What's Your Position On The DTV Push Back?

[jgosh]

Personally I was looking forward to the transition and fell that the reason for pushing it back is stupid. Whats your POV?

[Aragha]

Why did they push it back...?

[Meatwad555]

I hate it. I am tired of those stupid commercials... Treating us like idiots..

[JohnTheDrummer]

I really don't care... i think its stupid they are doing it in the first place.

[seinman]

The sad part is, there are a LOT of idiots out there.

The DTV switchover date is simply the last day stations are allowed to turn off their analog transmitters. It's not a "you MUST do it on this date" thing. I have a feeling that many, if not most, will just go through with it on the 17th like they had already planned. Some stations already have made the switch.

[schmeankman]

Oh noes!

/myposition

[seinman]

I've also noticed that a lot of people don't care. One of my friends told me "I don't watch enough TV to even bother with it, i'll just start watching my two shows at my friend's house" and another said "i'm going to see if I can live without TV first, and if I can't, then i'll buy a converter." I seriously doubt that even half of people who don't already have cable, satellite, or a digital tuner will care that their stations stop working.

The half that do care though, if they haven't realized they aren't ready for the switch yet... well they're just morons.

[kiggidykev]

I didn't even hear that it got pushed back. That sucks, I was looking forward to it.

[JonBobDenver]

There are a few markets who've already completely converted to Digital, there is no more analog at all. They don't have to wait, they can change over if they want anytime. This is not very well known.

It is too cost prohibitive for many, if not all, local stations to continue broadcasting in analog. I really don't think many of them will continue to do so.

To my knowledge it hasn't been pushed back, it's still Feb 17, and what that date signifies is the last day that they will broadcast in analog, not when they have to start, as I said before, many have begun, and some have stopped analog already.

Some dolt in Washington said that the date should be pushed back, however it has not.

I wouldn't put anymore thought into it. If you know people who haven't taken the necessary steps to receive a digital signal, don't fret, they can still get a newspaper...at least for a little while longer anyway.

[bermuddy]

There are a few markets who've already completely converted to Digital, there is no more analog at all. They don't have to wait, they can change over if they want anytime. This is not very well known.

It is too cost prohibitive for many, if not all, local stations to continue broadcasting in analog. I really don't think many of them will continue to do so.

To my knowledge it hasn't been pushed back, it's still Feb 17, and what that date signifies is the last day that they will broadcast in analog, not when they have to start, as I said before, many have begun, and some have stopped analog already.

Some dolt in Washington said that the date should be pushed back, however it has not.

I wouldn't put anymore thought into it. If you know people who haven't taken the necessary steps to receive a digital signal, don't fret, they can still get a newspaper...at least for a little while longer anyway.


the vote passed unanimously in the senate yesterday to delay it until june. i haven't heard anything about the house voting on it yet, but it's safe to assume it will pass. I had heard the house may vote on it as early as today.

[bierfaht]

i keep seeing commercials on ESPN for this.

why would someone watching a CABLE channel need to worry about this?

[mercuryshadow09]

i keep seeing commercials on ESPN for this.

why would someone watching a CABLE channel need to worry about this?

They wouldn't only over the air TV channel's will be affected, if you use an antenna you will need a box.

[seinman]

i keep seeing commercials on ESPN for this.

why would someone watching a CABLE channel need to worry about this?

I always wondered this as well. I watch a lot of cable-only channels, and still see tons of ads on them about the transition. I also see a few ads from my cable provider saying "you don't need to do anything, you already use Cox Cable!" which is nice. I'm just surprised that the ads aren't only on broadcast channels.

[mercuryshadow09]

I always wondered this as well. I watch a lot of cable-only channels, and still see tons of ads on them about the transition. I also see a few ads from my cable provider saying "you don't need to do anything, you already use Cox Cable!" which is nice. I'm just surprised that the ads aren't only on broadcast channels.

If you have cable you have nothing to worry about.

[bermuddy]

it seems i don't know a thing about politics. Feb 17 is still the date.

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/patterson/34955

House Republicans managed Wednesday to defeat the so-called "DTV delay" bill—and that means that the planned Feb. 17 date for the digital TV transition is still on, barring any last-minute maneuvering by Democrats and the Obama administration.

Sen. Jay Rockefeller's DTV delay bill—which included a series of compromises to mollify House and Senate Republicans, who've been resisting calls to push back the transition date—was passed by the Senate on Monday, and many observers (myself included) expected smooth sailing in the House.

But while the bill won a majority of votes in the House, it needed a two-thirds majority to pass, according to the AP—and that didn't happen.

So now it's back to the drawing board for Democrats and President Obama, who have argued that too many people still aren't ready for the shutoff of analog TV signals. (The transition only affects those with analog TVs and over-the-air antennas; such viewers would require a $40-$60 DTV converter box to receive digital signals on their old TVs.)

Of course, that's a matter of debate: A recent report from Nielsen revealed that 5.7 percent of U.S. households aren't ready for the DTV transition, but some say that figure is inflated—and after all, it also means that 94.3 percent of the country is ready for digital TV.

That said, a government coupon program that allows for two $40 DTV converter box coupons per household is still in disarray. The $1.5-billion program ran out of money earlier this month, although as unused coupons expire (after 90 days), more money flows back into the program. Still, about 2.6 million people are stuck on a waiting list, and while Obama's proposed economic stimulus plan includes $650 million in additional DTV coupon funding, there's no saying when—or if—the stimulus package will pass.

Also: Rockefeller's DTV delay bill would have allowed those who'd applied for coupons but allowed them to expire to reapply for new ones. But for now, those with expired coupons are simply out of luck.

[bleached]

i'm just waiting to see some confused people going "mah teevee wont wok!". then i'll laugh my ass off.

[hawkofva]

Most of the people that can't figure this out still aren't going to realize that they aren't ready until their TV's stop running, so the sooner the better on those switchoffs.

[Bub]

I honestly don't care because I don't need to worry. We got a cable box.

[AtomicCow]

I could care less but it'd be an effort. So, meh.

[Daesania]

I didnt read the responses in this thread, but it was discussed on another board i frequent. My stance is, get it over with. If people cant afford a new-er age tv, thats their own issue, they've had over a year to save up. TV is entertainment, not a necessity.

[seinman]

I didnt read the responses in this thread, but it was discussed on another board i frequent. My stance is, get it over with. If people cant afford a new-er age tv, thats their own issue, they've had over a year to save up. TV is entertainment, not a necessity.

That's what i'm sayin'! You don't even need a whole new TV, either, just a $40 box. And if you were smart enough to apply for a coupon before the money ran out, the box was FREE! I'm sorry, but if you're too stupid to know about the change, or too poor or cheap to buy a $40 box, then you don't deserve television. Stupid ****ing old people and rednecks.

[Mikey6931485]

A little upset... I have cable, but my mom went out and bought all that stupid equip. and it took me 3 hrs. to hook up the whole house antenna and run 4 lines through her house to her tv's. I was gonna do it anyways, but I could've procrastinated a little longer if I had known that they weren't gonna make it mandatory by the 17th.
Aside from that, how long have they been pounding the airwaves w/ the redundant commercials about the transition? At least a year and a half. And now that the original dead-line is less that a month away, everyone is complaining "I'm not prepared." Holy crap! I know I'm a procrastinator, but that's a bit rediculous.

[ThadJarvis64]

I heard the bill failed the House, so it looks like the switch is still on schedule for the 17th.