OT: TV dictatorship

Goody. This will be a great time to dump your television receivers and do something more useful, productive, and intellectually stimulating......does sitting on your arse being passively "entertained" have that much attraction for you?

Andrew VK3BFA

Robert Baer wrote: > I suppose that you know that our "free" "democracy" has dictated that > all analog TV stations and sets will be scrapped, in "favor" of digital. > There is *no* compatibiity between the two, and there was zero > attempt for any kind of compatibility. > This dictatorial decree has many reprocussions: > 1) You will no longer be able to get any TV station free. With analog, > one could make their own antenna and view one or more stations if the > signal was of reasonable strength. > 2) Right now, you have to $pay$ about $30 per month to get any (digital) > TV stations - and that is only due to the competition from the free > analog stations. > 3) Rates for TV stations will skyrocket when the competition from free > stations is demolished. Expect to see more fragmentation; different

Robert, where have you been and what are you smoking? I switched over to DTV with some HD channels Christmas of 2003. It's not compatible? Who cares? Its WAY better than what you are currently watching and guess what ? Its still free. Oh I DID buy an antenna but wait, I had an antenna for analog too. Now I use a PC with an ATI HDTV Wonder card (soon to be 2 cards) to record and play HDTV when I want and it ISN'T some whiz-bang PC. It worked fine with a Sempron processor on a cheapo ECS mamma board. Use it like a TiVo with no monthly charge and pause/back up/skip commercials on live TV. FCC already mandated TVs to include ATSC tuners so go buy an inexpensive (

It is a thankless task, but somebody has got to do it.

-- Many thanks,

Don Lancaster voice phone: (928)428-4073 Synergetics 3860 West First Street Box 809 Thatcher, AZ 85552 rss:

Please visit my GURU's LAIR web site at

Goody! The thought of all those old TV sets with lead solder tossed into the local dump (or the ravine at the end of the dead-end road if they prohibit tossing electronics into the garbage) just makes me laugh at all the nit picking about RoHS regulations.

Its not clear at this time whether the signals will be digital, or scrambled digital. Looks like they are trying to sneak in scrambling claiming it to be part of digital tv.

Luhan

Not even Fox News will be free? I think somebody goofed. There needs to be an amendment to that legislation.

CC wrote: > Glenn Gundlach wrote: > > Robert Baer wrote: > > > I suppose that you know that our "free" "democracy" has dictated > > that > > > all analog TV stations and sets will be scrapped, in "favor" of > > digital. > > > There is *no* compatibiity between the two, and there was zero > > > attempt for any kind of compatibility. > > > This dictatorial decree has many reprocussions: > > > 1) You will no longer be able to get any TV station free. With > > analog, > > > one could make their own antenna and view one or more stations if > > the > > > signal was of reasonable strength. > > > 2) Right now, you have to $pay$ about $30 per month to get any > > (digital) > > > TV stations - and that is only due to the competition from the free > > > analog stations. > > > 3) Rates for TV stations will skyrocket when the competition from > > free > > > stations is demolished. Expect to see more fragmentation; different > >

Rest assured, converting from analogue to digital will be very profitable for someone or other. That's one of the reasons the conversion is being made.

Another reason is that digital will allow Big Brother to monitor, intercept and control program content. Ultimately, all broadcasting and the news media will be propagated via the Internet. Amateur radio, which is difficult to monitor by the authorities, will eventually be abolished. The BBC is doing its utmost, under Blair's Goverment instructions, to transfer itself to the Internet which, of course, is all digital.

Already, all data transmitted over the internet can be monitored by MI5, MI6 and the CIA just by some unknown person sitting in his office armchair and dialling your phone number. And giant computers continuously analyse internet traffic looking for key-words.

You have been warned. But there's nothing you can do about it. =========================================

So does that mean I can give you a ring, speak some choice words such as "come on man, I've got some sacks of ammonium nitrate, you got the detonators? Did you get directions to the White House?", and the feds will be at our door in moments?

Well, I'm guessing you're in Britain, so that'd be an international call, which could unfortunately very well do that... but a local call, no, not that I know of.

Yet...

Tim

There are millions in the US that would answer "yes".

I'm taking up a collection to help get Tim out of Gitmo where he is now being secretly held in captivity without benefit of lawyer by the Department of Homeland Security, DOD, and the NSA. Please send donations to .. bzzz..@$%^.. Carrier Lost...

Hello Robert,

Wait until the day cometh and bucket loads of protest mail arrives at our representatives' offices. Besides people suddenly realizing that their analog set quit the ones who did go out and buy HDTV sets might realize that the system picked by the powers to be may not fare so well in heavy multi-path areas. Such as the one we live in. When they shelled out >$1000 for a new set versus $250 for the old set and they still can't watch the game they'll be miffed. Very miffed.

Representatives listen to their constituents. Democracy in the US is probably one of the best, if not the best.

Not here. AFAIK it's free but nobody in the neighborhood watches the over-the-air digital channels. Because nobody has a set for that.

That would be the end of TV as we know it. Internet would take over, and fast. The drivers behind that would be the advertisers.

See above. A few tons of letters to body politicus will most likely bring prices to a reasonable level, or bring about some high level personnel changes and some destroyed careers.

Sure. But don't expect a Eurocrat to understand such logic.

Mm, same here in Australia. Bit of a worry, really.........

Anderw VK3BFA.

The government (any of them) is facing the "Stasi Effect". There is so much data out there being intercepted that they have no chance of actually looking at more than a very small fraction. A successful use of this concept was in US v IBM in the 60s. The feds asked for some sales records IBM had about the system 360. IBM sent them a couple train cars full of unsorted paper and said "here ya go".

Over-the-air won't be "scrambled". Who would pay to see your local TV? Cable WILL scramble their premium channels, just like they do now.

...Jim Thompson

Funny. I think all the local over-the-air stations in Phoenix are now transmitting in DTV as well as analog. And my understanding is that tuners to convert to analog (when the analog signal stops) will be about $30.

Cable, not over-the-air.

Nonsense.

See above.

Good idea ;-)

...Jim Thompson