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Digital TV delayed yet again

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by oz_media

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I have been arguing with a guy for the last three or four years, when he was first urged to spend $2500.00 on an LCD panel or else he would not be able to watch TV after New Years 2005, that he was being conned and there was no big change where all of a sudden you had no picture and there was a 1 yr waiting list to get back online again.

The problem is still an infrastructure that cannot support it and FCC/CRTC mandates on viewer capacity.

In Canada, the CRTC requires digital to hit at least 90% of the providers demographic before they can mandate a switch, which will take forever given Canada's vast area and so many towns in the boonies that only just got rid of party lines (not kidding there either). Even the other 10% MUST have access ot non cable viewin gfor emergency purposes.

I'm not sure what the FCC figures are but I know they are similar.

So for the last 3 years, video stores have beem urging/warning consumers to only buy flat panels, which were rather expensive and using what is now outdated technology, when they have no proof, no confirmation of a change at all, secondly ANY CRTV that you buy today or in the last few years, is completely capable of receiving digital signals.

Many people think that Digital means a needing a new TV, but really unless you are using rabbit ears for an antenna (no cable converter at all, circa 1978), you will be fine after the change over. even your old clunkce riwll get a better picture, though not to the same calibre of 1080i HD.

So sit back, enjoy your TV, whatever it is, and relax, you can wait for that expensive flat panel if you wish, your old TV still has time left and ou are not left in the dark when the change does occur.

Even though LG has decided that flat panels are at the ir lowest cost, and they will not go lower (never heard THAT before, nooooo)yuo can wait.

As I said, I know someone who was conned into buying a digital flat panel years ago, it is now out of date, using old LCD technology, has poor contrast (compared to today's machines) and if you were to look for one such as his, it would be at a bargain basement price, if you could even find one.

A few years back, my mom was looking for a CRTV (flat panels were still in the 10K range)and was talked into buying a Digital Ready CRT, VERY nice and good quality but way overpriced. The same TV in non-digital was only $350.00 compared to nearly $800.00 for the digital one. she was unsure of what she was told, she felt as if she had done the right thing and was quite upset to hear that she was conned. My time to get really pi$$ed at some unsuspecting sales rep.

I talked her into letting me return it, which I did but not without taking a piece out of the baystard that tried to con my mother into spending more on something she didn't need, I nearly had teh guy in tears as he personally pohoned my mother and apologized that she felt mislead and that he had not been clear (she's 70, c'mon you pr1ck, get a life!).

I picked up the exact same TV from a different store (after screaming at the manager of the first store long enough to get mum's money back), non digital for a fraction of the price and it still looks fantastic today, even WITH her now using digital cable (not Digital HD though). He even offered her a guaranteed trade in of $200.00 when the time came to get a flat panel (I get them wholesale now anyway).

Nowadays, that TV she would have paid nearly $800.00 would sell for less than $400.00 IF you could even find one still.

Don't let the technology leeches suck you in, its all a game.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/01/23/digital_tv_delay/

Enjoy what you have, it is still going to work, even after the change!

14 replies

by ic-it

Even users with an over the air antenna can still receive the digital signal to an old tv. All thats needed is a digital antenna ($10 and up) and a conversion box ($40-60). The government will even give each household a $40 rebate card. (currently funds are empty until they determine how many went unused and/or load some more monies).

by oz_media

A $9 modulator will do it just as slick. I figure nobody really uses them though, unless to connect devices to an old TV, as I do with my notebook S-Video out to a TV in the workshop.

by oz_media

I don't see anything happening fast out here, they've been putting it off for about 3 years now.

They tried mandating service upgrades for carriers but deregulation changed all that, as they now share broadcast paths and would need to ascertain who is responsible for which millions to be spent.

Either the CRTC needs to change carrier regulations or they have to wait and wait and wait and....

by charliespencer

Oz, no legislation has been passed altering the implementation date. Legislation has been introduced, but that's all.

by w2ktechman

you do nitpick a lot dont ya?

And I bet you enjoy it too

Must be that old age thing kicking in :0
:^0

by charliespencer

I refrained from pointing out that the title has almost nothing to do with Oz's warning about unethical salesmen.

by oz_media

I was still in telecom when they started with 'the fears of not being able to watch TV when you get home from work'.

This is an endless stream of bumps, and has no end in sight, according to CRTC and FCC regulatory requirements for carriers. BY the time that gets changed, it will be a couple of years longer still, unless carriers are forced to upgrade (they tried to force that before but US deregulation is messy and raises too many legal issues between carriers.)

by oz_media

Shaw Canada is now advertising that they will NOT be following the US mandated change, again, and your programming will nto be effected in any way shape or form, regardless of equipment.

Now just try to find a digital TV sales rep in Canada that will acuall tell you that.

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