Jeez, is it over yet? There's been a steady build of tension toward this big event--the day the whole country lost analog and switched to digital TV. All the television stations have hammered this message to us every day for many months. They have begun to seem a bit like the prognosticators for Y2K. Remember that? The whole world of technology was going to crash and burn when the calendar flipped over to the new millennium? Only it didn't. And, likewise, the world didn't end today when a some people who simply weren't paying attention could no longer watch TV.As for me, I still have the old TV, but in March I canceled Dish TV and bought one of those converters and an antenna, hooked it up, scanned for my channels, and have been set ever since. I find it exciting that I've already saved over $300 by canceling Dish - but that's another story.
The television manufacturers and dealers are raking in a bit of a windfall right now as those who did not get converter boxes are buying new digital TVs. Nothing wrong with that, it can only help stimulate the economy. And today the neighborhood was crawling with Comcast trucks. I have to believe cable and satellite services are getting a bump out of this, too.
I plan to buy a new TV this year, but I'm going to wait until the TV sales drop off and we see some really good sales. In the meantime, I have an extra converter box if anyone needs one. I actually bought two, but never hooked up my second TV.
If you bought a new TV, here are some locations where you can take the old one for recycling.
By the way, why are the television stations still telling people what they need to do to receive the digital signal? If people are watching, they're already getting the signal. Those who aren't receiving the signal are also not watching the broadcast. Duh! Please stop the news stories about DTV. Anyone who doesn't know about it by now is too stupid to benefit from any further news stories.
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5 comments:
i'll miss the static-snow background noise of regular old TV...
I get snow if I turn off my converter box.
Ok, let's play 'remember when', the TV version:
Remember when TVs had a Horizontal Hold knob? (Remember knobs?) And how you would patiently adjust it ever so slightly until the picture stopped rolling up/down or at least rolled seldom enough to watch the picture?
Since I don't get any TV analog or digital I missed this whole thing. I was watching a DVD of Boston Legal recently and they were discussing that all TV programming is done for the young that are not paying attention but text messaging while watching. Nothing for seniors that are the largest viewing audience.
And the same can certainly be said for the programming of satellite and cable stations and packages. One of the last debates I had with DirecTV before canceling was that they needed a senor package with no Disney, no ESPN and lots of the "older" program channels life lifetime and history and A&E and Turner classic movies. They didn't listen. They thought I would be back. WRONG.
But I don't think the TV subscriber services are getting a bump because so many of us during this rough economy decided they were on place they could save money. And we are and intend to do so until someone does an agonizing re-appraisal about TV and TV services.
They once were a public service. Digital was suppose to make it possible for more people to see TV and not less. They need to spend money on more antenna and more translators to get free television to outlying rural areas so we can get the news at no cost to us.
Jacqui,
You have a great idea there about senior programming. I saw that episode of Boston Legal and I remember thinking at the time that it's really true. So much network programming is just geared to a younger demographic.
You are right that some of us have decided dropping subscription services is a way to save money in tight times -- I'm definitely an example of that.
I hope this is the last I hear about the whole DTV kerfuffle. Me and my analog TV (sans converter box) survived the switch without even taking notice - my videos still play and my news still comes when I ask it to come.
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