[email protected] wrote:
Separately, my husband was one of the first to send for the coupon to
buy the digital box. I think that when he did it, they were giving
two $40 coupons per family and also that there was some earl bird
special so that the boxes were only $40 each. So.. we got a box, for
our 22 year old TV, for the cost of S&H. We do NOT have cable, but
with the box, many of our stations now come in at cable quality. This
is great. No monthly cost and we are already enjoying the benefit of
much improved reception and additional local channels. So far,
there are only two down sides. My favorite station was 12 and now it
often reads "weak signal". (It is the only station that is worse than
before.) Second: When it is very windy, sometimes the signal breaks
for a second or two, and there are weird skips or distortion on the
screen. This seems a small price to pay for the loss of fuzz and
buzz. There is a third thing that makes me a little nervous. The
Digital box turns itself off when there are no adjustments to sound or
channel for a long period of time. This might be very good for those
who want to conserve energy or are using the TV as a sedative and
become too tired to turn it off, but it seems to me as if someone
could gather data on individuals and on populations, regarding what we
watch, when we watch it, and when most of us are vulnerably asleep.
But, I figure the Advertisers are probably more of a nuisance than Big
Brother when it comes to TV and eventually I'll get a newer TV and
maybe even T-Vo(sp?).
Liz, I have TiVo . It is truly the Box of the Gods.
If you're concerned about 'big brother," you won't like it. Because it
does transmit your viewing preferences back to TiVo Central so it can
suggest programs that you might like. My suggestion? Stop worrying about
Big Brother, because it's just silly. For one thing, what is broadcast
on TV that's so compromising? _This Old House_? _Frontline_? The Chomsky
lecture on WYBE? For another, let's say there is something on TV that's
politically odd or "suspect." Why should I let fear affect what I want
to watch? That just invites the censor within, the decision to _not_
watch or read something because of the fear, which is more effective
than anything the GuvMint can do.
And if you're worried about the TiVo people using the data to market
stuff to you... well, I haven't noticed any severe intrusions into my
personal life, and I've had TiVo for nearly ten years. And if they
market stuff at me, well, I just don't buy it.
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