For that matter, digital signals in general are problematic if you're getting your TV over the air, without a cable or satellite hookup. The signals are more directional, so you have to have the antenna pointed EXACTLY the right way for each channel, or you're out of luck. The signals are also effectively weaker; and when you're trying to tune your set or move your antenna to get the signal, it can switch from being on to being off, without the intermediate state you often get now, when the signal degrades but doesn't quite vanish when you're adjusting things. (I go through enough gymnastics already, trying to adjust a small booster antenna in just the right direction to get even marginal signals on some stations.)
My brother (who designs radio transmitters) and I were trying to explain all this to another relative, who hadn't heard anything about the death of analog and who was outraged that, in spite of the supposed improvements of digital TV, what she was going to get (post-conversion) was a lot worse than what she has now. Unless, of course, she pays a lot of money (for a new TV or conversion box, or cable, or a satellite dish, etc.) And she'll have these extra expenses just to get "free" commercial-ridden network TV, and public television which she has already paid for in taxes and pledges. I think to her the conversion sounds a lot like "Let them eat cake," or maybe "There's one [sucker] born every minute," and I can't entirely disagree with her. --Constance Warner QUOTE: It is my understanding that in some parts of the country there will be no signal or only patchy signals available if the phones are switched from analog to digital. These areas are in the hinterlands where antennas are few and far between, a situation that will render digital signals problematic to receive and transmit with. Steve ************************************************************************ * ==> QUICK LIST-COMMAND REFERENCE - Put the following commands in <== * ==> the body of an email & send 'em to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <== * Join the list: SUBSCRIBE COMPUTERGUYS-L Your Name * Too much mail? Try Daily Digests command: SET COMPUTERGUYS-L DIGEST * Tired of the List? Unsubscribe command: SIGNOFF COMPUTERGUYS-L * New address? From OLD address send: CHANGE COMPUTERGUYS-L YourNewAddress * Need more help? Send mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ************************************************************************ * List archive from 1/1/2000 is on the MARC http://marc.info/?l=computerguys-l * List archive at www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ * RSS at www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.xml * Messages bearing the header "X-No-Archive: yes" will not be archived ************************************************************************
