All of our CRT TVs have analog tuners. Some of the flat TVs we looked at
last year didn't even have digital tuners. Many didn't have tuners at
all. The two we bought [LCD+plasma] have digital QAM tuners, but most we
looked at didn't.
The technology is changing quickly and prices have come down, but I
doubt that most people own TVs with digital tuners if they own CRTs or
bought flat TVs more than 2 years ago.
I expect that the deadline will pass with no changes--perhaps a
postponement. Otherwise there will be a huge outcry, and demands for
free cable/FIOS service to replace the local broadcasts that have until
recently been preserved as part of the public commons -- until
corporations weaseled their way into our government and changed it for
themselves instead of for we, the people. I demand a free antenna so I
can get the same broadcasts that I've always received from broadcast TV
stations. Digital TV is a huge financial windfall for manufacturers in
the long run, and a big pain in the wallet for the rest of us. Analog TV
uses a very small part of the radio spectrum--considerably less than
radio stations.
The radio spectrum is not finite, only by random choice of government.
Did you know that there are FM stations that broadcast between 70.0 and
87.9 FM? My radio picks them up. Did you know that in other countries
they use smaller increments between stations than here in the US so they
have many more radio stations? Digital threatens to cut off existing
radio and replace it with [what kind of junk]...? We have enough
problems with the government trying to block short wave radio. So far
they haven't succeeded in trashing the best emergency radio system in
existence, but I don't trust them to do anything for us since we don't
have the big $$$$ to force changes for us instead of big biz.
> The change from analog to digital definitely DOES affect those of us who
> have digital TVs. We have analog service on all of our televisions--two
> are also digital.
Actually, it's highly unlikely your TVs have analog tuners in them.
They are digital. But what you mean is they are not ATSC.
> Digital TV doesn't carry as far as analog. We get ZERO channels using
> the digital tuners.
True. And worse, it's an "on or off" proposition. Gone are the old
days when you could squint at a distant TV station obscured by static.
With DTV, at a certain point, the picture just cuts off.
> Who is supposed to benefit from this change? I doubt it's consumers.
> This is yet another bad idea pushed through corporate government by
> industry lobbyists without consideration for consumers.
Alas, I disagree. The radio spectrum has always been finite. The old
NTSC ("analog") broadcasts use an enormous amount of this limited
space to transmit the same information. Really, this transition should
have taken place 10 years ago.
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