DTv Transition

[vod2117]

What does everyone think of the complication the digital transition will cause? I heard this morning that the transition will not be pushed off but rather pulled back to its original date.

Just curious of peoples opinion.

 

[Mamiamjo]

Can I get some clarification here?
Are you asking if we think "everyone" has their TV set for digital? Or are you asking if "we" are set for the conversion?

 

[lvanleer]

we already have digital cable so we're set here.....no need for converters.....

 

[corndog]

What does everyone think of the complication the digital transition will cause? I heard this morning that the transition will not be pushed off but rather pulled back to its original date.

Just curious of peoples opinion.

The "original date" was about a decade ago.

 

[cepmom]

we have Direct TV so we didn't have to do anything to prepare.

 

[OK!]

I have digital cable, so didn't have to do anything.

And thank God the bill to push the mandatory conversion date back failed. I would have SERIOUSLY lost my mind if I had to hear about this damn thing for another 4 months!

 

[vod2117]

Can I get some clarification here?
Are you asking if we think "everyone" has their TV set for digital? Or are you asking if "we" are set for the conversion?

Everyone and we

 

[onelilspark]

Something my boyfriend mentioned last night: this date is the date that the TV stations MUST switch. It's not that they can't switch before this date and some already have switched. So even if in the next week they push it back, many TV stations might go through with the Feb 17 date instead of changing their plans.

 

[mkingdomlvr]

I have digital cable, so didn't have to do anything.

And thank God the bill to push the mandatory conversion date back failed. I would have SERIOUSLY lost my mind if I had to hear about this damn thing for another 4 months!

 

[Dax]

I have FiOS...no worries here!

 

[cteddiesgirl]

Is everyone in the country ready? No.

Is my house ready? Yes. We got digital cable only after we hooked up a converter box and was seriously disappointed and had a difficult time recieving anything. Even though we live in Indy.

 

[bicker]

It will be good to compare this poll to one I conducted a year and a half ago. At that time about 40% were ready, 20% knew what they needed to do to get ready, 34% were clueless, and 12% didn't care.

Lots of interesting discussion about the whole issue back then:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1502376

 

[Metro West]

we already have digital cable so we're set here.....no need for converters.....

Me too.

 

[bicker]

The "original date" was about a decade ago.

Well, no. The law was passed in 1996, with the date set as December 31, 2006. A year later, that date was made less firm, when that date was made contingent on 85% of the homes in the country receiving television without relying on analog signals (i.e., homes that had cable, plus homes that had satellite service, plus homes with at least one digital television). It became apparent that softening the date effectively scuttled the move towards digital in the country, and the 1997 change was deemed by Congress to have been a mistake. Specifically, it was obvious that the only way the intent of the 1996 law could come to fruition would be to go back to a hard date. Congress set the date firm again in 2005, this time as February 17, 2009.

 

[bicker]

Something my boyfriend mentioned last night: this date is the date that the TV stations MUST switch. It's not that they can't switch before this date and some already have switched. So even if in the next week they push it back, many TV stations might go through with the Feb 17 date instead of changing their plans.

Yes, true, but it isn't the same. The biggest problem with many digital channels today is that they are not allowed to operate a full power because doing so would interfere with, and be interfered with by, analog channels. Until the analog channels are turned off, the digital channels cannot go to full power. And generally, the analog channels that interfere with the digital channels going to full power are not owned by the same company as the digital channel -- they're typically not even in the same area (but rather the interference is with channels in an adjacent area).

 

[aprilgail2]

We have digital cable tv on all our tv's at home and at work so no issues here.

 

[cinmell]

We are ready. We didn't need any converters.

 

[johnnymo99]

We are sort of ready. Have Directv on 2 tv's and bought 2 converter boxes for another 2. However this is where I have a problem with the digital conversion. We have now gone from 10 channels under analog to 2 channels under digital. The government should also issue rebates for us who are going to have to purchase roof/attic attennas to pick up all the channels we will now not be getting.

 

[moburg]

We are sort of ready. Have Directv on 2 tv's and bought 2 converter boxes for another 2. However this is where I have a problem with the digital conversion. We have now gone from 10 channels under analog to 2 channels under digital. The government should also issue rebates for us who are going to have to purchase roof/attic attennas to pick up all the channels we will now not be getting.

The government should NOT have spent a penny on the converter boxes in the first place.

 

[aprilgail2]

The government should NOT have spent a penny on the converter boxes in the first place.

I TOTALLY agree!!