AAVR Magazine

Digital TV on Pause

It’s February, and this was supposed to be the month that all off air broadcast of TV was going to switch to digital signals.  But wait, the government is delaying the cut over date, by six months.  Why?  Because there wasn’t enough money to help people get digital converter boxes, and because the signal isn’t as great as promised.

You see, if you get you TV signal using bunny ears, you need to get a little converter box to convert the analog signal to digital so that you can still get TV when the cut over happens.  Here is the problem with the way digital works.  On an analog TV, as long as you have a shadow of an image, it will show on your TV.  The signal will get better, get worse, but it will always be there.  With digital, it’s binary thing.  Meaning it’s either ON or OFF.  If you have good signal, your picture will almost look like HD.  If you have a weak signal, you will have a blue screen.

Most of the people that are having this problem, are the ones with the bunny ears, or set top antennas.  Today, when I was listening to the radio, I heard a story about this, and apparently when the FCC was doing research on the digital signal, they were assuming that most people who got off air TV were using roof mounted TV antennas.  Turns out, they are kind of wrong.

Here are two takes on this situation.  First, to the FCC.  It is wrong to force people to make a switch when it will actually decrease their service.  You should have done more research, help create better technology for broadcasting so that people with bunny ears won’t suffer.  You have six months, now go to it.

Now to people watching off air TV.  You have been watching TV for free for years.  The only thing that you have paid for is your TV and the electricity to run it.  The idea that you even get government money to pay for a $40 box is ridiculous.  And if you have to buy a roof top antenna, so what.  I bet that would cost you less than what I pay for cable in a year.  The average house pays around $100 per month for cable and Internet.  It’s the 21st Century, get with the times.  You have saved thousands of dollars during your life, I think that you can afford to buy an upgrade.  Or better yet, subscribe to basic cable.  It’s great!  Always a good signal (as long as no one breaks the cable), way more channels, and no flippin’ bunny ears to adjust.

To sum up, government bad for forcing people to do things.  People need to join the technology revolution, sell their Ford Model T and get some cable already.

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