ERD50
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Maybe this should be in "Others", but it does also touch on public policy, so...
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/17/technology/17digital.html?ref=business
One, look at all the planning and expense the broadcasters have had to do to meet the Feb 17 date. We are talking real work and coordination with technology, physical installation of equipment, etc, and our govt can't plan to have enough funded pieces of paper on hand, so *they* want to hold up the process at other's cost and inconvenience.
From an environmental standpoint, we are talking about considerable power to simulcast.
Also, if some individual with an OTA TV has not made plans, despite the constant barrage of warnings to date, then I think that the only thing that will get them to act will be their TV going blank. Whether that occurs on Feb 17 or some later date will make no difference to those people.
Another really odd thing. We have been barraged with all these warnings, yet something that seems to get really swept under the rug, is the effect on old VCRs. Even if you have a converter box in front of your VCR, many of the conv boxes do not have a schedule in them, and if they do, the owner would need to set their VCR to record CH 3 (or video input), and then set the timer/channel on the conv to match the time to record on the VCR. Not much of a problem if you only record one channel a day, but this information is barely covered anywhere, and I did considerable searching. So despite all this info, people will be caught unaware on this issue.
Further, I think the warnings have really been mishandled. I know for a fact, that many less technical people often turn their new *digital* TV to the old analog channel 2, or 7, instead of the digital 2.1 or 7.1, just out of habit. Then, they get this warning that says if they see this, they need to get a box or a new TV - WRONG! - they just need to switch to 2.1! Maybe I missed it, but I have never seen this advice provided.
-ERD50
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/17/technology/17digital.html?ref=business
So, a couple things really bug me.A government program to provide $40 coupons to partly subsidize the purchase of converter boxes has not kept pace with demand. John Podesta, the co-chairman of Mr. Obama’s transition team, said more than two million people are on a waiting list for the coupons.
Local stations, which have budgeted for the switch through February, may be facing a financial squeeze. .... stations had done considerable planning to ensure a smooth transition on Feb. 17. “A delay would not be welcome for the broadcast stations themselves,” Mr. Ostroff said.
In the transition period, stations are operating two transmitters — one for the soon-to-be-redundant signal and another for the new, higher-quality digital one. Each transmitter requires power and maintenance costs.
“The sooner we can turn one of them off, in these hard times, the happier everyone would be,” he said.
One, look at all the planning and expense the broadcasters have had to do to meet the Feb 17 date. We are talking real work and coordination with technology, physical installation of equipment, etc, and our govt can't plan to have enough funded pieces of paper on hand, so *they* want to hold up the process at other's cost and inconvenience.
From an environmental standpoint, we are talking about considerable power to simulcast.
Also, if some individual with an OTA TV has not made plans, despite the constant barrage of warnings to date, then I think that the only thing that will get them to act will be their TV going blank. Whether that occurs on Feb 17 or some later date will make no difference to those people.
Another really odd thing. We have been barraged with all these warnings, yet something that seems to get really swept under the rug, is the effect on old VCRs. Even if you have a converter box in front of your VCR, many of the conv boxes do not have a schedule in them, and if they do, the owner would need to set their VCR to record CH 3 (or video input), and then set the timer/channel on the conv to match the time to record on the VCR. Not much of a problem if you only record one channel a day, but this information is barely covered anywhere, and I did considerable searching. So despite all this info, people will be caught unaware on this issue.
Further, I think the warnings have really been mishandled. I know for a fact, that many less technical people often turn their new *digital* TV to the old analog channel 2, or 7, instead of the digital 2.1 or 7.1, just out of habit. Then, they get this warning that says if they see this, they need to get a box or a new TV - WRONG! - they just need to switch to 2.1! Maybe I missed it, but I have never seen this advice provided.
-ERD50