New York Times:
Millions of households will lose television reception next week when about 1,000 broadcasters around the nation shut off their analog signals and complete their conversion to digital programming, federal officials say.
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If people haven't upgraded by now, then obviously watching TV isn't that important to them. Both the government and broadcast TV stations (at least where I live) have gone well out of their way to make the transition easy, so there really is not an excuse for not getting a converter box if you really wanted one.
I definitely agree with you allnightma
If you're still on a roof top antenna, or rabbit ears, you don't get cable, therefore you don't get Fox, or Larry King, or Beck, or Shawnee, or ESPN, or the weather channel, or MTV.
You are one of the deprived, or one of the lucky - and I'm leaning toward the latter. In two weeks its the radio or reading. Reading - now that's novel.
if your not ready I don't fell sorry one iota
To those people who say whatever, probably don't live where this is an issue. I do. This isn't anything to joke about. These people will lose access to the news and entertainment sources that they rely on. Joke all you want. You try to live without your interrnet, cable/satellite or whatever you use to access the rest of the world. In other words, come out the country, and try to live your urban life. You will fail. That which you are used to doesn't exist.
So, are you implying the internet is coming through the rabbit ears?
I don't think so.
LOL about seehowtheyrun's comment about getting internet "through rabbit ears." Anyone with internet and cable/satellite access shouldn't be having a problem getting digital transmissions. Don't get what on earth ecotopian's talking about.
Soooo....i
Now I wonder if when the switch is thrown for digital, how many in the group of unprepareds and possibly uninformeds, will assume that one of our enemies has detonated the much bally-hooed EMP bomb and our electric/electronic infrastructure has gone down?
http://www
lolll I think the fact that they still got lights would be a dead giveaway that the end of the world is not happening!
If you believe in the EMP bomb as the supposed next line of attack as opposed to more conventional attacks, the logic of electricity but no TV signal will escape you. Even barring such bomb shelter preparedness as watching the use of an EMP in such movies as Broken Arrow or Ocean's Eleven.
What?! How will I ever get find out what's going on in the world without fHawksNews? It's a liberal conspiracy, I tell you...
...and, so what?
Look, it's not like television does those poor, unprepared folks any good anyway. The boob tube fills their brains with one of two poisons:
1) "Entertainment" which lulls them into passivity, or,
2) "News" which, far more often than not, is right-wing propaganda.
Let them go without TV for a while. Who knows, they might decide to do something else with their lives besides reconnect themselves to The Matrix...
You sound like the fools who whined about this 70 years ago...
They were luddites then...you are now...
Check my profile. Luddite? ME? Haha.
Now, am I skeptical about mass media? Absolutely. I don't see where that has the slightest relationship to Luddism.
Well said. And it' s not like they haven't had DAILY notices of this change for over a year now.
Those, 1,000 broadcasters around the nation should pay me back the money I spent on a Coleman Mult-Fuction 5 in one King Cobra Lantern Radio/TV. I bought this product for emergency and camping...
Didn't you know it would become outdated?
The whole reason for this was of course so people would go out and buy HDTV...a marketing ploy...
Still, the superiority of digital TV is undeniable. As superior as color was to black and white.
Yeah, but I have read that some cable companies do not provide a true high def signal. They compress the signal so it is not as clear as an over-the-air high def signal received with an antenna.
While I agree with several of your points, you have undersold by a factor of 100 or so how much better digital is to regular tv. There is potential that is untapped. Color was great, but really the difference is more like morse code to color.
Oh, and boo freakin' hoo, what, we're supposed to not all upgrade beacuse Laskhimi0000 bought a Coleman product? Now THERE is a whiner.
They'll be prepared when they get no reception ... don't worry ... LOL
I understand people not affording the upgrade of a new TV, but the ubiquity of cable and satellite availability should have lowered this number tremendously. More then that, everywhere you go that has a TV display section has signs "TVs ready for digital broadcast conversion" and helpful signs pointing the way to digital converter boxes or ask sales associate for information on digital converter boxes. Most analog TV stations have at some point run their digital tests. There are numerous commercials that have been aired regarding this as well as news stories hyping it. If you're so far in a hole that you have never heard of this digital changeover then when it occurs, you're probably not missing anything.
There are probably a lot of elderly people on fixed incomes who cannot afford cable or satellite television.
A coupon, free from the Government (well not free because we have paid for it via income taxes) has been available for the asking for over 3 years. In addition, there has been millions of public service spots on TV and Radio talking about the conversion.
Every discount store in my area has had them for sale for at least a couple of years. $30 per box is the going price in the Orlando, FL area.
Those that haven't converted ----- oh well......
I didn't say cable and satellite were the only solution to the problem and I and sarabono made mention of how this has been discussed and advertised for years, in news, print, stores, and TV. Are these the same people who file for late extensions on their income tax, cuz, wouldn't you know, April 15th did roll around, and they didn't get down to any number of Wal-Marts or stores hosting an H&R block accountant in a box?
Who cares?
$10 says they don't make the switch.
Oh well. If they haven't gotten the message by now, so be it.
No kidding. I am looking forward to no longer seeing those endless, ridi.culou
Welcome to the cathode ray mission...
Death to Videodrome. Long live the new flesh.
*pulls a gun out of his gut hole*
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First Posted: 06- 5-09 10:55 PM | Updated: 06- 5-09 11:02 PM