USA to delay digital TV switch
- Thread starter bigdaddy
- Start date
I'm not picking on you bigdaddy, but unless you're getting digital cable/DVR or have VERY old TVs, you don't need the box for the other TVs. Try it out and see if works. Unhook the cable that goes to the box and hook it directly to the TV. You will probalby also want to go into the tuning menu of your TV and change it from TV to CATV (again assuming you don't have a really old TV). And if even you have an old TV, you should still get channels 2-13 at a minimum.
The problem is that TVs with digital tuners weren't required by law until 5 or so years ago, and up until then, stores were massively discounting analog televisions (I'm talking large screen 27"+) but not informing customers those TVs were not digital ready. So, there is a chance there are people out there with a 5 year old set that is analog only.
Doesn't have anything to do with cable tv, though, which is what Bigdaddy was talking about. Pretty much all TVs in the past 15-20 years have been sold as cable-ready. Means you can just plug it into the cable wire, and you get the basic 75 or so channels from the cable feed. Has nothing to do with analog vs digital tuners, as the analog tuners work for the cable signal.
Right, I guess I got lost in his muddled argument. Overall, they should stick with the 2/17 date. From what I read, a delay would cost stations billions of dollars, with PBS getting hit the worst.
I had the coupons when the boxes were $60-$80 because they were new, that's not fair to me.
The boxes should be free from the government! They will make billions selling the airwaves. Congress needs to get off their asses and just make as money coupons as needed for FREE boxes.
Congress should be giving away coupons because it's not right that people spent money on their nice TVs that work fine just to be told by the government that they aren't any good anymore? That's bullshit. That's the main issue with this, it isn't because people waited until the last second it's because the government was too stupid to make enough coupons.
A $120 is enough food for me for about 2 months, depending on what I buy, so that is a lot of money.
Delaying it to summer does make sense because it's rerun season anyways. i htink on whatever date they pick every channel should just have a black screen with white letters saying "Buy a damn box!"
Nothing is free from the government. Government's money comes from taxpayers.
However many cable companies are in the process of shifting out of town channels to exclusive digital.
Up until a couple of years ago TVs had analog digital ready tuners capable of receiving unscrambled cable channels, usually all but premium channels like HBO and Showtime. Analog and high Definition channels require more cable bandwidth than standard definition channels, so cable companies started shifting channels from analog to standard definition digital to make room for high definition channels. Shifting a channel to digital has the added benefit of allowing the cable company to encrypt it, which allows the cable company better opportunity to limit reception to customers that actually pay for the applicable programming bundle. Thus, the newer TVs with QAM (digital cable ready) tuners are often limited to receiving the local broadcasters and a few local access channels.
I've got digital cable, but my tv in the bedroom works just fine without a box, and it's an older tube tv...
In fact, pretty sure my old Frat house still has Charter Communications for cable, and they don't need boxes in the rooms either, just the main tv room for the HDTV
In fact, pretty sure my old Frat house still has Charter Communications for cable, and they don't need boxes in the rooms either, just the main tv room for the HDTV
I had the coupons when the boxes were $60-$80 because they were new, that's not fair to me.
The boxes should be free from the government! They will make billions selling the airwaves. Congress needs to get off their asses and just make as money coupons as needed for FREE boxes.
Congress should be giving away coupons because it's not right that people spent money on their nice TVs that work fine just to be told by the government that they aren't any good anymore? That's bullshit. That's the main issue with this, it isn't because people waited until the last second it's because the government was too stupid to make enough coupons.
A $120 is enough food for me for about 2 months, depending on what I buy, so that is a lot of money.
Delaying it to summer does make sense because it's rerun season anyways. i htink on whatever date they pick every channel should just have a black screen with white letters saying "Buy a damn box!"
Nothing is free from the government. Government's money comes from taxpayers.
It is my understanding that the money for the converter coupons came from the funds when the government auctioned off the analog bandwidth. So, for once, freebies being handed out are not taxpayer funded.
Never underestimate the assholeyness of cable companies. Before our local cable company was bought out they started to scramble some choice basic cable channels like discovery to force you to get a box. They also wanted to charge a per tv fee even if none of the tv's had boxes on them. Luckily some one came in and stopped that nonsense and finally brought broadband in to the city so I didn't have to rely on the city wide wi-fi broadband project.
Great news IMO. This has been delayed many times already its time to finally let the digital era of TV begin!
Did they also start treating CableCARD like shit *before* being bought out, or after? (Cable companies are notorious for that. It's like a redheaded step child to them.)
Note:
The bill to delay the analog cutoff could still be put on a fast track through committee and be back on the floor as early as next week. After going through the committee(s) it will only need a simple majority. That bill does nothing more than allow stations to continue analog broadcasting until June 12. Most of them could stop analog broadcasts at any time before then, even if the bill is passed and signed. The analog cutoff extension bill doesn't do anything about additional coupon funding.
Unless it has been modified since the last reports I saw that mentioned it, the more recent economic stimulus bill includes provisions for additional converter coupon funding.
Very interesting thread this. We're going through a phased analogue switch-off at the moment over in the UK, but aside from a few grumpy pensioners it doesn't seem to have caused anywhere near as much hassle.
On topic, anyone who hasn't upgraded by now? Fuck 'em. They'll learn soon enough.
On topic, anyone who hasn't upgraded by now? Fuck 'em. They'll learn soon enough.
My area will switch to digital in 2011, so I have a while to get my arse into gear - I have a digibox ('twas a gift) but I need a new roof arial. And if I haven't sorted that out by 2011 it'll be my own stupid fault for being a lazy get.
I think it's because we've had 10 years of digital STBs being on sale, and something like 90% of people already have digital in some form, and the signals will cover at least 95% of the country, so actually switching the analogue signals off is just finishing the job. Whereas it seems in the US the boxes only recently went on sale, and I've heard that terrestrial signals don't cover anywhere near that percentage of the US.
Does your digital box pick up anything? It it does, it may simply be a low quality signal, and when they increase the power of the signal after switch off you may be fine without a new aerial.My area will switch to digital in 2011, so I have a while to get my arse into gear - I have a digibox ('twas a gift) but I need a new roof arial. And if I haven't sorted that out by 2011 it'll be my own stupid fault for being a lazy get.
