital equipment doesn't reach them.

[D2629 3]

I guess that makes sense then if they can't get the coupons out fast enough. I guess most people will want one, if you can save yourself $40 you will. Personally I have watched digital TV for 6 years and I find analogue painfully blurry. I think it is being done better in this country though because different regions change at different times. This means that there's not the mad nationwide rush at the electonics stores. But most people are on digital now anyway, even my grandma (who has never gone near a computer) because we get 5 analogue channels and 60 digital channels free.

[Easy Bakes 253]

Originally posted by: Zelgadis Actually, no, many didn't have the chance to get their coupon. The government is running out and they've been far to slow in getting their coupons out to the people. They also didn't seem to expect this many people to want it.

Big question is though... Why is this necessary? I've yet to hear of a good reason for it.

Oh well, I've already given up cable. When this silliness hits Canada, I'll just give up TV altogether. I only watch for 10 minutes a day anyway.

ISF

quote>

 

They want to clear the bandwith that analog TV broadcasts use. 700 MGTZ i think

to use for wireless services.

[Yoman3 5]

Gahh......so sick and tired of these commercials, especially since I don't need to do anything, just makes it take longer to get back to my show

[blade2k5 1,523]

You would think that the tanking economy would take precedent over the digital transition and whether or not a minute few have converted yet. The ads have been running here for nearly two years non-stop...during every commercial break on every channel, so maybe if these minute few have no tv signal, they just might get off their lazy hind ends and take care of their business like the vast majority already has.

[Duke87 1,070]

Relevant.

[Easy Bakes 253]

I think a lot of the network stations are going to convert this month anyway.

I dont belive they realy care about the  minority who have old TVs, Thier ratings will suffer not one bit. Do you think a single person that  has Nielson rating devices has an old TV?

[JakeMD 107]

People have had plenty of warning :\

[fukuda 351]

i'm not getting a crappy pixelated (instead of blurred) poor signal.quote>

I'm using a cheapo 20

[Shadow Assassin 336]

There are people who, for no fault of their own, aren't going to have TV after this switch because they can't afford pay-for services and the digital equipment doesn't reach them.quote>

Is TV really that important? Besides, in isolated areas, those people will have satellite anyway.

[Deathtoall 28]

Originally posted by: Shadow_Assassin

There are people who, for no fault of their own, aren't going to have TV after this switch because they can't afford pay-for services and the digital equipment doesn't reach them.quote>

Is TV really that important? Besides, in isolated areas, those people will have satellite anyway.quote>

 

Right said Fred!

[Duke87 1,070]

Originally posted by: Shadow_Assassin

Is TV really that important? quote>

No, but it's bad politics to unnecessarily inconvenience people. Costs you votes.

Besides, in isolated areas, those people will have satellite anyway.quote>

Not everyone can afford or is willing to pay for satellite or cable.

[ilikehotdogsalot 311]

Aren't the converter boxes technically free with all these government coupons?

I personally don't care about the delay, they've done plenty of tests here in my area and my signal or quality doesn't change one bit.

[Rymac91 15]

@ilikehotdogsalot: No, they are just $40 off the store price. The cost of most are above $40, like the $60 ones they sell at Best Buy.

It seems that the part about how channels now get to choose when to go ahead and do the transition is omitted. 4 of the channels in my area are still switching on the original date, and they are the big 4 local affiliate channels(ABC,NBC,CBS and FOX). The other channels haven't said anything, so it's presumed they are going for the new date, or a different date altogether.

[blade2k5 1,523]

This article I came across last night should explain what channels may or may not switch on Feb 17.  http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20090206/ap_on_hi_te/tec_digital_tv_transition

[FlyHigh 181]

Yes quality of the image is better but, i mean what really are the advantages of digital instead of analogic besides better control on what users actualy consume?

[Easy Bakes 253]

Originally posted by: FlyHigh Yes quality of the image is better but, i mean what really are the advantages of digital instead of analog besides better control on what users actually consume?quote>

 

They really just want to use that bandwidth for other stuff. Wireless PDAs and stuff like that.

But Ill bet the stations that are affiliated with Networks will switch on Fed 17th.

The independent stations will probably wait,  that is if  they were switching at all and not just going to shutdown totally.

[hym 358]

Originally posted by: Shadow_Assassin

There are people who, for no fault of their own, aren't going to have TV after this switch because they can't afford pay-for services and the digital equipment doesn't reach them.quote>

Is TV really that important?quote>

Of course it is.  How else are we supposed to rot our brains so Alec Baldwin and the people at Hulu.com can eat them?

Besides, in isolated areas, those people will have satellite anyway.quote>

Not necessarily.

Consider the case of a little town in west Texas (the name escapes me but I could find it if I had access to my mother's National Geographic collection).  No internet, no cable, no satellite TV, no cell phone coverage, and only 2 landline phones for the entire town.  They have a single TV in the town, which is serviced by over-the-air broadcasts.  Without that TV, they are pretty much completely cut off from everything that is going on in their country and in the world.

Even in the internt age, TV access is an important medium for keeping informed as to what is going on in the world.

[Easy Bakes 253]

Originally posted by: hym

Originally posted by: Shadow_Assassin

There are people who, for no fault of their own, aren't going to have TV after this switch because they can't afford pay-for services and the digital equipment doesn't reach them.quote>

Is TV really that important?quote>

Of course it is.  How else are we supposed to rot our brains so Alec Baldwin and the people at Hulu.com can eat them?

Besides, in isolated areas, those people will have satellite anyway.quote>

Not necessarily.

Consider the case of a little town in west Texas (the name escapes me but I could find it if I had access to my mother's National Geographic collection).  No internet, no cable, no satellite TV, no cell phone coverage, and only 2 landline phones for the entire town.  They have a single TV in the town, which is serviced by over-the-air broadcasts.  Without that TV, they are pretty much completely cut off from everything that is going on in their country and in the world.

Even in the internt age, TV access is an important medium for keeping informed as to what is going on in the world.

quote>

 

I would think a whole town could come up with 40 bucks for a converter.

[hym 358]

Originally posted by: Easy Bakes

I would think a whole town could come up with 40 bucks for a converter.quote>

The ability to buy a converter is completely irrelevant if you're not going to be receiving a TV signal after the switch.  There are people that are being put in this situation.  They can't afford satellite TV, so they have over-the-air broadcasts, but they are getting told that the economics of servicing them under the new system aren't justifiable, so they just aren't going to be getting their free broadcasts back.

[Easy Bakes 253]

Dosent the converter enable analog TV's to recive the digital signals with out being hooked to cable or satalight?

Or am i mistaken thats what the converters are for or do?

 

[hym 358]

Originally posted by: Easy Bakes Dosent the converter enable analog TV's to recive the digital signals with out being hooked to cable or satalight?

Or am i mistaken thats what the converters are for or do?quote>

That's not the problem.  Digital signals don't have the range that analog signals do.  Think of it like bubbles; analog has a larger coverage bubble than digital does.  There are people who are living close enough to the broadcast tower that they get the analog signal, but far enough away that they won't get the digital signal.