[mythtv-users] Obama Recommends Delay in Digital TV Switch

Brian Wood beww at beww.org
Fri Jan 9 15:54:31 UTC 2009


Allen Edwards wrote:
> I have several large antennas and a preamp and RG-6U cable.  For years I
> had great reception on all except channel 2.  Since this digital
> transition started we have been watching DTV.   The picture is great.
>  Switching back to analog I now find the signals have so much noise they
> are basically unwatchable.  I don't know what changed but if this turns
> out to be like the metric conversion I am going to be really pissed.
> 
> Analog TV is terrible and very wastful of the airways.  We need to
> switch and now is as good a time as any.  I am writing my congrersswomen
> right now.

So in your particular case things got better. This will not be the case
for everyone. I can receive watchable signals from the Denver NTSC
stations, I can't receive anything from the digital transmitters at all.

Also, you do not seem to mind spending the money to convert your home.
Now that the coupon program has apparently run out of money, people will
be forced to spend their own cash to continue watching TV. In a lot of
cases, the people using antennas are the ones who can least afford
additional expenditures.

It's a huge additional expense to TV stations as well. Themajor market
stations can handle it, but a lot of small stations are being squeezed,
and will thus have less money available to purchase quality programming
(not that they do that now).

I also agree that DRM has no place in the official TV standard, it was a
plug for the MPAA type industry, and laws should not be passed to
attempt to guarantee the profits of major corporations.

The bill was pushed as enhancing public safety, a major bit of falsehood
to the public and congresspeople.

beww




More information about the mythtv-users mailing list