Digital TV transition delay bill fails to pass in House!

[Zachstar]

http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/28/digital-tv-transition-delays-fails-to-pass-in-house/

This will be remembered at one of the most unexpected votes in history. It was expected the pubs would support it to set Obama up for the upcoming stimulus bill.


However, In a shocking move they shut this madness down. My guess is they knew the stimulus was going to pass and wanted to use this to hand Obama his first setback.

I think Obama was stupid to support such a delay. Those who have not converted by now are better off listening to radio. The excuse of them not receiving emergency news is bull because the airwaves cant be touched for 30 days afterwards to allow for an instant turn back on if needed in case of disaster. Also even FM radio has more range because of where it is on the spectrum and the antennas are built for that exact area.

There is a slight chance there will be another bill. However, Both parties are already preparing the PR blitz to blame the other for the madness. Some things never change.

[Syxx_Killer]

Those who have not converted by now are better off listening to radio.

Exactly. People have only been warned for what; two years now. If they haven't prepared by now then it is their own fault.

[Blacklight]

I have this feeling that the cable companies are all going to start jacking their rates up and charging everyone their current expensive digital premium package prices. I'm not looking forward to this transition and I have a feeling that the companies are going to use it to sqeeze more cash out of the consumers.

[August]

Those who have not converted by now are better off listening to radio.
Exactly. People have only been warned for what; two years now. If they haven't prepared by now then it is their own fault.

You want to tell that to her?

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2009/01/11-5-08-dtv-commercial.jpg

[August]

I have this feeling that the cable companies are all going to start jacking their rates up and charging everyone their current expensive digital premium package prices. I'm not looking forward to this transition and I have a feeling that the companies are going to use it to sqeeze more cash out of the consumers.

I'm sure their competitors, the Satellite TV companies, would just love for them to do that so they can take more of the market share...

[Zachstar]

August I believe that was a SNL skit or somthing or another.

You ought to see the whole thing. It is funny as hell. She even tries to install a C-band dish!

[Zachstar]

I have this feeling that the cable companies are all going to start jacking their rates up and charging everyone their current expensive digital premium package prices. I'm not looking forward to this transition and I have a feeling that the companies are going to use it to sqeeze more cash out of the consumers.
I'm sure their competitors, the Satellite TV companies, would just love for them to do that so they can take more of the market share...

The crazy thing is this is EXACTLY what is happening!

Cable companies are in a plethora of lawsuits over them not replacing the old set top boxes with digital cable boxes when they dropped channels. (Each analog chan they drop means another 2 HD chans they can fit on the cable)

Sat is reeping the benefits with higher quality HD signals. To the point where it is now cheaper to go with one of them and use the cable company for internet.

My guess is this will only get worse for Cable companies. They are seeing subscriptions drop like crazy and tons of complaints about lackluster Mpeg-2 HD signals. Eventually I predict they will just go back to basic analog cable and devote the rest of the line to internet.

[August]

August I believe that was a SNL skit or somthing or another.

You ought to see the whole thing. It is funny as hell. She even tries to install a C-band dish!

Thanks for the heads up Zach. That pic was off your link so I'm wondering if they even know where it comes from.

Seriously, I just installed a couple of those converters at an elderly couples house last month and I was not impressed by the picture quality of broadcast digital at all.

Unless you live right next to the broadcast tower it's going to be too frustrating to watch. A little snow on the picture, typical for broadcast reception, is one thing but freezes and loss of sound will get irritating real quick.

[geetrue]

Many stations have already changed over leaving perhaps one or two transponders for rural local stations.

I have Direct tv and I even have a HD video card /HD TV receiver card for satellite radio using Vista Media Center. Still need a roof top HD antenna, but I'm ready.

The republicans alone could not defeat this reuest from the white house they had to have some help. :yep:

[Zachstar]

August you are aware that most DTV stations use UHF for higher range?

That is something that I think has not been talked about enough. Only in seriously congested signal regions that you will see VHF DTV signals.

Ask them if you can order this for them. This is the #1 Antenna for DTV UHF reception and I have seen it pull GREAT signal quality.

http://www.amazon.com/Philips-PHDTV1-Silver-Digital-Antenna/dp/B0007XDI54/

[Zachstar]

Many stations have already changed over leaving perhaps one or two transponders for rural local stations.

I have Direct tv and I even have a HD video card /HD TV receiver card for satellite radio using Vista Media Center. Still need a roof top HD antenna, but I'm ready.

The republicans alone could not defeat this reuest from the white house they had to have some help. :yep:

Be careful with the video. HD recordings can EASILY fill just about any hard drive under 1 TB.

[Tchocky]

Tell me about it :p

*peeks at bandwidth meter*

Strewth!

[August]

August you are aware that most DTV stations use UHF for higher range?

That is something that I think has not been talked about enough. Only in seriously congested signal regions that you will see VHF DTV signals.

Ask them if you can order this for them. This is the #1 Antenna for DTV UHF reception and I have seen it pull GREAT signal quality.

http://www.amazon.com/Philips-PHDTV1-Silver-Digital-Antenna/dp/B0007XDI54/

As far as I knew the regular VHF stations weren't going to be changing their operating frequencies but I suppose anything is possible.

Thanks for the antenna tip. I happen to have 4 of them sitting in my storage room atm. I was planning to climb up on their roof and install one come springtime. Another reason I'm happy for the delay seeing as they live in upstate Maine.

[geetrue]

Be careful with the video. HD recordings can EASILY fill just about any hard drive under 1 TB.

Direct tv has somekind of blocker that not only stops the recording of what I see, but blocking what I see if it is a movie channel, even AMC or TCM.

A little message pops up blanking the screen saying I am not authorized to record this channel.

[Zachstar]

August you are aware that most DTV stations use UHF for higher range?

That is something that I think has not been talked about enough. Only in seriously congested signal regions that you will see VHF DTV signals.

Ask them if you can order this for them. This is the #1 Antenna for DTV UHF reception and I have seen it pull GREAT signal quality.

http://www.amazon.com/Philips-PHDTV1-Silver-Digital-Antenna/dp/B0007XDI54/
As far as I knew the regular VHF stations weren't going to be changing their operating frequencies but I suppose anything is possible.

Thanks for the antenna tip. I happen to have 4 of them sitting in my storage room atm. I was planning to climb up on their roof and install one come springtime. Another reason I'm happy for the delay seeing as they live in upstate Maine.

Try a good UHF antenna first. Just set it up and point it at the nearest group of antennas you ought to get a bunch of channels.

In Soviet Russia you do not delay DTV... DTV delays YOU!

[Wolfehunter]

August I believe that was a SNL skit or somthing or another.

You ought to see the whole thing. It is funny as hell. She even tries to install a C-band dish!
Thanks for the heads up Zach. That pic was off your link so I'm wondering if they even know where it comes from.

Seriously, I just installed a couple of those converters at an elderly couples house last month and I was not impressed by the picture quality of broadcast digital at all.

Unless you live right next to the broadcast tower it's going to be too frustrating to watch. A little snow on the picture, typical for broadcast reception, is one thing but freezes and loss of sound will get irritating real quick.What makes you think and elderly can see properly in a HD video? You really believe they can see the hair sticking out of the guys nose? Come one.. As long as they can see something its damb good. :rotfl:

For example.

My mother in law has a nice HD TV LCD screen with HD cable. BUT her converter is only analog. Get the picture. She orders her wrestling on pay per view and thats it. She don't care about the sweat drops flinging across the screen. As long as she can see hunky men swinging she's a happy woman. :D

[Zachstar]

Tell her to get Direct TV or Dish Network.

Then she can see more of the action. :P

Dont accept hooking up analog cable to a HD TV. It is just silly when the Sat companies are offering better rates for all digital and HD packages.

[August]

What makes you think and elderly can see properly in a HD video? You really believe they can see the hair sticking out of the guys nose? Come one.. As long as they can see something its damb good. :rotfl:

This has absolutely nothing to do with HDTV Wolfehunter. Regardless of whether a digital signal is high res or low res, both are unwatchable when every few seconds the sound cuts out and the picture freezes often long enough go to the loss of signal blue screen.

A weak TV broadcast signal is generally what causes that in this situation and it is the norm out in the country where these folks live. Now with an analog signal the picture might be a bit distorted and snowy but that is still a lot more watchable than a silent blue screen.

So I am hopeful that Zachstars recommendation will pan out better than the testing i've done down at the school. They have a pretty good view to the southwest which is where I figure I can pick up the Bangor station(s). I figure i can get the whole thing mounted, cabled and pointed in an hour or so once warmer weather comes.

[August]

Tell her to get Direct TV or Dish Network.

Then she can see more of the action. :P

Dont accept hooking up analog cable to a HD TV. It is just silly when the Sat companies are offering better rates for all digital and HD packages.

Nah these people are dirt poor, they are lucky to have electricity.

[Zachstar]

The days of using badly built TV antennas are over. You cant just throw up a coat hanger to watch the Olympics or a wire up to watch late night.

However, There are plenty of GREAT ways to pull in the signal. The silver sensor is perfect for urban areas where you want to avoid ghosting (The sensor gets its signals in a narrow field of view)

For the rural communities there is this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWQhlmJTMzw

Those who build it right are reporting GREAT results with it. And its cheap and rugged enough to put outside. The higher you get the WAY better signal you get in rural communities where the problem is more along the lines of the tower being just over the horizon rather than signal strength.

Edit: Check this video out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GML5agZhWBk

Now I think there is an error in the TV when it reports so many channels. But if you live in the areas around the 5-7 mega cities you can easily expect 30-40 channels. PBS alone has 4.

[breadcatcher101]

I don't feel the goverment should be paying for the converters. Next thing they will be telling you who to watch or listen to on the radio.

Hmmm...

Why does "Rush" pop into my mind? Haven't heard those guys play in years!

[Zachstar]

Tell her to get Direct TV or Dish Network.

Then she can see more of the action. :P

Dont accept hooking up analog cable to a HD TV. It is just silly when the Sat companies are offering better rates for all digital and HD packages.
Nah these people are dirt poor, they are lucky to have electricity.

I was speaking of the guy's mother in law.

[Zachstar]

I don't feel the goverment should be paying for the converters. Next thing they will be telling you who to watch or listen to on the radio.

Hmmm...

Why does "Rush" pop into my mind? Haven't heard those guys play in years!

If they did not there would be chaos. I don't feel 2 was warranted but atleast 1 had to be done. And besides. Just to let people watch far more PBS makes it worth the money spent.

[August]

That is pretty cool Zachstar. Thanks for sharing.

[Zachstar]

That is pretty cool Zachstar. Thanks for sharing.

If you build it. Please let us know of your results!

I am very thankful for the process which led to that antenna. It is giving the poor a chance to watch more than one chan of PBS. If more watched PBS these days. Instead of stopping when you hit 6. Things would be alot better and people would be far more educated.

[August]

That is pretty cool Zachstar. Thanks for sharing.
If you build it. Please let us know of your results!

I am very thankful for the process which led to that antenna. It is giving the poor a chance to watch more than one chan of PBS. If more watched PBS these days. Instead of stopping when you hit 6. Things would be alot better and people would be far more educated.

You mean I'm giving the old man 5 more PBS channels with their leftist propagan,...er "news" programs to bitch about? :hmm: Hmmmm, I need to rethink this whole idea. :D

[XabbaRus]

How long has digital been on the go in the US.

Over here in the UK I have had a digital receiver since 2002 and I think most people have a digital tv or digi box and some counties are digital only.

I can't believe anyone would want to delay it.

[AVGWarhawk]

I don't feel the goverment should be paying for the converters. Next thing they will be telling you who to watch or listen to on the radio.

Hmmm...

Why does "Rush" pop into my mind? Haven't heard those guys play in years!

Well, was it not the government that dictated in 2005 that this should happen? If so, they should have to help with converter boxes IMO. This additional expense above and beyond the normal should be handled by the government.

[breadcatcher101]

Back when TV first came on the scene we, not the goverment bought the equipment needed, not the goverment. Same with radio. It is not the job of goverment to supply these type services.

You and I are just going to disagree with this.

[Wolfehunter]

The days of using badly built TV antennas are over. You cant just throw up a coat hanger to watch the Olympics or a wire up to watch late night.

However, There are plenty of GREAT ways to pull in the signal. The silver sensor is perfect for urban areas where you want to avoid ghosting (The sensor gets its signals in a narrow field of view)

For the rural communities there is this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWQhlmJTMzw

Those who build it right are reporting GREAT results with it. And its cheap and rugged enough to put outside. The higher you get the WAY better signal you get in rural communities where the problem is more along the lines of the tower being just over the horizon rather than signal strength.

Edit: Check this video out!

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff110/WolfeXhunter/DSCI0028.jpg

Now I think there is an error in the TV when it reports so many channels. But if you live in the areas around the 5-7 mega cities you can easily expect 30-40 channels. PBS alone has 4.I'm going to give this a try... I'm too curious. Heading for the dollar store heehehe.:up:

Ok I built this antenna.

Good news It works.

Bad news Not as good as my RCA one like in the video.

Lol it was fun though.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff110/WolfeXhunter/DSCI0028.jpg

If I place this baby outside then I'm sure I'd get better images... lol

[AVGWarhawk]

Back when TV first came on the scene we, not the goverment bought the equipment needed, not the goverment. Same with radio. It is not the job of goverment to supply these type services.

You and I are just going to disagree with this.
Ok, so the government shows up at breadcatchers house and says, we are taking away the use of UHF and that radio you are listening to will not work anymore. But, we will let VHF work so go buy a radio that will pick up VHF. You do not believe that the government should help you pay for a new radio? Your old radio you paid for is now a paper weight and you are out the cash. Plus, you get to shell out some more cash for another radio that picks up what the government says can be picked up? Does not seem right, does it? What if breadcatcher can not afford a new radio? He just spent his money he saved on the one he has just a week ago. Breadcatcher is just supposed to suck it up? :hmm: The government imposed a cash outlay upon you.....

[SteamWake]

The goverment imposes a cash outlay from me every single working day.

[FIREWALL]

What is the big deal with delaying the change over for a short period of time ?

They ran out of money for the discount cards for the people on a fixed income long before February.

[AVGWarhawk]

The goverment imposes a cash outlay from me every single working day.

Yes, I as well and this is above and beyond the normal cash outlay IMO.

[FIREWALL]

The day anyone believes the Goverment is their friend they will have a wet sheet wrapped around them and a net dropped over them.

The TV and Radio stations should be supplying these discount cards to everyone.

Their the ones who make bank on this changeover.

[AVGWarhawk]

The day anyone believes the Goverment is their friend they will have a wet sheet wrapped around them and a net dropped over them.

The TV and Radio stations should be supplying these discount cards to everyone.

Their the ones who make bank on this changeover.

Yes, they make bank over it because running analog cost more than digital. But, this was instituted by the government to free up analogy waves for emergency response, etc. :39:

[Zachstar]

The days of using badly built TV antennas are over. You cant just throw up a coat hanger to watch the Olympics or a wire up to watch late night.

However, There are plenty of GREAT ways to pull in the signal. The silver sensor is perfect for urban areas where you want to avoid ghosting (The sensor gets its signals in a narrow field of view)

For the rural communities there is this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWQhlmJTMzw

Those who build it right are reporting GREAT results with it. And its cheap and rugged enough to put outside. The higher you get the WAY better signal you get in rural communities where the problem is more along the lines of the tower being just over the horizon rather than signal strength.

Edit: Check this video out!

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff110/WolfeXhunter/DSCI0028.jpg

Now I think there is an error in the TV when it reports so many channels. But if you live in the areas around the 5-7 mega cities you can easily expect 30-40 channels. PBS alone has 4.I'm going to give this a try... I'm too curious. Heading for the dollar store heehehe.:up:

Ok I built this antenna.

Good news It works.

Bad news Not as good as my RCA one like in the video.

Lol it was fun though.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff110/WolfeXhunter/DSCI0028.jpg

If I place this baby outside then I'm sure I'd get better images... lol

That is strange. These have normally kicked the pants off RCA antennas.

Do you mind posting your zip code so I can see your transmitter situation?

[SteamWake]

Well just heard the vote to delay passed...

What freakin ever, we have more important things to address at the moment.

[Zachstar]

This will be a disaster.

People are suddenly going to see more than half of the channels vanish.

PBS is moving over regardless. It is costing them millions to run analog.

People are going to be confused. They hear on TV that it was delayed but they lost their channels. The chaos will only harm things.

[SteamWake]

This will be a disaster.

People are suddenly going to see more than half of the channels vanish.

PBS is moving over regardless. It is costing them millions to run analog.

People are going to be confused. They hear on TV that it was delayed but they lost their channels. The chaos will only harm things.

Your tax dollars at work :cool:

[Reece]

Here in Australia it is changing in 2010, I'm not looking forward to it, I live in the country, no cable, no UHF, all we can receive with antenna on tower is VHF, even with a 24db booster the pictures get snowy at times, I have a Digital TV card in my pc but instead of snow I lose sound or picture breaks up into blocks!:damn: The only other option is satellite even then we are in a valley surrounded by hills and trees.:cry: will have to do something when the time comes though, even the maximum on broadband here is 256k, better than 56k modem though!!:yep:

[August]

Here in Australia it is changing in 2010, I'm not looking forward to it, I live in the country, no cable, no UHF, all we can receive with antenna on tower is VHF, even with a 24db booster the pictures get snowy at times, I have a Digital TV card in my pc but instead of snow I lose sound or picture breaks up into blocks!:damn: The only other option is satellite even then we are in a valley surrounded by hills and trees.:cry: will have to do something when the time comes though, even the maximum on broadband here is 256k, better than 56k modem though!!:yep:

Mount your dish on the antenna tower and that should give you LOS to the satellite.

[Reece]

Gee I wish it was that easy, I had purchased the dish (1.5mtr) with rotator etc, still new in box, must be mounted on 75mm steel pipe concreted in ground, not allowed to move even 1mm!! apparently, but at that height no coverage, so I have to get a better tower, the one for the antenna is suspended with guys, too flimsy for the dish!:yep:

[FIREWALL]

Try to find a $40.00 box at the stores now.

They will be double in price tomorrow.

[August]

Hmmm, but Australia is a lot closer to the equator than the US. Those must be some really steep hills around you to block your angle to the satellite.

You might also be able to substitute a ground mount for a rooftop. Sturdy and straight is all you need to make it.

[Aramike]

As far as this stupid coupon program goes ... check out ebay. People are selling discounted coverters and the coupons themselves.

It warms my heart to know that taxpayers are subsidizing "userbill6969" making a few extra bucks...

[Reece]

You might also be able to substitute a ground mount for a rooftop. Sturdy and straight is all you need to make it.Yes, excepting that the white Ants had a field day with my "house", more like a "lean-to", lets hope it doesn't lean too far!!:haha:
@ Firewall, I have a box, it's a Phoenix, digital but not HD.:yep: The whole thing is for free to air.

[SteamWake]

Almost forgot.

Here is a PSA on how to covert to digital

/video/all/How_to_Convert_to_Digital_TV/#223492 (http://www.stupidvideos.com/video/all/How_to_Convert_to_Digital_TV/#223492)

[SUBMAN1]

Be careful with the video. HD recordings can EASILY fill just about any hard drive under 1 TB.That is if they bothered to use the full BW available to them, which after much analysis of it, including blu-ray that I have done, they never do. You are lucky if you pull 8 Mbps for most of these high def pictures and sometimes only get 3 or 4. You will know easily when you get blocks in the picture, though you have to look for it.

If you are recording yourself, probably a better plan to switch to VBR if you are using ABR. It will save the HD space making it use about as much as SD recordings or little more. Blu-Ray usually uses a decent clip, but no where near what they could use if they wanted a perfect picture.

-S

[Platapus]

I wonder how long the government "restricted" the advent of electricity because some homes still used gas....

or how long the government "restricted" the advent of the automobile because many houses still had barns/stables?

Why is the government even involved in this? Has watching TV become a civil right or something? I understand the decision to go digital was a government decision, but how long must technology be restricted? Are we obligated to maintain analogue signals until 100% of the people decide to get a newer TV? 99%...98%..97% At what point can/should the government say "evolve or be left behind"?

Could one curmudgeonly citizen, who refuses to upgrade, hold up the change to a new technology by citing a 14th Amendment violation?