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Confusion Reigns As Analog TV Begins Shutdown
As TV stations across the country switch off their analog signals, uncertainty reigns. Some 691 stations will have converted to digital broadcasting by midnight tonight (some interpreted the mandate as going digital by Feb. 17, not during Feb. 17, and shut down yesterday). This represents about a third of TV broadcasters nationwide. No one can say how many of the estimated 5.8 million households unready for the transition are in areas served by the stations that are switching now. The FCC added to the uncertainty by imposing extra conditions, making it unclear until last Friday exactly which stations would be switching at the beginning of the transition period. The article quotes a former analyst at Barclays Capital who said the whole process has been "botched politically."
Why the heck are we getting a story posted on this almost daily? Who cares? I've read the threads, and it's not a big deal. Anyone with half a brain will be fine. Anyone else, well, maybe there are survival of the fittest selection standards still hitting us, on occasion. I don't see that as a bad thing.
As I have said time and time again, this has been a gigantic clusterfuck of enormous proportions.
1. The American public should have received a check (not a tax credit, not a credit card looking coupon, etc) for the total sale of the spectrum divided by every single citizen of this nation.
2. When the TV was moved to digital, it should have been better than what was offered before. Yes, the quality is better (when you can receive the signal) but most of the time (even with good equipment) the signal doesn't come in, you lose channels, and they randomly drop audio and video. At least with the old way, if it came in most of the way, I could still see and hear what was going on.
3. This was all unnecessary anyway. I don't care about opening up spectrum for other services when I am not directly benefiting in any way, shape or form by the change over. If you are seriously going to tell me that because I now have access to more channels, most of which rarely come in well after spending $20 on a box and $20+ more on rabbit ears or $40+ on a "HD" antenna, then you're wrong.
Boo on digital TV.
If grandma hasn't upgraded the old Philco black & white by now, she probably never will (until forced). As for the coupons, there was no reason they couldn't have extended the coupon program but still kept the original timeline.
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
Good point. Americans are likely to get extremely angry when [1] they can't watch TV, and [2] the price of gas breaks a psychological barrier, like $2. The problems?
- What percentage of Americans receive their TV over the air?
- Congress is currently experiencing approval ratings rivaling David Duke at the Million Man March, yet over 90% of the current Congress was re-elected. I voted 100% anti-incumbent this fall, and maybe Americans should wake the freak up and stop just voting party lines. Congress is well aware of this: they can do anything [and I mean, ANYTHING], and they WILL get re-elected.
I'm in a spot were I'm at least 20 miles from any TV broadcast so nothing really comes in well - lots of the blocking, no sound and many times the "no signal" floating box. Oh, my microwave disrupts the TV signal.
20 miles and you don't get a signal? You either have no concept of distance or you don't actually have an antenna.
If people haven't heard what to do then they're not watching enough tv. They've had plenty of test blackouts scheduled with numbers to call if they are not receiving a digital signal.
My 90 year old grandmother was ready 6 months ago. She watches the least amount of TV of anybody I know. I really don't think it's old people that aren't setup.
It's all very well moving into the brave new world of digital television but just how many citizens actually asked for it to happen? A small minority I suspect.
The point is, the whole change over was driven by corporate greed. Technical changes drive transactions and each transaction is an opportunity to fleece the customer.
The population would have been perfectly happy with the old technology if the new technology hadn't been foisted on them.
Nobody said US-only. It's a lot simpler to make up a point than to actually make one, isn't it?
Congress is currently experiencing approval ratings rivaling David Duke at the Million Man March
I'd just like to point out that Congressional approval polls mean nothing.
Approval ratings taken by random, national samplings will yield nothing but unresearched opinions based on shallow news coverage and your average person's limited understanding even what congress does. I doubt even 50% of the people polled even understand that Congress and Senate are part of the same government branch, let alone have a meaningful, formulated opinion based on actually performance.
Fact: Everything I say is fiction.
Who with any perceptive acuity and fundamental understanding of economics thought that everyone would pay more to continue to see free television? Especially when the recession train was in sight?
The Congress and FCC? Well, there you go.
Screw any idiots who don't have cable or satellite and haven't gotten off their lazy asses to get a digital receiver. If it was SUCH an important thing to them they would have done something about it already.
We could wait another 20 years and there would still be morons crying about it. Yank the band-aid off fast and be done with it.
Coding with assembly is like playing with Legos. Coding an application in assembly is like building a car with Legos.
Do you realize quite how annoying it is to sign your post? Especially when your name is just below your subject? And in your signature?
Over 12 months of wall-to-wall "PLEASE UPGRADE YOUR TELEVISION BY FEBRUARY 17, 2009!" covering the entire bottom of my screen.
If you haven't seen that by now and made plans you deserve to have your TV dropped on your head.
Actually, it's the House of Representatives and the Senate that are part of the same government branch, which is collectively referred to as the United States Congress.
If you're going to be calling half the people in the country idiots, make sure you're in the other half first ;-)
Read my blog.
After this wonder demonstration of government incompetence I say let us let them manage our Health Care and Health Care records!
At least we know they are demonstrably bad at most of what they do, so we won't have higher than normal expectations.
* Winners compare their achievements to their goals, losers compare theirs to that of others.
Here's a thought, when you make a plan...stick to it.
The few people who aren't ready for the digital conversion now will likely fail to be ready by June.
I agree... I'm so tired of the "old people don't know what's going on...." canard. My grandmother has asked me about it and knew it was coming, and she doesn't even OWN a TV.
I'm out of my mind right now, but feel free to leave a message.....
OMG incompetent guvmunt can't do nuthin right, right?
I'm so sick of this argument, especially as it relates to health care. We pay more and get less in return than the citizens in dozens of other countries. The difference? People in other countries ceded some and varying levels of control of health care -- a basic human necessity -- to an entity without a profit motive.
No amount of anecdotal "waiting lists" or complaints about phantom lawsuits driving up costs can change the objective fact, which is that we're being ripped off by the existing private system. It has failed to expand the reach of care, to control costs or to improve the health of the nation. Yet we continue to fall for idiotic "government can't do anything right" arguments despite all the real-world examples of governments that are succeeding in keeping their populations healthy while spending less per capita.
Finance has crashed, housing has crashed, oil is crashing, retail is crashing, now here begins the media. Maybe now I can get some peace and quiet.
That's easy, whatever Sparky at Best buy tells them to buy.
He's an expert and those $98.00 HDMI cables have such a clearer picture!!! I'm going back to buy a $980.00 power strip to make my greens greener!
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
Because it affects our most isolated and vulnerable populations. the elderly, the poor, and the disabled.
Look around you.
Find out where these people live.
How these people live.
Four hours spent on a rural bus run can be very educational.
The third-rate nursing homes.
The group homes and apartments built on barren agricultural lots five miles from the nearest traffic light.
The tenant houses and run-down trailer parks you never gave a thought to.
$90 a month as a personal allowance.
Out of which will come your co-pays for therapy and drugs and blood work.
Capped at perhaps $300/yr.
Life-Line phone service at 10 cents a minute.