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Will America's Favorite Technology Go Dark?
Ant wrote to mention that MSNBC is reporting on the upcoming proposed digital television switchover planned for the end of 2006. From the article: "That's the date Congress targeted, a decade ago, for the end of analog television broadcasting and a full cutover to a digital format. If enforced, that means that overnight, somewhere around 70 million television sets now connected to rabbit ears or roof-top antennas will suddenly and forever go blank, unless their owners purchase a special converter box. Back when the legislation was written, New Year's Eve 2006 probably looked as safely distant as the dark side of the moon. But now that date is right around the corner and Congress and the FCC are struggling mightily to figure out what to do."
Back in 1996, when the digital television transition was first proposed, media analyst Gary Arlen observed wryly that "it will be easier for Congress to take away Social Security than television sets."
They can take my TV set out of my cold.... oh wait, let me see what ad-free dvd movie to watch first...
Too bad the US doesn't make any of that stuff anymore, or it might help the sucky economy.
Expect congress to push the date back or be swamped with rednecks bitching about their TV.
Like the brave Ithacans who faced down the deadly cyclops, these legislators are facing down the awful realities of trying to legislate technological progress. And like the Ithacans, they are getting their heads dashed against the rocks and eaten.
Delays will make them look weak. There is no room for weakness in the analog-digital marketplace.
Personally, I would find it hilarious to see the aftermath of all this.
Just imagine: millions of rednecks and fat bastards on welfare with too many kids marching from over the hillside a la civil-war front-line style, raising rabit ears over their heads, pulling their circa 1970 TV sets in their little red Radio Flyer wagons, screaming some indiscernible southern hick yella-belly gibberish that amounts to "give us tv or give us death", the ground trembling as they aproach, the stench overwhelming even though they are downwind, their tattered and soiled clothes barely covering the numerous warts and rashes, legislators running in horror, asking "why allah, why oh why?!?!"
Yeh, that would be funny.
If congress delays this, they saying that they are delaying freedom and liberty to all.
Don't you get it? We need High Definition 5.1 Channel 24 bit Audio to TRULY be Free. If we don't hold true and resolve with integrity, with the NTSC terrorists could take control of our antiquated ANALOG signals and broadcast terrorism to all coners of the globe.
Yes, the only way to be truly Free is to have digital television & a PIMPED SUV to put it in..
Consumerism. Whether you like it or not.
We all know that only a morally void character will flip-flop when presented with new evidence. I mean, otherwise it means they held on to the first opinion without substantial evidence.
Haha, that's a good one. :)
quidquid latine dictum sit altum videtur.
Sure, we voted the lawmakers in didn't we?
It's the will of the people or something like that.
If tyranny and oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. - James Madison
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It sounds like a good idea to just do this suddenly. I think a lot of Americans might decide to go outside and get some exercise if suddenly they couldn't watch TV or couldn't afford upgrades. Then again, maybe they'll start a riot, and use their defunct TVs to smash store windows once the mayhem ensues.
That means if the TV sets go dark on new year's eve 2006 the US is expecting a baby boom in autumn 2006.
Hey Big Three,
Just a hint. Improve the prgramming.
How many people will go out and buy a $200 converter to keep watching the reality-TV pap you're putting out now?
Those of us with cable already ignore you, so you probably want to work hard to save the viewers you have left!
Good luck with that,
-Anonymous Viewer
sed: 1: "/a television technology/?": invalid command code ?
Can you help?
Plasmas for the poor is a program that helps get this wonderful and empowering technology in the hands of the poor. Every time you buy another LCD or Plasma HDTV for your home $27.50 goes towards buying a smaller plasma Tv for some poor unfortunate family that has to suffer with a 36 inch, 32 inch 27 inch or even sometimes a 19 inch regular television. I know it's horrible but a fact. There are children out thereright now watching standard analog tv on a 19 inch television.
Can you help? buy more plasma or LCD televisions right now and help the poor.
(message paid for by Phillips,marantz,Sony,Toshiba nad Absolut corperations...)
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
Looks like an interesting book. Glad to see the author got over his obsession with horse head bookends.
Remind me not to use the Internet before my first cup of coffee.
This is not my sandwich.
Well, of course, one could refer to any number of faith-based initiatives. Take your pick from among: trickle-down economy, privatization, social security reform, "debt doesn't matter", "charity works best through the church" and preemptive cultural reconstruction on the national level in Iraq will succeed.
But TV should be a no-brainer. It has been a reoccurring comedy theme on the Le Show show by Harry Shearer for years that this isn't happening on time. Dubya is going to tell every trailer park in the red states that their rabbit ears ain't gonna work no mo? Get real. Take that to the bookie and put me down for $100 too.
Hmm.. I haven't seen anything about that on the news.
https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere
Silly libertarian.
Go back to masturbating to Ayn Rand, you retard.
Oh the travesty! Imagine the horrors: families talking with one another, people reading books, or [gasp] exercising. How will America's youth compete in the global economy of tommorrow if they don't get the recommended daily allowance of One Day to Live, When Desperate Housewives Attack, or Oxy-Clean infomercials?
This one gang kept wanting me to join cause I'm pretty good with a bo staff.
I, for one, think that DeLay is clearly guilty of everything, and then some. If he wasn't guilty, why would there be so many calls for investigation?
Ladies and gentlemen of the supposed jury, I have one final thing I want you to consider: (pulling down a diagram of Chewie) this is Chewbacca. Chewbacca is a funny Wookiee from the planet Kashyyyk, but Chewbacca lives on the planet Endor. Now, think about that. This is not insightful! (jury looks shocked)
How could a Wookiee -- an eight foot tall funny Wookiee -- be insightful? That does not make sense!
But more importantly, you have to ask yourself: what does that have to do with this case? (calmly) Nothing. Ladies and gentlemen, it has nothing to do with this case! It does not make sense!
Look at me, I'm a know it all bagging out the parent post, and I'm talkin' about Chewbacca. Does that make sense? Ladies and gentlemen, I am not making any sense. None of this makes sense.
And so you have to remember, when you're in that jury room deliberating and conjugating the Emancipation Proclamation... does it make sense? No! Ladies and gentlemen of this supposed jury, it does not make sense.
If Chewbacca is funny, he can not be insightful! The defense rests.
Not all conservatives are stupid,
but it is true that most stupid people are conservative.
- Hume
... 5 ... 4 ... 3 ... 2 ... 1 ...
... hiss ...
It's got my vote!
No blood for digital TV!
" Analog TV emission is wasteful."
Drop the "Analog" part of that statement and we can agree.
There are people in this country who can't afford to eat three decent meals a day. And congress, who's salaries we pay, is spending real, actual time worrying about how these people are going to watch TV.
Maybe I'm just being naive, but I don't see why congress needs to give a crap about analog TV being around. Let the market decide when it's time to switch over to digital.
a tom morello quote to match your sig
"The only bad "f-word" is FCC."
Goddammit!
Can we ever have one threat regarding anything remotely related to television which isn't crapflooded by people who don't own TV's who are posting for no other reason than to brag about what wonderful people they are for not owning TV's.
We get it. TV is beneath you. Everybody who watches TV, also beneath you. You must be dizzy from the lofty heights you have ascended to, and we are all very impressed. Now SHUT THE FUCK UP ALREADY!!!
Besides...I couldn't imagine watching reality TV without 5.1 24 bit audio. Project Runway can only get better!
Ever since I killed mt cable connection, my time spent reading slashdot has greatly increased. Now instead of spending hours each day veging out to mindless brain rot, I spend hours each day participating in insightfull, interesting, and funny conversation.
Nice Marmot
While I normally don't tell people how their value systems should be structured, I can't help but find it slightly humorous that you acquired a 57" Sony HDTV set and yet you balk at spending $200 on a digital tuner you say you'd like to have. To each his own, I guess.
I do agree, though, that, for some, $200 may be more than they will want to pay.
Yes but as he so rightly points out a joke couldn't possibly be insightful, not could any phrase using irony or any other figure of speech. It just can't happen.
You are new here then?
This is not a dream, not a dream...we are transmitting from the year 1-9-9-9.
Hey now! I'm happy to have just got the version without vacuum tubes!
On reflection, it's not a big deal since I never use the tuner in my TV anyway, just the tuner in my (cheaper) DVR. With rabbit ears.
Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.