Remember the mandatory digital TV conversion?

[KittenKoder]

Damn straight! And I plan on NEVER retiring....

Want to know the really ironic thing about this, if you know enough about electronics you can upgrade your reciever in your TV without the fancy boxes ... LOL ... I should volunteer to do it for free and get a bunch of others to offer the same across the country! Really screw with the government.

I was originally talkin' about an older person I know, who wouldn't know the first thing about that. In fact, hubby has trouble operating the remote, never mind upgrading anything if he was left alone!

That's my point! If more people like me who knew how to do it for about 5 bucks would just volunteer, it could have saved the country a fortune and everyone would be able to receive the new signal. If your TV is built in another country though and no more than 10 years old, likely you can already get the signal, just switch the settings to cable but use your rabbit ears, that's how mine works. It works that way because most of the other countries have been on digital signals for a long time. But if you have a local techie with a heart, ask them to show you or just swap out the signal receiver for a couple of bucks instead of 40 to 100 bucks.

 

[DamnYankee]

Want to know the really ironic thing about this, if you know enough about electronics you can upgrade your reciever in your TV without the fancy boxes ... LOL ... I should volunteer to do it for free and get a bunch of others to offer the same across the country! Really screw with the government.

I was originally talkin' about an older person I know, who wouldn't know the first thing about that. In fact, hubby has trouble operating the remote, never mind upgrading anything if he was left alone!

That's my point! If more people like me who knew how to do it for about 5 bucks would just volunteer, it could have saved the country a fortune and everyone would be able to receive the new signal. If your TV is built in another country though and no more than 10 years old, likely you can already get the signal, just switch the settings to cable but use your rabbit ears, that's how mine works. It works that way because most of the other countries have been on digital signals for a long time. But if you have a local techie with a heart, ask them to show you or just swap out the signal receiver for a couple of bucks instead of 40 to 100 bucks.

Hmmm.... That "volunteerism" program huh? Heart? You're talkin' about Metro NY here, ya know.

 

[KittenKoder]

I was originally talkin' about an older person I know, who wouldn't know the first thing about that. In fact, hubby has trouble operating the remote, never mind upgrading anything if he was left alone!

That's my point! If more people like me who knew how to do it for about 5 bucks would just volunteer, it could have saved the country a fortune and everyone would be able to receive the new signal. If your TV is built in another country though and no more than 10 years old, likely you can already get the signal, just switch the settings to cable but use your rabbit ears, that's how mine works. It works that way because most of the other countries have been on digital signals for a long time. But if you have a local techie with a heart, ask them to show you or just swap out the signal receiver for a couple of bucks instead of 40 to 100 bucks.

Hmmm.... That "volunteerism" program huh? Heart? You're talkin' about Metro NY here, ya know.

It's a big city ... there has to be a one in a million there somewhere ...

Not a program, real volunteerism ... for me it's more of an "up yours" to the idiots in the government right now.

 

[DamnYankee]

That's my point! If more people like me who knew how to do it for about 5 bucks would just volunteer, it could have saved the country a fortune and everyone would be able to receive the new signal. If your TV is built in another country though and no more than 10 years old, likely you can already get the signal, just switch the settings to cable but use your rabbit ears, that's how mine works. It works that way because most of the other countries have been on digital signals for a long time. But if you have a local techie with a heart, ask them to show you or just swap out the signal receiver for a couple of bucks instead of 40 to 100 bucks.

Hmmm.... That "volunteerism" program huh? Heart? You're talkin' about Metro NY here, ya know.

It's a big city ... there has to be a one in a million there somewhere ...

Not a program, real volunteerism ... for me it's more of an "up yours" to the idiots in the government right now.

Works for me, but I suspect it would be met with as much appreciation as Tea Parties.

 

[KittenKoder]

Hmmm.... That "volunteerism" program huh? Heart? You're talkin' about Metro NY here, ya know.

It's a big city ... there has to be a one in a million there somewhere ...

Not a program, real volunteerism ... for me it's more of an "up yours" to the idiots in the government right now.

Works for me, but I suspect it would be met with as much appreciation as Tea Parties.

Now that Obama's in charge the extreme left will whine about it being "unpatriotic" ...

... when it was Bush the extreme right would have called it "unpatriotic" ...

... you know, I hate them both!

 

[DamnYankee]

It's a big city ... there has to be a one in a million there somewhere ...

Not a program, real volunteerism ... for me it's more of an "up yours" to the idiots in the government right now.

Works for me, but I suspect it would be met with as much appreciation as Tea Parties.

Now that Obama's in charge the extreme left will whine about it being "unpatriotic" ...

... when it was Bush the extreme right would have called it "unpatriotic" ...

... you know, I hate them both!

It just plain sucks, period. Forcing this, and forcing that. I'm all for new technology and all, since I don't have a problem learning the "new and improved" stuff. Just don't see the "value" in force feeding those who don't want to be on life support -- that was an analogy for those who don't get it!

 

[edthecynic]

Want to know the really ironic thing about this, if you know enough about electronics you can upgrade your reciever in your TV without the fancy boxes ... LOL ... I should volunteer to do it for free and get a bunch of others to offer the same across the country! Really screw with the government.

I was originally talkin' about an older person I know, who wouldn't know the first thing about that. In fact, hubby has trouble operating the remote, never mind upgrading anything if he was left alone!

That's my point! If more people like me who knew how to do it for about 5 bucks would just volunteer, it could have saved the country a fortune and everyone would be able to receive the new signal. If your TV is built in another country though and no more than 10 years old, likely you can already get the signal, just switch the settings to cable but use your rabbit ears, that's how mine works. It works that way because most of the other countries have been on digital signals for a long time. But if you have a local techie with a heart, ask them to show you or just swap out the signal receiver for a couple of bucks instead of 40 to 100 bucks.

The problem is more involved than that. I live on the fringe of VHF reception. I get 8 analog stations with a roof mounted antenna, a little snowy but watchable. DTV is broadcast using UHF as the carrier. UHF being a shorter wavelength does not bend around the curve of the Earth like VHF and after getting the converter box I now get only 2 DTV stations.

 

[Phoenix]

The government never heard of 'if it ain't broke don't fix it.'

They operate under the premise of "if it ain't broke - break it."

 

[KittenKoder]

I was originally talkin' about an older person I know, who wouldn't know the first thing about that. In fact, hubby has trouble operating the remote, never mind upgrading anything if he was left alone!

That's my point! If more people like me who knew how to do it for about 5 bucks would just volunteer, it could have saved the country a fortune and everyone would be able to receive the new signal. If your TV is built in another country though and no more than 10 years old, likely you can already get the signal, just switch the settings to cable but use your rabbit ears, that's how mine works. It works that way because most of the other countries have been on digital signals for a long time. But if you have a local techie with a heart, ask them to show you or just swap out the signal receiver for a couple of bucks instead of 40 to 100 bucks.

The problem is more involved than that. I live on the fringe of VHF reception. I get 8 analog stations with a roof mounted antenna, a little snowy but watchable. DTV is broadcast using UHF as the carrier. UHF being a shorter wavelength does not bend around the curve of the Earth like VHF and after getting the converter box I now get only 2 DTV stations.

There ... you are correct, and when they switch even living downtown I will only be able to get one station, even if I got a box with higher sensitivity, I live right next to the viaduct at a level just within the magnetic disturbance, which makes the stronger analogy signals hard enough to get. The viaduct, for those who don't know, is a raised roadway, ours is a highway so there are lots of large metal objects passing through it at high speed, which messes with reception a LOT. But meh, I'll have Fox for my toons when they are on and still have internet, so no real loss for me. Those in the building who are using the boxes are only getting one station in clearly through them, and three that are just clear enough to watch (on my floor and the top floor). Oddly on the ground floor (which only has the lobby) the TV there gets twice that. Now, this is in downtown, not the boondocks, so you would think we'd actually get a clearer signal.

 

[Life_Long_Dem!]

This has been in the works for at least six years and they have been doing the coupon thing and advertising for at least two years if people arent ready STILL then its their own damn lazy ass fault. My wife and I have been ready since November of last year when we got our convertor without a coupon, it only cost us 53 bucks.

 

[KittenKoder]

This has been in the works for at least six years and they have been doing the coupon thing and advertising for at least two years if people arent ready STILL then its their own damn lazy ass fault. My wife and I have been ready since November of last year when we got our convertor without a coupon, it only cost us 53 bucks.

Actually ... no, it's not their fault most times.

Many areas were severely understocked, and it seems as though done on purpose, and the coupons expired before the stock was filled, the companies already got the money and no one reissued the coupons. There is much more to this than you are seeing. Also, for many, 50 bucks is a LOT of money.