[opendtv] Digital TV "case study" on IEEE Spectrum Radio
- From: Morris Jones <mojo@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 24 Oct 2008 09:33:01 -0700
I listened to this podcast on "IT Conversations" last night:
http://itc.conversationsnetwork.org/shows/detail3801.html
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On February 17, 2009, all analog television broadcasting in the United
States will convert to digital. Millions of households will need to
either replace their televisions, sign up for cable or satellite
service, or install a digital signal converter. While the Federal
government has subsidized these and assured that the switch will be
cheap and easy, a reporter for IEEE Spectrum radio who tries it herself
finds that for her, it is neither cheap nor easy.
During several weeks when she tried to upgrade to digital, she travelled
to several stores, some of which were out of stock. She had to order a
converter at full price in the mail and waited several weeks for it to
be delivered. The controller was more difficult to use than the one it
replaced. Her analog antenna was not suitable for receiving digital
signals and she had to buy and install a digital antenna. Finally, her
reception was worse than with analog, although she did get some new
channels. In the end, she decided that after the expense and trouble of
the "painless" digital conversion, she might be better off with cable
after all.
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Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org
Twitter: http://twitter.com/mojo_la
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