Free broadcast TV may go way of the VHS tape

Free broadcast TV may go way of the VHS tape

www.msnbc.msn.com

That will play out in living rooms across the country. The changes could mean higher cable or satellite TV bills, as the networks and local stations squeeze more fees from pay-TV providers such as Comcast and DirecTV for the right to show broadcast TV channels in their lineups. The networks might even ditch free broadcast signals in the next few years. Instead, they could operate as cable channels — a move that could spell the end of free TV as Americans have known it since the 1940s.

(visit the link for the full news article)

This article is talking about doing away with something that has been around since the 1940s, that does make it something to at least be aware of. We all use the internet. So we all know it does take some time away that we might have use to use to watch broadcast TV. The way I see it is broadcast TV could beacome a dieing form of media, the way the news papper has also been haveing trouble. I am equelly as guilty of being one who is helping to cause this. The net just offers things that broadcast TV does not.

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

Then people like us on ATS can snake the analog channels and make our own crazy alex jones type show..

Eh?? Who's with me on this one??

In all but the best atmospheric conditions, broadcast digital signals are unacceptable.

We all put up with some static in our reception in the old days, but now interference renders the programming impossible to view because the signal breaks down completely into a pixilated mess.

People who wish to actually watch their TVs for anything but recorded media in the home, will be forced to get cable or satellite dish.

It's as simple as that.

The digital media promise of a better world of entertainment has been a total scam. Digital has some definite advantages in the convenience area, but otherwise, digital have degraded the quality of recorded media, besides turning the recording industry into a 21st Century version of the Nazi SS.

[edit on 2009/12/30 by GradyPhilpott]

Man, broadcast signals have a tendancy to continue on while my Directv signals go to hell. If a bird flies over my dish and pees, my signal goes out. WTF? A few flakes of snow? It's all over! My dish can tell me what is on each channel, but can't produce the show?

Yeah, okay.

Meanwhile, my satellite TV goes out? My phone? My internet? I call and complain and I get a credit for my missed service. I can't get that if I call the offices of Fox56. All the sweet sounding girl on the phone can tell me is, oh, you aren't paying for this, how can you ask for reimbursement?

well of course this was the plan from the get go with digital tv it was a scam to fatten cable company and flat screen tv manufacturers wallets. if its got to go through cable then its easier to censure also.

This isn't about signal quality and reception but has everything to do with a business model that can be monetized. The new "tv" is the internet, and this paradigm shift cannot be stopped.

Sadly, now that we have the Internet, we will have to trade away pop culture. How much REALLY has pop culture evolved since 1995? aside from getting much worse?

reply to post by Donnie Darko


Well, that truly depends on what you define as pop culture, but if you're using it in very basic terms I'd say much of nothing. However, my advice to everyone here is to use this to your advantage as I know I am.

Originally posted by EMPIRE
reply to post by Donnie Darko

 

Well, that truly depends on what you define as pop culture, but if you're using it in very basic terms I'd say much of nothing. However, my advice to everyone here is to use this to your advantage as I know I am.

yup, i'd still say even 2010 is basically a "90s" pop culture, just mixed around a bit.

Whole day I was at home alone, working on the computer - I watched Sanford and Son... the rest of the time the TV was turned off.

TV is going the way of VHS tapes. TV is obsolete right now. We can keep the screens, but TV should be discontinued. Interned has a much bigger choice. You can pick stations from all over the world...

Originally posted by herbivore
Interned has a much bigger choice. You can pick stations from all over the world...

Herbivore
We all use the internet, so we know a wealth of information is out there. But for the benefit of all of us could you post where to go on the net to find these stations?

Somehow I don't think cable will ever outdo FREE TV. The first thing people have been dumping is their 150$ cable tv service. This economy will make the free broadcasts become much more popular. DSL and a land line(for phone) costs 30$. Who wants to pay 200$ for cable TV,internet,and a cell phone? That's an insane amount of cash per month when our economy is in the toilet. Electricity isn't getting any cheaper either.

Lets see how outdated free tv is when everyone's power starts going up in price.

In the Uk we are very lucky to have all our main stations online. you can watch pretty much anything you want online, plus sites like tv links you can stream movies for free.

Tv is going the way of the dinosaur

Yep, I know what you all mean about the digital broadcast quality issues. If there is, in fact, weather, any weather - sunshine, rain, high pressure, low pressure, cloudy or fine, it affects the signal and we get a pixelated mess.

I felt for a long long time that this was by design to force us all onto cable or satellite systems. All that campaign support by Murdoch and Branson isn't just for nothing.

'Free' broadcast TV was funded by Advertisers buying air-time...

i suspect the 'free' TV stations will charge the cable provider a nominal fee to transmit their line up of shows AND keep as many paid advertisers as possible so that 'profits' are up & the elite execs can skim huge bonuses for crafting the double-dipping, rip-off.


On the other hand, there's always the free PBS channels if one has those special antennas to pick up 'digital signals' from the airways.


the switch to 'Digital' transmission TV' was not to profit cable providers ,
it was done to free up the formerly dedicated Analog TV Spectrum...
& one use of that freed up spectrum is for surveillence/spying
even through the concrete walls of skyscraper condos & offices.
the technology has been quietly around for years, and a private company went public with it just when the GulfWar began in '03

[edit on 30-12-2009 by St Udio]

reply to post by St Udio


St udio
you said part of the use of freeing up the broadcast TV band was for spying through concrete walls of sky scrapers, or something to that effect. Can you post any evidence of that?

Originally posted by RedGolem
reply to post by St Udio

 

St udio
you said part of the use of freeing up the broadcast TV band was for spying through concrete walls of sky scrapers, or something to that effect. Can you post any evidence of that?

its been a few years back, but i did post the link in one of my 3,000+ replies....

sorry, but i long since threw out that company web site from my bookmarks

try a search engine research ?

I don't watch T.V. So i could really care less. Personally I think T.V. should go the way of the dinosaurs.

The change-over to Digital from Analogue would make sense that the free TV channels will not exist because you will need a satellite in order to receive a signal from any Digital TV station.

The Analogue frequency (UHF/VHF) will be sold to private corporations.

Later on in the years, it will be illegal for a citizen to own a UHF/VHF receiver due to private corporations complaining about possible security breaks or hacks with their allocated frequency.

This will make analogue TV illegal in a certain aspect.

Anyone with an analogue transmitter or receiver could be labeled as a terrorist due to all these private corporations complaining and filing law suits.

Concerning not being able to get free TV, well get a good 120 inch Dish and a good box and you could watch thousands of TV channels for free that is available across the planet in different countries that hold different laws. Astra I, II and III are still available today and I know a lot of people who have thousands of channels and don't pay a dime. Its all LEGALLY free from all over the world. You can get European TV channels in America with this set up.

[edit on 30/12/2009 by the_denv]