Re: Brother, have you been converted?

In our last episode, <cckg24te3coa6rmg4d5hjkj8e1kbg4748e@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>, the
lovely and talented Estron broadcast on alt.fan.cecil-adams:

> Lots of publicity lately concerning the coming switchover from analog
> broadcasting to digital only, now scheduled for February 2009 (in the
> United States).

> I can understand the commercials for various companies' brands of
converter
> boxes not exactly telling the whole story.  But the so-called news
stories
> -- the items that appear as part of the program content, not the
commercial
> content, of the news -- the ones I've seen are not emphasizing this
point:

> You only need a converter box (or a digital-receiving set) if you're
> watching over-the-air broadcast signals, if you're getting your programs
> through the antenna. If you have cable, or if you have satellite TV, you
> can have the oldest TV set still working and it will still work without
a
> converter.

> I don't know where to find the statistics, but it doesn't seem to me
that
> many TV viewers are watching over-the-air TV anymore.

*cough* *cough* /Ahem/ *cough*

> One of the Kansas City stations doesn't even make its over-the-air
channel
> number part of its logo.  The just call themselves "NBC Action News," or
> "Your NBC Action News station," which indicates to me that most of their
> audience doesn't see them on their over-the-air channel, 41.

> I wonder how many people are buying converter boxes who don't actually
need
> them.

At approximately free (with government coupon), converter boxes might be
worth it for someone who has no intention buying a digital/hd TV soon.
In some markets, digital is likely to give basic cable a run for its
money,
so to speak.  The quality of the digital reception and the variety of
subchannels might make over-the-air a reasonable (and free) alternative to
basic cable.  At any rate, you are unlikely to be out more than $20 bucks
per box with the coupon.

Where you can get taken to the cleaners is buying a new HD TV.  If you are
committed to cable or satellite, you do not need a TV with built-in HD
tuner.  An HD monitor will hook up to your satellite or cable box just
fine,
and if you buy a new satellite box, at least some of them will also work
as
an over-the-air tuner.  HD over-the-air will be better than HD on
some/many/all cable systems as cable uses lossy compression (not an issue
with converter boxes because an old analog set won't be HD anyway).  When
you are ready for that monitor, if it has an analog ****t you can move a
converter box you may have now for an analog set to it as a back-up over
the
air receiver.  It will still be low-res, but it will still have the great
digital reception.  When the cable goes out or the Chinese shoot down the
satellite, you will have some over-the-air service, and as the subchannels
proliferate, you can see what is on them so you might eventually want to
spring for an over-the-air HD receiver --- but you can decide to buy that
when and if you want it, instead of paying upfront for it when you buy the
set.

-- 
Lars Eighner <http://larseighner.com/>
usenet@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
                         Countdown: 252 days to go.