In this case, it looks like some people WILL lose their tv signals in February. This whole thing has been a joke. I got my coupons early in the program. For the first two months no stores even had the converters. I finally had to take a 1.5 hour drive (each way) to get a converter about 2 days before the coupon expired. Now the stores are loaded with the converters, and the coupons ran out. Leave it to the government to screw things up.
In a word:
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!
This whole switchover thing has been hammered on so loud, for so long, by so many, that unless they've been in a coma, in a cell tucked into the back of the deepest cave available, under a pile of rocks, there's no legitimate way for ANYONE to claim that they weren't warned in time to prepare.
I can hardly be called "cutting edge" when it comes to TV - I DON'T EVEN OWN AN ACTUAL TV SET! Haven't since something like 2001 when the last set I had literally went up in smoke due to a lightning strike. Yet I'm not going to be hit by the switchover. Why not? 'Cause I got my converter box to plug into the 15 year old VCR that's plugged into the
16 year old computer that substitutes for a TV back in August. Took about 2 minutes to fill out the form on the website. Took about 5 minutes to wire the box into the mix once I got it home from the store. Major hassle, huh?So as far as I'm concerned, the basic concept involved for anyone and everyone who isn't ready for it by now is this: You were warned. You should have got off your lazy ass and dealt with it months ago. If you didn't, and now you're not going to get your coupon in time (or maybe not at all), suck it up, 'cause it's your own fault.
They apparently underestimated how many cable/satellite households also have a set(s) used for OTA reception. And, when the economy tanked, more than the expected number of OTA households may have decided they really didn't need to spend money on an HDTV right now.
Who are you addressing? I don't recall anyone in this thread complaining about not know how to get or hook up a converter box.
Buy a TV with a
not only that, but in my area the ABC channel isnt available without spending hundreds of bucks on a roof top antenna with rotor, and even the one person who did, and spent over 500 bucks with rotor only gets WTAE occasionally.
I spoke to the station they moved the transmitter site futher from pittsburgh and the digitals permanent power is far less than the analog channel 4 one.
this really sucks and I helped campaign for my cngressen jason alltmire I called his office and said I want a call back on this issue.
will call bob casey today and waste more time calling the out of touch arlen spectre:(
His only issue recently was cheating in football, he went nuts over that.....
if everyone called their reps this dumb move would be put off indefinetely.
do tell whats the reuse plan for these frequencise? wireless free broadband? or emergency services?
iby now have the channels been auctioned off? I mean if you sell your home does it normally sit vacant for years?
the providers of whatever is replacing tv should be building their transmitter sites now, ready to activate shortly.
yet no word on that
-snip-
Amen- buy a book.
Jim
Not Don- but since I "'Amen'd" him earlier. . . .
It seems to me that in this thread and on the news there seems to be a whole lot of handwringing over folks who might "lose the ability to watch TV". [arguably not a terrible thing especially if you're restricted to broadcast TV]
I'm with Don- that if you are about to lose your TV [in February] it is your own fault. The annoying reminders are on my TV a dozen times a day and have been for several months. The fixes are simple-- and even if you still lose your TV in Feb. - you can probably pick up a $20 TV at a thrift shop to restore your 'fix'. Or- God forbid- pay $40 for a converter box. [which will probably go down to $20 when the gov't subsidy runs out.]
Jim
doesnt help if the channels signals are too weak:(
And at least WTAE who was never known for good signals around here moved the digital transmitter site far south of pittsburgh and has the least output power of any station.
they dont appear to care.
[Jumping to my feet, applauding wildly]
YES!! Well put! Amen!
I think satellite TV and satellite internet has done a lot to break rural isolation. There is no broadcast TV at my house. Never was, never will be. The same is true of DSL or cable. Even broadcast radio is strictly limited. I get two AM stations and three FM stations, and one of the AM stations reduces power and disappears at sunset, though I gain KGO after dark. If it weren't for Sirius, I wouldn't have any music worth listening to.
The switch to digital TV has just meant no analog artifacts in my satellite locals signal.
According to the FCC database both WTAE transmitters (channel 4 analog and 51 DT )are here at the same location:
CDBS Application ID No.: 203659
40° 16' 49.00" N Latitude 79° 48' 11.00" W Longitude (NAD 27)What will likely happen when analog is turned off is that the DT will get changes in some or all of antenna/ERP/frequency
Not quite, your home is sold but you will still occupy it with all of your stuff until Feb,09.
On Jan 4, 1:30=A0am, "Ed Pawlowski" wrote: .
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Reputations can come back to haunt, yes. Like a sewer back up? Right? But usually not so quickly as will occur in this instance.
Because usually the two ways ro get 'nice' things said about you are either die or retire (forcibly or voluntarily). . US president! Public figure. A very public figure; leader of the free world and all that crap etc.
For the last 8 years! ( What WERE the re-electors thinking about?) God help us!
Looking forward to an already advertised TV documentary called "The worst presidency of the last 50 years".
Probably be on television on a network or networks that tend to adulate the 'Amurrican' viewpoint to distortion of other world points of view. My country right or wrong and all that nonsense. etc. etc. etc.
Do hope for sake of all of us, cooler, better thinking and smarter minds prevail in future.
Also in the light of the present credit-fiasco caused world wide economic problems US influence and credibility is going to be a lot less in the future.
Better yet, get a library card!
That's a straw man response. The complaints were by posters (including me) who DO HAVE a converter box (and/or HDTV set) and are unable to get some/most of the stations we receive now. How is that our fault?
That said, it is what I expected so I was "prepared". The one thing that is seriously irritating is that of the four fringe analog stations I get now, the only one that comes through in digital is the FOX station.
hat fascinates me even the station employee said analog transmitter is by parkway, digital transmitter in elizabeth pa where it will remain at same power.
she remarked lots of people are calling sorry theres nothing we can do have you considered cable:(
list,
info- Hide quoted text -
re: You were warned. You should have got off your lazy ass and dealt with it months ago. If you didn't, and now you're not going to get your coupon in time (or maybe not at all), suck it up, 'cause it's your own fault.
Let me start by saying I aleady have my coupons, so this isn't a whine, it's just a comment on your post.
I don't see this as a "lazy ass" timing issue as much as a funding issue.
If you'll refer to this site, you'll see that the application dates and associated mailing dates imply availability of coupons until
1/9/2009. This means that the lazy asses should still be able to apply- and receive - their coupons in time.
Granted, if there is merely a delay in getting the coupons, then one could assume that had everyone applied earlier, they would have found funding before the cut-off date and folks would have their coupons. On the other hand, if no more funding becomes available, then the timing of the application wouldn't have mattered.
*ONLY* a dozen times *A DAY*?!?!?
Yeesh, Jim, you must be in a deprived area - Here in the so-called "Seattle metro broadcast area", you can hardly switch on the tube without seeing a "DTV is coming, are you ready?" type thing - Whether as a full-grown 30-90 second PSA that's purely "The switch is coming", without any other specific advertising, an outright cable/Dish/DirecTV commercial yelling about how they'll make it so you don't need to worry about it, a logo in the corner of whatever is playing at the moment (usually animated and annoying), a constantly repeated message on the crawl during newscasts, or a stand-alone "news piece" reporting how "There's only X days left before the switch to digital". And that's only on the channels I actually watch.
If it's being flogged less than a dozen times *AN HOUR* here, I'll eat my hat, without salt or ketchup.
I also want to know what rocket-surgeon came up with the idea of having the "Are you ready?" spots showing up on... (wait for it...) THE DIGITAL-ONLY SUB-CHANNELS!
Does it not follow that if I didn't already have the needed gear, *I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO SEE THE MESSAGE THAT TELLS ME I NEED TO GET THE GEAR?*
HELLO! Common sense department! We need a delivery to the "Are You Ready?" office, ASAP!
Best buy is allowing the purchase now and crediting the coupon when you do finally get it. So no one goes without. And after all it's only $50 anyway.
s
I have 2, only need one, don't even *really* need that one.
Is that eBay I hear calling?
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