Comments on: Senator warns of DTV-transition 'crisis'

At the Senate Commerce Committee hearing on the DTV transition from analog to digital, a powerful senator warns of a potential crisis.

[suburbicide]

Not having TV is FAR from a "crisis".

[carydc2]

Well, Let's See here. What is your definition of a Crisis?

an unstable or crucial time or state of affairs in which a decisive change is impending ; especially : one with the distinct possibility of a highly undesirable outcome <a financial crisis> b: a situation that has reached a critical phase <the environmental crisis>

We are in the MIddle of a Financial Crisis for the Country. But for you and many writing these responses seem to be doing ok at this time. We all have computers, we all have access to the internet and we all read email or websites and follow CNET.

This is a Decisive Change. At this point there will be a large number of our population that are not as well off as we are, they will not be able for some period of time be able to continue life as they know it. That means the 6 O'Clock News will not be on the Television when they normally watch the news while Dinner is being made. That is the American Way.

For those of us that do not know what a regular meal at home is this sounds foreign and out of touch. But there is a segment of our population that this is VERY Real and VERY Important to their way of life. It is how thier life has been for year after year. Not Year over Year as Wall Street would play it. It is how it Plays in Peoria. It was not long ago that the statement, "That will not play in Peoria" was made famous. It means the Midwest would not go for what ever the new fangled thing was. Well, this does Play in Peoria these days. But for the haves again and not for the have nots. There are communities of to 250 to 350 populations that can not afford big Cable Companies, they are not rich, and live where they live because it is the quiet way of life and does not cost an arm and leg to live there. I have many high school friends that live there now, I also grew up in this arena. Most are lucky if there is a General Store and a Post Office and maybe a Grain Elevator for supplied to get by when they could not make it to Town as we would call it to make sure we had enough to get by for the next week.

Does this sound like a story from the Saturday Evening Post? It is not. It is reality in small towns in Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania and all across the United States Prarie.

This is a Crisis by the Definition. There are those that have the money and have paid attention.

But there are those that just live in their own little worlds. They pay little attention to the details that are on the evening news. Their ears only perk up when there is a weather warning that dictates they take cover. They drive their tractors and listen to the grain reports and plot their next crop or when they should replace a barn or shack for equipment or upgrade equipment. Television is ancilliary to their lives.

But it is part of their lives.

These are the ones that will not be reached until it is the 11th hour. Sure they have their HDTV's in some cases. And satelite television in some cases. But not all cases. I know a segment that survives on the 7 scant channels that happen to be available on the air waves and they willl be the ones that will have no television when the air waves go dead for analog.

Sure by many standards here that is the styx. But that is heaven for many others. This is just another adjustment that needs dealt with.

[ck_stdefiant]

How many people don't use cable or satellite to obtain their confection of television programs?

I would imagine much of America will be unaffected since the conversion will NOT affect cable or satellite subscribers. People like my 99 year old Grandmother will be could be, except my family is taking care of this for her.

Some people will naturally be without broadcast television, but these people will learn. By the end of the year, so long as digital tuners are abundant and affordable (they're $40-50esque) we as a nation will not fade into the night.

The link below is rather fitting.
http://despair.com/propaganda.html

[microg]

Actually I think a separate issue may screw the cable subscribers over but this has to do with the cable companies and not the over the air switchover. I have noticed that a few of my analog cable channels have vanished but see that they are still present when I view them on my tv that has the digital converter box (some in the same channel designation).

[microg]

I think the government should have mandated digital tuners in standard definition tvs several years before the switchover. Only my computer's tv tuner card can receive digital over the air.

[rodaniel]

Microg, I believe that has been in place since '04.

[Save_Me_from_my_Govt]

Everyone seems to be assuming the "crisis" will be caused by people not having the convertor boxes. Excuse me, but there is a HUGE segment of the population that live in mountainous areas who could get analog signals before, that will NOT be able to get digital signals because of the terrain. What do you tell them? Tough luck--Go buy cable? A lot of fixed-income, retirees & disabled people will not have the money to "go get cable"...

But hey, they're probably slackers and goof-offs and we shouldn't have to worry about them, right? "Free market" and all that...

[rk2469]

Another government created crisis...
this is like government deciding that by year 2009, there should be no CRT tube computer monitor.
or all the mouse should be optical. at the same time, they pass out coupons!

hillarious!

[megustansalchichas]

wow this is so totally a non issue. all the government has to do is set aside one channel that constantly broadcasts information about the switch after the switch happens. then people wondering what happened to their reception will come across this channel and realize the calendar moved into a new century 9 years ago.
The 'crisis' referred to by the senator is a crisis of the bureaucracy having to work more than 9 to 5, like the rest of us in private industry, to deal with the phone calls. boo hoo.

[flahead50]

Sure, go ahead and call us whiners!

From someone who has already put many hours into the process of conversion, only to learn that we only receive 5 channels (3 "christian" , one weather and a Fox channel) I can tell you it is a HUGE rip off of our public rights as owners of the airwaves!

Those of you urbanites that have broadcast towers in your neighborhoods, you are unaffected, maybe even blessed with better signal. But anyone in more rural areas where topography, forests and distance from towers IS A PROBLEM, we seem to have no advocates. Perhaps a giant antenna, tower, rotator and wiring might improve the situation, I don't see any offers from WA D.C. offering to compensate.

And we have no access to cable or Satellite service here either even if we wanted to pay the $50+ per month for service.

[kaibelf]

Honestly (and this isn't very politically correct), I feel that this entire warning makes zero sense, for 2 simple reasons:

1. If you don't know by now that this is happening, you're are either a complete moron or just plain don't watch tv, read, talk to people, or make absolutely no effort to be part of civilization. This is life, but these moronic analists are acting like we all live in the movie "Nell."

2. If you honestly feel that not being able to sit on your fat behind for 3 days is a "crisis," then that speaks for itself. Get up, take a walk, get a life.

[bellthandien]

Chicken Little LIVES!!!

[blarson42]

Have a liitle compassion - Your grandmother's analogue TV goes dark, Blizzard or earthquake warnings go out over DTV, Grandma sits at home alone wondering what is going on...Use your wonderous tech savvy to help some folks in your community make the switch before they lose a critical conduit of information.

[kaibelf]

Althought losing TV might be a sign of the apocalypse for some (you know, rivers of blood and earthquakes, etc), I think my grandmother would have more sense than to just sit there. Incredibly enough, she knows how to pick up a phone, and remembers how to speak. She can ask, as can just about everyone else who's not a deaf-mute.

[jamboody]

It's coming sooner or later. What people need to be aware of, is that digital TV signals do not slowly degrade as you get farther from the tower. There is an abrupt cessation of signal around the 40 mile mark if high gain antennas and amplifiers are not employed. Ergo, many people WILL suddenly find themselves without usable signal levels and or the loss of some of their current channels. It's going to be a hornets nest for a while if they don't come up with compensations before they turn off the analog broadcasts.

[DC-Joe]

I'm surprised at the dismissive tone of many of the comments. The DTV conversion is a legitimate problem being foisted on the public. Basically, the digital signals are quirky and unreliable compared to analog. I guess nobody noticed this when they cooked up this scheme. I am fairly technical and live within three miles of the DC broadcasting towers. For use on the digital TV in my office I have tried five different antennas with varying degrees of subpar performance. Why are government and broadcasters not informing people of the antenna issues they will face with digital TV? Instead we are bombarded only with "happy talk" about converter boxes and the wonderful $40 coupons. What is wrong with this picture? This misguided project should be put on hold until digital signals, antennas, converter boxes and digital tuners can be improved to some sort of a professional standard. The government, stations, and retailers need to pump out useful info regarding all the different kinds of antennas that are available, and that might or might not provide adequate signals for any given user. And all you commenters should stop condescending about the elderly. I have run into people of both genders, all ages, various ethnicities, and all levels of education who do not seem ready to confront this bizarre situation that the government has mandated for February.

[4schler]

never underestimate the stupidity (and subsequent anger) of some people.

that's all i'll say.

[Gorifyny]

Yeah, those stupid dudes at the FCC are going to be really angry when they get 1.5 million complaints.

[catkanz]

There will be millions that will not receive digital signals.I currently receive 8 different analog stations with a rooftop antenna and antenna rotator.During the digital test periods none of these stations worked.I had a professional installer come in to see if I had set up something incorrectly.He could not get the signals either and said that digital signals are affected by hills.trees,buildings,etc and that I would probably need to subscribe to a satellite system.I refuse to have to pay for something that we have always had for free!! Sounds like the dtv transition is going to be a moneymaker for cable and satellite companys!!