NeuroManson asks:
"With the growing hype surrounding HDTV and copy protection, and as further corporate control of the FCC becomes more commonplace with the inevitable arrival of the technology thanks to Hollywood, you will have no choice in the future of watching anything else, since your TV, VCR, etc, will be forced into obsolescence.
There are two things that this brings to mind that should be addressed: who will be paying for the retrofit to the thousands of CRT and TV manufacturing plants around the world to make this possible; and assuming that this is going to be a US only problem in the short term (approx 3 years), how do they propose to safely dispose of all those outmoded TVs?" About the only way that this can happen by
the recently proposed deadline of July 1st, 2007, without trashing and replacing the majority of our current televisions, American television owners would have to have their TVs "serviced" by a qualified technician to continue to receive broadcast signals. Having a secondary tuner would not work as that would break the "trusted" display chain that Hollywood is seeking to establish.
"Assuming there are approximately 300 million Americans, with 2/3 having upwards of 2 TV sets, that amounts to close to 500 million or more perfectly functional TVs that will wind up in landfills or third world 'recycling' countries like China. These are not exact figures, but you get the idea. As this grinds on, it looks like economic and ecological impacts are the predominate risks involved, as well as not being able to record the latest Star Trek because they put a copy-block flag into the digital broadcast. This is something that I think everyone, from the geek on the web to the little old lady across the street, through the average soccer mom should be concerned about. Any suggestions as to how such could be made publically known, organized against, and promoted, in such a way that the public would know it as a threat, not only to their way of life, but also to their pocketbook and health?"
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Forcing things on people is not innovation, it's nazi crap. There is no worldwide international terrorism threat, it's people against US world domination plans. There are no EU states, there are countries which belong to EU. Surely, an educated person would know all that. Too bad you're not one. Just another brainwashed US citizen who still thinks that he is "free" :)
The only mandate for HDTV is for broadcast signals. Cable will not be affected by the proposed mandate since a cable TV company can broadcase both standard and digital signals at the same time without conflict. Same goes for satelite.
The ridiculous part of this whole thing is that almost nobody who buys a big screen TV connects it to a broadcast signal as the primary feed. Most people watching HDTV signals for real today are taking them off satelite.
Broadcast HDTV so far is a bust, the signals don't work in appartment blocks with a set top antenna.
So if the edict did get made law the people affected would be the people who listen to broadcast signals - mostly people who can't be bothered with tv much, can't afford cable or are watching on second sets.
Withdrawing these people's ability to watch TV would be interpreted as yet another corporate, for the rich policy. But since those people won't be able to vote it does not matter. Any complaints that are made will merely divert attention away from the huge contracts Haliburton and other Bush crony-capitalism companies get to exploit Iraq's oil (bill for security paid for by US taxpayer) and of course the effort to remove the limit on presidential terms...
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Also, what the hell is going to happen to my handheld TV that I use in emergencies and power outages? Where's the tornado? I'll just flip on the special report. Static?!?!?! Damn blessed government!
Since few Republicans I've met seem to have much of a sense of humor when their lord and savior, George W. Bush, is questioned, allow me to let you in on a bit if information:
He was joking.
There they were, sitting in the van with all those dials, and the cat was dead. -V. Marchetti, CIA
With more and more technology draining from the US we'll drop below countries like the EU states, China or Russia. Countries which definitely don't care about international problems and the mind-stunning threat of internation terrorism.
Oh SHUT THE FUCK UP you trolling jerk! The EU countries that had terrorism problems for YEARS AND YEARS cared about international terrorism long before you ever knew it existed!
Damn! People can be so dense!
You think the bombs blowing up in the Paris subway went unnnoticed? Well, by the likes of you they did, but not over there!
Mind-stunning indeed. The rest of the world has been concerned and trying to do something about terrorism for years, the fact that you need a LIVE TV BROADCAST of terrorism to even take notice should tell you that you are an egocentric prick, not that only your country cares. Jeez. Did you even read what the leaders of the other nations said about 9/11 after it happened? The things about "we know what its like to be terrorised, we'll help you guys" went well over your head huh?
the US looses its huge technological advantage over second world countries like the EU
The EU? The Freakin' european union is your idea of "second world countries"? France and germany and the likes? Your grasp of international politics/economy is quite impressive!
The world will be a mess and it will be because of whiners like you destroying the worldwide US surpremancy.
I so wish I could slap you right now...
You think that the US playing around with FINANCING, TRAINING AND ARMING TERRORIST is helping the world? How about putting dictators in power so they'll turn over the ressources to US companies while they kill and torture their citizens? The US isn't a benevolent big brother, its a worldwide bully that doesn't care who it hurts so long as it gets the other countries' lunch money. Don't kid yourself. The US might have its own citizen's best interest in mind (I said "might") but it sure as hell doesn't give a damn about the rest of the world.
There are a lot of good things and people in the US, but there are a lot of nasty stuff to. You, sir, are one of them.
PS Go ahead, mod me down as "-1 unamerican" all you want, I don't care, it needed to be said.
You can't take the sky from me...
> Make Love, Not War in the oval office, bring Back Clinton..
The problem with this sig is that it was Clinton who
bombed Iraq on false pretenses the first time, and
killed an estimated 1.7 million Iraqi civillians
through blockade, poisoning, and bombardment.
I admit Bush might kill even more, given the chance,
but he hasn't done it *yet*, so Clinton remains the
most heinous war criminal of our generation.
-I like my women like I like my tea: green-
The leading Dems are not under SEC investigation like Cheney or cleared under dubious circumstances like Bush.
The republicans have every reason to want to change the topic from domestic issues before the mid-terms. The economy is in the can, the markets are down and the budget is massively in deficit despite the repeated public campaign pledges to the contrary.
Oh yeah - the US is the bastion of freedom and democracy, so it has the duty to take out regimes that are undemocratic and repressive
Tell that to the folk in Florida whose votes Bush and Cheney went to court to stop being counted.
Finally, what does this have to do with HTDV and its own problems?
Television was the new opiate of the masses, until the Web.
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