Say good-bye to analog television

[Kimmy]

http://www.cassville-democrat.com/story/1493598.html

Isn't this way overdue? Europeans are already fully digital, are they not?

[SteamWake]

But.... Barock wants to delay

[Letum]

All digital here. The quality on the wireless is fantastic.
The old signal is still on air, but not for long. Some parts of the UK have been digital
only for a long time now. Well over a year.

[AVGWarhawk]

I guess they wanted to get all those old analog TV's out of the warehouses first and then the government will send a coupon for a digital converter. Think about it, all those new analog TV's going to the dump.

[Schroeder]

I think you can put a converter between the antenna and the TV.

[SteamWake]

Originally Posted by Schroeder

I think you can put a converter between the antenna and the TV.

In fact you can get goverment assistance for one

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by Schroeder

I think you can put a converter between the antenna and the TV.

Correct, the government here in the US sent out coupons for converters. My guess this was done so all the new analog TV's could sell as the warehouses loaded up on digital. Again, makes no sense throwing new analog TV's in the dump when a converter will work with them. Besides, a lot of people can not afford a digital TV let alone cable for the TV which would negate having to get a converter box.

[Kapt Z]

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

the government here in the US sent out coupons for converters. My guess this was done so all the new analog TV's could sell as the warehouses loaded up on digital. Again, makes no sense throwing new analog TV's in the dump when a converter will work with them. Besides, a lot of people can not afford a digital TV let alone cable for the TV which would negate having to get a converter box.

Though it will suprise you what people will go without so they can have their widescreen TV.....food, heat, glass windows.....

I've seen it. It leaves you speechless.

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Kimmy

http://www.cassville-democrat.com/story/1493598.html

Isn't this way overdue? Europeans are already fully digital, are they not?

No, but on our way. In Germany, last analog TV broadcasting will be switched off 2010, that'S what the law has set as a deadline, the switching phase already has taken several years, with some regions already having switched off analog TV over the past 3-4 years. Radio is another thing, though. It is unlikely that there will be any major chnages before the year 2015 at the earliest. Probably analog radio will stay for much, much longer than just that. Forums mention time frames of 10-20 years. No federal state and not the federal government has any plans for chnaging radio.

Now, when we will get widespread HDTV - that is a totally different story. test programs have been stopped again last year. Demand for HDTV is low in Germany, and the broadcasting stations are hesitent, since they already had lost lots of money with earlier experiments that failed (PAL+ being one example). 5-12 years, I estimate, before HDTV is becoming a norm with major stations. The interest of broadcasting stations is incredibly low. I know a salesaman in a major electonric chain store, who tells me. He says customers are very interested in flat screen TV since the football world championship - but nobody is waiting for HDTV.

Same for me.

[Letum]

Oh, I dunno.
I would rather be happy/entertained yet cold and hungry than sad/bored yet warm and full-bellied.

*edit* SB: I doubt the analouge radio signal will ever go off. It's much more power efficient than digital and doesn't requite half the cost or component size.
There might even be national security issues. In the event of a major disaster it will always be easier to pick up analouge signals than digital.

[Rockstar]

As long as they keep southpark updated who needs TV.

http://www.southparkstudios.com/episodes/

[Letum]

Originally Posted by Rockstar

As long as they keep southpark updated who needs TV.

http://www.southparkstudios.com/episodes/

Dammit! No service to England.

Time to look for an American proxy server.

[Kapt Z]

Originally Posted by Letum

Oh, I dunno.
I would rather be happy/entertained yet cold and hungry than sad/bored yet warm and full-bellied.

If you are warm and full-bellied and bored you lack imagination.

But, then again except for PBS, BBC and SPEED I don't even watch TV.

[TarJak]

We were meant to go all digital last year but the govt delayed to 2013. I think only about 40% of TV's in home here have digital capability and there hasn't been a huge incentive to make people move. I'm expecting 2013 to see another delay although I could be wrong.

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Letum

Oh, I dunno.
I would rather be happy/entertained yet cold and hungry than sad/bored yet warm and full-bellied.

*edit* SB: I doubt the analouge radio signal will ever go off. It's much more power efficient than digital and doesn't requite half the cost or component size.
There might even be national security issues. In the event of a major disaster it will always be easier to pick up analouge signals than digital.

Fully agreed.

I gave my father an old, pre-war "Detektorradio" (crystal radio?) as a christmas present two years ago. It's 70 years old, and still fully functional, and needs no electricty at all, no battery, no network, no solar panel, no nothing. He dreamed of owning such a thing since he was a small boy. Most people today could not believe it that it runs without consuming any energy at all, they could not imagien anythign running without battery or a AC adapter. But this one does: Deutsche Welle, loud and clear, some scratche son the massive wooden box, but that is all.

Things are not being build like that anymore. If your item does not break down before reaching it's fifth birthday, you are already lucky. A longevity of eight years they already call "robust construction". Anything beyond ten years will be remembered as a miracle.

For the younger ones who may have cellphones, PCs and MP3 players, but do not know what this kind of radio was:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_radio
It needed no separate energy ressources, since it took it's energy directly from the transmission wave of the broadcaster.