HD TV-Love it, hate it!

[ToadHill]

I have 3 issues with this change.

I live near Canada and like to watch hockey on some of the Canadian stations, I haven't yet figured out how this change will effect reception.

I use a satellite for my reception at home. I have a new HDTV but to get HD Direct TV wants an extra $10 per month. I can't see why I should pay extra if the broadcast is already in HD.

I have only an antenna at the farm so I bought the box and hooked it up. I live near the top of a hill and my house is at 1800 ft. The highest hill in the county is at 2000 ft. but even with a almost new antenna on a pole 25 ft above the house I can only get two of the 6 local stations on the box. If the weather gets bad I can't get any. Looks like I'll be spending more time reading on rainy days.

 

[JB4310]

There was talk about delaying the digital only broadcasting date, I think Obama was considering it, don't know if that was resolved. There will be x# of millions of people who wont even be able to watch the nightly news and as those who wanted the delay put it, might not be a good time with all the economic uncertainties to be leaving millions people in the dark, not a big confidence booster.

I see no reason for the change over right now, to many people, mostly elderly and poor are not ready. This was a Govt mandate, not something the broadcasters wanted, and it's not that the Govt wants you to have a better viewing experience, it's all about freeing up valuable band width so they can sell it to the highest bidders.

JB.

edit; corrected the hd reference.

 

[Richard]

Get a HD DVR, could not live without mine. Makes it easy to zap commercials!!

I used to read comments like this and took them with a bit of "pfffft" in my thoughts...

Then I got one. The "pfffft" was on ME!!!

Even my wife is complaining when she's watching tv in the bedroom (dvr is in living room) that she can't pause, rewind or watch something she's recorded.....

I think this affection to the DVR took about...oh... 35 minutes to grab us from the time we set it up?

 

[randy41]

as others have pointed out...the change is from analog to digital tv not from analog to HD tv.

 

[jk96]

I use a satellite for my reception at home. I have a new HDTV but to get HD Direct TV wants an extra $10 per month. I can't see why I should pay extra if the broadcast is already in HD.

Are you talking about the Directv broadcast. If so, it is digital but not HD. Your standard directv signal is in 480p or 480 lines. When you upgrade to the HD package you can receive the HD programs at 1080i or twice the resolution of standard directv. If you have a true HD television there is a very big difference in picture quality. I have the same tv in our living room and bedroom. The living room has an HD receiver, the bedroom has a standard receiver (hardly watch it so I haven't upgraded).
The picture quality difference is huge. I'm hooked on HD but do agree that the mandate will leave some less fortunate individuals in the dark.

 

[Mighty Dodge]

I've had several of the dtv converters from Radio Shack for several months now. I love it. I can actually get more stations than before plus they're clear. I'm happy with the switch.

M.D.

 

[2manyrocks]

Another poster wrote: "I have DirecTV and the HD recorder from them. Is it possible (perhaps I should say easy, since all is possible) to move recorded programs to a computer, or to DVDs from that box? I don't see this as pirating content if it is for my use, since I already legally recorded it."

Probably a copyright violation unless you can show that you had a license to the original content that allowed you to copy it onto the other media format.

 

[tommu56]

I bough a converter box for my cabin. analog got like 8 fuzzy stations with a "75 mile" antenna (I'm in the boonies about 60- 70 from most stations).

Hook up the box now I get 2 pbs stations that I didn't get before each with 3 channels picture is great on them as good as regular cable. don't get any of the original fuzzy stations I was upset.

I called the fcc to see about what I can do the lady I talked to was verry responsive and said that some stations ate not simulcasting both some are doing it on the back up transmitter and it is usually lower power and some aren't even going to broadcast till the 17th.

I politely asked her who made the decision to go cold turkey she said this conversion was mandated by congress and they (FCC) were just administering the mandate.

The bottom line even though you by a convector or digital tv like me you might not have tv reception after the 17th.

I guess I'm going have get an bigger antenna and rotor and maybe a tower to mount it on, where do I sign up to get my coupon to pay for them ?

Sorry for the long rant.

I just am not happy with the way the forced it on us it should have been seamless like when uhf came along (I'm showing my age)

tom

 

[JB4310]

I think it's OK to rant, this is the 21st century and people are going to be sitting in the dark as far as tv reception goes, like living in a third world, well maybe that's not a good comparison, cause most 3rd world countries have tv reception.

I heard it's either a great picture or no picture at all, no in between, a snowy/fuzzy picture might not be that great but is better than no picture at all.
Looks like alot of folks out in the boon docks are gonna have to get satellite.

JB.

 

[Sackett2]

going to be a bit generic in my phrasing, just want to point out where some of the conversion ideas came from. don't know the fine points, just what was told to me long ago.
Way back in the early 2000's I was talking to a guy about widescreen tv/movies. At that time it was mandated that the industry convert over to a widescreen format in 2007. The reason, the sales guy was saying, was that there was a stalemate in the tv manufacture and tv broadcasting world. The Manufactures wanted the tv stations to make more widescreen tv shows before they changed the manufacturing plants, the tv broadcasters wanted there to be more widescreen tv's out before they changed how they made shows. Eventually the FCC stepped in and mandated the change.
Don't know why it was moved to 2009, perhaps the "HD and digital" formats required some additional time constraints.