Digital TV Switchover Officially Delayed

[T-Bone]

[citation][nom]ravenware[/nom]It is a little mismanaged. Several of the vouchers are not going out due to lack of funds because someone did not plan ahead or congress failed to release enough funds to handle the demand.Buying a digital television isn't exactly on my list of priorities.My apartment building will not allow tenants to install cable. I heard a rumor that we are allowed to have satellite in our building but I am not sure about that and I will not be able to set it up in time.So yeah I would be seeing snow on my set come February 17 in downtown los angeles.[/citation]
WTF are you talking about?
(1) Who says anything about having to buy a digital tv? This is about people receiving "on-air" tv broadcasts with non-digital tv's which will need these converter boxes that are readily available to ANYONE. (BTW, I was in BestBuy last night and they had an entire pallet of them in the middle of the floor when you walked in.)
(2)Who says anything about installing cable or satellite dish or anything of the like? Again, this is about on-air analog broadcasts! All you have to do is go out and buy the BOX! How more simple can it get?!?!?!?!

 

[Guest]

"Once the analog towers shut down, these viewers will be unable to receive emergency broadcasts and official public announcements."


Kind of like the public announcements that have been going on for months that they have been ignoring?

 

[josh jones]

we are so poor these days and now we must hemorrhage more money for procrastinators and i suppose borrow more money from china to pay for this delay? wow... what a mouth full.

 

[chris312]

Tom's Hardware needs to start putting the articles at the bottom and the comments on top. Not only are the comments more accurate and accountable, they are also entertaining!

 

[captaincharisma]

the only fault for this delay is the lazy people who waited till the last minute to request there coupons for the digital antenna. last i heard there is a big waiting list for getting the coupons

 

[Trialsking]

[citation][nom]chris312[/nom]Tom's Hardware needs to start putting the articles at the bottom and the comments on top. Not only are the comments more accurate and accountable, they are also entertaining![/citation]
+1 to that brother!

 

[tbq]

You don't need the coupon to get a converter box; the coupon just makes them free. If you really cared you could just buy one yourself.

Who says that you need a TV to get emergency broadcasts? The only time they ever issue them around here is when most people are without power. I heard they now have something called radio or something like that, that will let people get news and entertainment and emergency broadcasts, just without pictures. Who knows, it might catch on.

 

[Darkk]

I am totally against the delay simply because this been talked about for YEARS!! Just for the past 18 months or so there have been talks on the radio, tv and ads to get people ready for the switch-over.

What they do? People whined saying they couldn't afford to a digital converter box. I'm like what? $60 for a box? If they cared enough about their TV they could have saved $10 a month for 6 months and it would have been fine. Nope, they had to complain about it.

This whole delay thing is going to cost more money for the taxpayers.

 

[geckoar]

All I know Is that I dont even watch TV Because of the Crappy Show(House and a few others are good...And sports) I never watch the news..just the weather. And ALMOST every TV made now has a Digital-Tuner in it. I cant even stand to look at the picture on the Wii because its honked up with a Crappy RCA Analog plug and not Digital. So I say Feb. 17 Cut the Analog broadcasts and just let the people deal with it Or go to a friends house to Watch the Crappy Shows Like American Idol and All the Reality TV(Ha Realtiy my butt). Really the Tax money should be helping us not making the Image that the world sees us as(Which could be Lazy and Fat people) worst.

 

[dealcorn]

I am curious regarding the main question raised by the article. Is there currently any editorial review policy regarding articles posted on Tom's?

 

[ira176]

The delays are incredible! All I know is that I've seen that digital transition warning enough on t.v. that I have dreams about it. No excuse for not being ready for the switch.

 

[T-Bone]

[citation][nom]newguy432[/nom]"Once the analog towers shut down, these viewers will be unable to receive emergency broadcasts and official public announcements."Kind of like the public announcements that have been going on for months that they have been ignoring?[/citation]

1 word: brilliant!
Couldn't agree with you more!

 

[dwlee28]

This story is wrong. Only the Senate passed the bill. The House rejected the bill today. The digital transition is still going into effect on Feb 17.

 

[Guest]

I sent for 2 "coupons" in September and never received them. There were no provisions for duplicates, none. The system in America is corrupt. I am on fixed income, retired, out-of-work. My bills come without fail through USPS yet DTV coupons never arrived. Give me a break you pompous know-it-alls. Give me my $40 coupons.

 

[helios2052]

[citation][nom]Curmugeon[/nom]I sent for 2 "coupons" in September and never received them. There were no provisions for duplicates, none. The system in America is corrupt. I am on fixed income, retired, out-of-work. My bills come without fail through USPS yet DTV coupons never arrived. Give me a break you pompous know-it-alls. Give me my $40 coupons.[/citation]


TV is not a necessity, so stop acting like the government owes you free coupons.

Technology moves on, and if you would like to continue using one of your "luxuries" you might actually just have to pay for it. That's why they call it a luxury.

 

[abbadon_34]

"Officially Delayed" WRONG. Today the house voted against this. Unless both the senate and the house pass similar bills and the president signs nothing is "official". Tom's has never done well in spell of grammar check, but is there anyone editing or screening the "news" articles?

 

[jwl3]

This is so stupid. We've had millions of ads on tv about this for over two years. If people aren't ready for this now, they won't be ready ever. This is yet another excuse by the Democrats to spend more money on rebates which benefit only the manufacturer's of the boxes. I mean, those digital conversion boxes cost nothing to manufacture. But because of the $40 rebate, not a single manufacturer will sell the box for less than $40. Why should they when the consumer doesn't care since it's free for them? This is the same reason college education is so expensive - gov't financial aid allows colleges to charge as much as possible because the student's families don't care as much when their costs are offset by aid.

 

[grieve]

[citation][nom]chris312[/nom]Tom's Hardware needs to start putting the articles at the bottom and the comments on top. Not only are the comments more accurate and accountable, they are also entertaining![/citation]
+1

The whole delay idea is a joke.

Why not just turn all the people using FREE cable OFF!! On that very day post in ALL papers, and advertise on the “oldies” radio station that you need to get into the 2000’s buy purchasing cable and/or satellite!

I mean really… I am in Canada and I am spammed watching television adds of analog ending, there is an American left that doesn’t know by now? I am glad my Canadian tax dollars aren’t buying people free digital receivers…

Just one more reason to obtain a “free to air” receiver and dish.

 

[ravenware]

[citation][nom]T-Bone[/nom]WTF are you talking about?(1) Who says anything about having to buy a digital tv? This is about people receiving "on-air" tv broadcasts with non-digital tv's which will need these converter boxes that are readily available to ANYONE. (BTW, I was in BestBuy last night and they had an entire pallet of them in the middle of the floor when you walked in.)(2)Who says anything about installing cable or satellite dish or anything of the like? Again, this is about on-air analog broadcasts! All you have to do is go out and buy the BOX! How more simple can it get?!?!?!?![/citation]

The box is the problem you fu**ing you damn tool! It doesn't work that well and it is 60 bucks.
The other options are buying a new tv or adopting cable or satelite service.

Wow all this time has gone by, and their are people still with analog crap tvs on rabbit ears and its 2009. WTH? Hey people there is something called HDTV and their not that expensive. Your local Walmart even has them for under $500 now. Excluding the elderly, step up to the plate folks get with the 21st century please because news like this that makes headlines just shows how many dummies and ignorant peole there truly are out there.

Yeah, a lot of people don't give a sh** about digital television.

 

[grieve]

[citation][nom]T-Bone[/nom]1 word: brilliant!Couldn't agree with you more![/citation]
[citation][nom]newguy432[/nom]"Once the analog towers shut down, these viewers will be unable to receive emergency broadcasts and official public announcements."Kind of like the public announcements that have been going on for months that they have been ignoring?[/citation]

haha