End of Analog TV era

[Terry Fox]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robert Stratton" <bob at stratton.net>
To: "tacos" <tacos at amrad.org>
Sent: Friday, March 28, 2008 5:33 PM
Subject: Re: End of Analog TV era


>
> On Mar 28, 2008, at 6:04 PM, Mike O'Dell wrote:
>
> >
> > i have a beer that says this "transition" will get undone
> > after a few days of hellfire raining down on Congresscritters
> > when the vidies go to snow for millions of AARP members.
>
> It may not be that bad. I happened to hear former FCC Chairman Reed
> Hundt speak back in 2005, and at that time, he mentioned that cable
> and satellite penetration was something on the order of 86% of
> households.
>
> Of course his sad contention was that if the government took the
> money they were going to put into set top boxes (for people who
> mostly don't need them), it might be enough to subsidize some form
> of  broadband internet access for almost the entire country, then you
> could just deliver them programming via IP.
>
> I think he may have had a point.
>
> --Bob S.
>
>
>
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> Tacos at amrad.org
> http://www.amrad.org/mailman/listinfo/tacos
>
And Reed Hundt is an expert in anything regarding communications?

Sorry, this doesn't impress me at all.  I'd sooner go to Al Gore for Linux
programming expertise.  Wait a minute, Gore swore Hundt in as the FCC
Chairman.  Go figure.

He probably would have put this alleged set top box money into BPL.  If I
remember correctly, he was an early BPL proponent.

Regarding DTV:
The question continues to be the second, third, and fourth sets that are not
connected to cable/satellite.  Plus, all those little emergency radios that
everyone is touting that can receive TV audio.  Oops, no longer true.
Interesting things will happen during the first hurricane (or other
emergency) in 2009.

Don't get me wrong, the DTV transition is a good thing, and the sooner it
happens, the sooner stations don't have to pay for running and maintaining
two complete transmission systems.  I'm all for that.

But, I think Mike will be right.  There will be a lot of yelling.  I still
see people buying ANALOG TV sets - I saw one being bought just last week at
WalMart (a 12-inch or so).  I almost walked up to the people and wacked them
upside the head, asking WHY???  This is certainly not the main set for a
home, it was too small.

It is not a coincidence that the analog turn-off date is right after the
elections, innauguration, and (most importantly) the Superbowl.  Can't wait
to hear the screaming when March Madness 2009 happens.  All those
multiple-sets to watch multiple games.  Multiple snow storms - maybe people
will think they are watching the Weather Channel.

Glad that I'm no longer in the industry.
Terry