US Switch From Analogue To Digital TV Delayed By 4 Months

Cybermancer

Quote:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Senate on Monday voted unanimously to postpone the upcoming transition from analog to digital television broadcasting by four months to June 12 - setting the stage for Congress to pass the proposal as early as Tuesday.

Monday's Senate vote is a big victory for the Obama administration and Democrats in Congress, who have been pushing for a delay amid growing concerns that too many Americans won't be ready for the currently scheduled Feb. 17 changeover.

The Nielsen Co. estimates that more than 6.5 million U.S. households that rely on analog television sets to pick up over-the-air broadcast signals could see their TV sets go dark next month if the transition is not postponed. (...)

Source: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...MPLATE=DEFAULT

EddieG · 01-27-2009, 23:12 | posts: 587 | Location: VA, USA

Yeah, and we can't get our phone cords to reach very far when going to the store either

ST19AG_WGreymon · 01-27-2009, 23:58 | posts: 4,654 | Location: Maryland, USA

What the hell...just get on with it already. Bugger.

sava700 · 01-28-2009, 01:08 | posts: 4,834 | Location: In a game world

Yeah this is really stupid... to delay it only gives those that are putting it off more time to put it off some more. If you make the switch people have to get off their butts and make the change. Those that won't get the signals when it switches over from location won't really make a difference and this is what those trying to delay it are bringing up. The mountains around here are just really too rolling and high to almost pick up analog signals let alone digital. I'm 50miles from the nearest digital tower output and I have a hell of a time getting a signal cause of the mountains but I've got Dish Network so doesn't matter to me.

Denial · 01-28-2009, 01:16 | posts: 6,350 | Location: Above Earth in a Big Rocket Ship

The federal program that hands out the digital converter boxes ran out of money.. how are they supposed to make the switch when they can't?

ST19AG_WGreymon · 01-28-2009, 01:21 | posts: 4,654 | Location: Maryland, USA

It's "analog" by the way.

Denial · 01-28-2009, 01:25 | posts: 6,350 | Location: Above Earth in a Big Rocket Ship

Quote:

Originally Posted by ST19AG_WGreymon

It's "analog" by the way.

Analogue is the english spelling. It's the same.

Color/Colour

Rochin · 01-28-2009, 01:52 | posts: 1,951 | Location: Texas

Quote:

Originally Posted by Denial

The federal program that hands out the digital converter boxes ran out of money.. how are they supposed to make the switch when they can't?

If my 70 year old Grandmother who lives in a town of 500 in the foothills of Cali can figure out to get DirectTV so they do not have to mess with it, anyone can do it.

ST19AG_WGreymon · 01-28-2009, 01:56 | posts: 4,654 | Location: Maryland, USA

Quote:

Originally Posted by Denial

Analogue is the english spelling. It's the same.

Color/Colour

I know that. XD Just messin' around.

Iarwain · 01-28-2009, 02:11 | posts: 3,048

If you can't spend 40 bucks on a freaking converter, you don't deserve or use a TV. Absurd sum of tax money to spend just so people can watch TV.

Denial · 01-28-2009, 02:21 | posts: 6,350 | Location: Above Earth in a Big Rocket Ship

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rochin

If my 70 year old Grandmother who lives in a town of 500 in the foothills of Cali can figure out to get DirectTV so they do not have to mess with it, anyone can do it.

That's great.

People exist in this country, about ~6.5M left, that have never payed for a TV service. These people have the option of signing up for a coupon, to get a free TV converter box and continue paying nothing for their TV service. The government program that hands out these coupons no longer has the money to hand them out. Thus 6.5M people (funfact: 21% of Minnesota still use analog) will be left without TV.

Do I think it should be delayed this long? No. Do I think it should be delayed at all? I think the numbers are over inflated and most of these people are either A. Confused by the switch, B. Already have a newer TV with a built in digital decoder, C. Don't even care. But to say that it's entirely due to the lazyness of these people is incorrect. I would assume that the majority want their TV service to remain free.

ST19AG_WGreymon · 01-28-2009, 02:26 | posts: 4,654 | Location: Maryland, USA

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iarwain

If you can't spend 40 bucks on a freaking converter, you don't deserve or use a TV. Absurd sum of tax money to spend just so people can watch TV.

Agreed. Essentially if they really want it, it's only $40.

MileHighMilitia · 01-28-2009, 02:30 | posts: 603 | Location: Colorado

So thats 2% of the US population... I think our civilization would collapse if those people didnt have TV. I mean seriously this is ridiculous, how long have we KNOWN that the switch was coming, yet people still havent gotten a converter? Those people deserve to be without tv until they get their converter box.

sykozis · 01-28-2009, 02:39 | posts: 13,493 | Location: US East Coast

Radio Shack here had $40 off coupons in their sales ad a couple weeks ago. But, they started announcing this 2 years ago....that's plenty of time for everyone to prepare...make the switch, screw those that put it off for 2 years.

DSK · 01-28-2009, 02:47 | posts: 17,984 | Location: Coldwells,UK

just be lucky ur not in the uk boys.

Norvekh · 01-28-2009, 07:14 | posts: 2,654 | Location: Ohio

Quote:

Originally Posted by sykozis

Radio Shack here had $40 off coupons in their sales ad a couple weeks ago. But, they started announcing this 2 years ago....that's plenty of time for everyone to prepare...make the switch, screw those that put it off for 2 years.

Two years ago? More like 15 years ago when it was first decided upon by Congress and has been mentioned in the Congressional record more times than I can recall since then. But, yeah, the gigantic ad campaigns I guess started about then.

All said and done, television is a privilege not a right. Handing out millions of those little converter boxes adds to an already hyper-inflated federal budget. God forbid people might have to read books or listen to radio... Or just go outside.

sava700 · 01-28-2009, 14:26 | posts: 4,834 | Location: In a game world

Quote:

Originally Posted by Denial

The federal program that hands out the digital converter boxes ran out of money.. how are they supposed to make the switch when they can't?

The coupons have been available for 2years now. I ordered two for grand parents and had them here in less than 2 weeks way back when it first started. To wait now is a waste of resources stations have already put into the change to happen next month vs 5 months from now. If your not ready by now it was your choice not the Governments fault.