"It's got one BIG advantage over digital TV;analog TV degrades gracefully,and is still watchable even with some noise,while digital TV is either a great picture or NO picture.Not everybody lives in areas with good TV reception,and some cannot use outside antennas like those in apartments. Just look at Direct TV when a storm goes through;the picture freezes,and pixellates,unwatchable.That's what you get if you are in a weak zone,and digital TV is way more sensitive to weak signal. "
You probably prefer 8 Track tapes over CD's, VHS tapes over DVD's and analog cell phones over digital for the same virtues.
"Supposed gov't forced you to buy a new PC every so often,instead of allowing the MARKET to decide? Or maybe a new operating system,to meet government standards? "
"Then the MARKET should have been able to decide the issue,like it did for Beta/VHS tape systems,or 8-track/cassette/CD/Ipod audio.Not government. "
The govt has regulated the broadcast industry from day one, because there is finite broadcast spectrum and you can't have everyone broadcasting at any power and on any frequency, can you? For the FCC, in cooperation with the industry, to want to put a graceful end to a broadcast technology that has been around for half a century and have it replaced with something most of us find far superior, doesn't seem extreme. Not when the small minority that will need a converter can buy one for $40. And the industry was part of the discussions, standards, and schedules for setting up ATSC and ending NTSC. They recognize the need and aren't complaining as they don't want to keep two transmitters running forever.
"Government is forcing the change because they see big bucks in auctioning off all that bandwidth they get back from the broadcasters. "
Yes, that's partly true. They want to auction off the old spectrum. However, for the US govt, even $10bil which it is expected to bring, is pretty small potatoes these days. I'm sure you'd prefer to waste valuable broadcast spectrum for a dwindling audience, when an easy conversion can take place that most of us have no problem with. Already 85% of US households receive via cable or sat. Should we tie up a national resource, that can be put to better use, forever, because some people will want to wait another 30 years?
I don't need a tuner, because like most people today, I have cable. And even if I did need one, I would be happy to buy a digital tuner for $70 in 2009 if I needed it, because I recognize that digital broadcasting has significant advantages and I would like to see it happen faster, rather than sit around and wait for every last TV to wear out.