HDTV conversion, death of NTSC (was lightening)

For people that receive off-the-air TV with an antenna, you will have to buy a coverter box, on box per TV (I guess you could feed the output to multiple TVs if everyone wanted to watch the same channel, and if you have lots of cable and don't mind running it). There is a bill in congress for the govt. to subsidize the purchase of these converter boxes, but it has not yet passed and the details are yet to be worked out (including would they subsidize for everyone or only for people below the poverty line).

For people who have cable or satellite, you will need a new box from your cable company or satellite company (existing HDTV and Satellite boxes may already perform the necessary functions, but analog and digital NTSC (e.g. non-HDTV) set-top boxes don't). The cable companys would probaly supply these at no cost to replace an existing cable box, but if you currently have a cable ready TV connected directly to the cable (no converter box), it would mean adding a box, and there would probably be a monthly fee for each such box (1 box per TV, every NTSC TV would require a box).

The details of this are still unfolding.

Your position on HDTV (I don't have it and I don't want it) is probably shortsighted. If you don't have it, you don't really know what it is. Consumer's Reports has been doing surveys of their subscriber base and the reaction of people to HDTV has been overwhelmingly favorable. The biggest complaint that they have had is that MOST of the people wish that they had gotten a larger screen size. Regardless, however, analog NTSC TV dies as a broadcast medium on February 17, 2009. For a system that was adopted in March of 1941, it's done ok, but at the same time, after 68 years it is time to move on.



Vic Smith wrote:

On Tue, 25 Jul 2006 02:17:23 GMT, Barry Watzman
<WatzmanNOSPAM@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:


Keep in mind that in February, 2009, the US will switch to Digital Broadcasting (HDTV) ONLY. On that date, all remaining analog NTSC TV stations will sign off FOR GOOD, never to return to the air. All existing analog TV sets will no longer receive ANY off-the-air or cable TV without a converter box.


Barry, Thanks for the heads up. Can the converter boxes be purchased or they proprietary cable company
boxes? Any idea on cost ?
I have cable, don't care about HDTV, and just know I won't want to
ashcan 4 perfectly good 27" TV's.

--Vic

Keep in mind that in February, 2009, the US will switch to Digital Broadcasting (HDTV) ONLY. On that date, all remaining analog NTSC TV stations will sign off FOR GOOD, never to return to the air. All existing analog TV sets will no longer receive ANY off-the-air or cable TV without a converter box.

That is less than 3 years from now. This is not the time to buy a new TV set that is not HDTV, nor is it the time to make significant repair investment to an analog TV set.

What is staggering to me is that new analog TV sets are still being sold. When I see someone buying one of those, I want to grab them and shake them and say "are you nuts?". The sale of new NTSC analog TV sets will become illegal next March (2007).

For those who oppose this conversion, the NTSC analog TV broadcasting system that we watch today (unless you have an HDTV and are watching HDTV programming) was developed in the 1930's and approved by the FCC in March of 1941 (color was added in 1954, and stereo sound in the 1980's or 1990's). It's way past time to move on, and it's been about a decade since the HDTV system was adopted, but without a "drop dead date" consumers simply would not make the switch.
.

Relevant Pages

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  • Re: Lightening
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