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DTV Converters In Short Supply

Posted by Soulskill on from the whose-plan-was-this-anyway dept.

Ponca City, We Love You writes with a New York Times story saying there could be a shortage of DTV converter boxes in addition to the problem with coupons. "At the current rate of coupon redemption, 115,000 per day, plus sales without coupons, that means the current stock of converters could be sold out by the end of this month. So what would have happened if the whole digital transition worked the way it was supposed to? Many of those 3.7 million people would be marching into their local Radio Shack and Best Buy stores trying to buy converter boxes next weekend right before the scheduled cutoff on Feb. 17. And if the electronics association's numbers are right, the boxes would have sold out." Good thing the extended cut-off date was approved.

7 of 192 comments (clear)

  1. DTV Shopping list by Centurix · · Score: 5, Funny

    1. Campaign to promote DTV - Check
    2. DTV Transmission 'stuff' - Check
    3. 250 million DTV receivers - FAIL

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    1. Re:DTV Shopping list by repvik · · Score: 5, Insightful

      One in the kitchen, one in the bedroom and one in the livingroom. One in every waiting room, a couple at the office, a few at school etc.

  2. Why are we going in debt over CONVERTER BOXES? by WarJolt · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's just a little piece that contributes to the greater problem.
    Somewhere along the way the government decided that television is a right and not a privilege. In every other type of technology when standards change and equipment has to be upgraded the consumer pays for it.

    I've heard the argument that the increased ad revenue makes the cost worth it(not sure if this is accurate) so why isn't the television companies paying for it? Plus it's not the guys who can't afford a $40 box that networks are advertising to.

    I can't think of a good reason why future generations of this country are going to pay for our television today.

    1. Re:Why are we going in debt over CONVERTER BOXES? by Idimmu+Xul · · Score: 5, Insightful

      TV, like radio, is a way to get news out quickly to the population.

      News like people have to get off their fat asses before a certain date to get a DTV converter, else they'll no longer get TV?

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    2. Re:Why are we going in debt over CONVERTER BOXES? by sahonen · · Score: 5, Informative

      The total cost of issuing the coupons for converter boxes is FAR less than the total amount of money raised by the government by selling off the spectrum formerly used by analog TV. The government actually made a profit on this deal.

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    3. Re:Why are we going in debt over CONVERTER BOXES? by drsmithy · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You mean the government has seized the rights to the airwaves. We public own nothing. Don't believe me? Try setting up a transmitter with any serious wattage -- even on an open frequency -- without a license and watch what happens to you.

      It wrinkles my feathers big time whenever the government claims something is "public", and yet the public has little control or voice over it. "Public" schools. "Public" airwaves. "Public" roads, etc.

      "Public" doesn't mean "you", it means "everyone".

  3. Re:F*&K those people.. by speedlaw · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Yes, they will. I once worked in a very large building complex (Starrett City, NY in Brooklyn). I was often assigned to answer the phone for maintenance-clogged toilets, leaky faucets, etc. One day, the Cable TV provider (there was one company for the whole complex) had to do some work, which shut off CATV to the entire complex. We NEVER got so many angry, screaming calls-repeatedly. I don't think a loss of Hot Water would cause so much angst. I'll never forget the day I had eight hours of every single shut-in, or elderly, or mom at home with kids and no soaps, call me over and over. (No maam, I don't know when the cable guys will be done...yes I'm sorry...have a good day) YOU may have four internet connections, get TV via Bittorrent, and run OSX on your Netbook, but for a lot of folks, the on/off switch and the channel selector are all they run. Don't think what comes out, even if pure crap, is not important to those folks.