Digital TV Delay Runs Into Protest

Digital TV Delay Runs Into Protest

www.nytimes.com

As the countdown to digital television neared the one-month mark on Friday, President-elect Barack Obama urged Congress to pass a bill delaying the transition by three months.

Lawmakers are weighing whether to push back the scheduled Feb. 17 transition because of delays in a government subsidy program and concern about the millions of TV viewers who have yet to upgrade their TV sets to receive digital signals.

(visit the link for the full news article)


Related News Links:
money.cnn.com
voices.kansascity.com
www.google.com

This just seems silly to me.

I own and run a small local PC repair business. I have made many friends in my community It has been a bit slow lately but I have been making a small fortune helping people convert over as a side business. . Like the article said “the poor, the elderly, the disabled" If they can pay they do if they are struggling they pay very little and if the cant pay at all I don’t charge them anything.

It seems to me that in this economic crises there is money to be made the delay will just cost people more in the long run. The way I see it it's like pulling a tooth do it quickly and the pain only lasts a few seconds instead of a long slow pull.

On the retail side

Besides the people who have the money and have been lazy will have go out and either buy a new TV or converter, that’s roughly 7.8 million more purchases that’s not chump change.

7.8 million X $49.99 for the converters
Or
7.8 million X $499.99 for an average TV

Why delay further?
Does Home land security need more time to set up?

Digital Televesion - NWO or Government Spying?

www.nytimes.com
(visit the link for the full news article)



[edit on 17-1-2009 by SLAYER69]

Is there more to the story?

Source

This year broadcasters will celebrate interactive TV in public, using words like "convenience" and "empowerment". AOL TV is rolling out with the TiVo personal video recorder (PVR), that helps viewers find and save programs they might like. Microsoft is launching its own PVR called Ultimate TV, claiming "It puts you in control!". But while you may be sold on home shopping and chat, broadcasters have been selling advertisers their new power to monitor everything you do with your remote.

Yep, millions without mind numbing TV, distracting them from having independent and creative thoughts. People may actually go outside and *gasp* talk with and get to know their neighbors.

We simply can not have that kind of social interaction during this economic crisis. Those people could form solid groups, organize and bring about true change to the social elite that run this country.

Let us not forget that many opted not to buy a new digital TV nor converter box because their cable or satellite provider has taken care of that for them...although as people lose their jobs those will be considered luxuries that they will do with out only to find that they now have no TV.

Yeah, I can see why this would worry Obama as dissension among the sheep may cause problems with re-election in 2012 or even completing this term if things get really bad. Good to see him thinking ahead and addressing the important issues as they come along.

[edit on 17-1-2009 by Ahabstar]

reply to post by Ahabstar


As a matter of fact I just installed a converter for an old lady she could not live without her local weather channel even though she admitted she has not left her house in like 3 years

Part of the problem has been the lack of the public education campaign about digital tv.

Also the costs of mass produced receivers were price gouged and not everyone could afford a digital tv, thus you got a hord of people still running that old analog set.

Also, because of the allowed various formats on the transmission standard of digital tv signals, those converter boxes do not contain decoding circuits that will decode all those variable formats that the FCC so graciously allowed the broadcaster to choose to transmit. If the converter boxes had every kind of variable in them, those converter boxes would price out at well over 400 bucks each. Not to mention, the digital tv's with all that ability to decode all the variables would also be quite expensive.

Now all this HDTV mess began finalzing back in 1997, and stations in major markets began transmitting digital and analog in 2000. There should have been a format standard and not all these variables. I warned them about that back in 1996 at the NAB convention in Las Vegas, that if the FCC allowed broadcasters to choose their own format, that there would be problems in the receiver manufacturing of sets that would have to have complex decoding circuits to be able to decode any and all variable format transmitted.

They didnt listen, in 1996 and in 1997.

So her we are, more than 10 years later and its still a huge cluster F.




Cheers!!!!

I hardly ever say things like this but I will make exception in this very special case...

SCREW people, they KNEW this was coming for many years, they can buy them for as low as $40 online, if you could not put aside $50 over the last 5 years no delay in this world can help you

Well here is a little link that I found to be an interesting read.

All it really lacked was true 80's style promotion of rockers shouting "I want my D-TV" to pump up the masses.

Originally posted by 5thElement
I hardly ever say things like this but I will make exception in this very special case...

SCREW people, they KNEW this was coming for many years, they can buy them for as low as $40 online, if you could not put aside $50 over the last 5 years no delay in this world can help you

Exactly I think if anything it would help the economy.
Thats right tthey knew it was coming itt's time for peeople to get off their rear and do something in the meantime I'll keep charging people for their laziness