Every time I read about the switch from Analog to Digital, my

[yy4me]

anger meter goes to the top of the scale. In today's paper, BestBuy announced it will immediately stop the sale of all analog TV's. Fine. The mandatory change to digital comes to all of us in February 2009. The short article emphasizes that all of our current analog TV's will not work.

So, The solution? Give Comcast more money for another "box" to convert the signal or dispose of my perfectly good TV's (at a fee of $10.00 each) and enrich the coffers of the likes of BestBuy and buy new television. This will not happen. We watch Countdown The Daly Show, Colbert Report and a very few other programs on channels like the History channel. Most of the programming offered here(via Comcast) is broken down into the most stupid options imaginable. Basic programming is useless, expanded is now $50.00 a month and includes a disproportionate number of shopping channels, foreign language channels, religious channels and other programming of no merit or no interest to us. Comcast tells us we do not have a voice in choosing our programming.

When February 2009 comes, I don't know what I will do but I'm not going to make Comcast any richer by buying or renting their "box" and I do not have money to buy new TV's. In my mind, this whole exercise is a waste of money.

And how about the effect on the landfills of all these now useless TV's?

Sometimes I wonder if I have any control over anything any more. Idiots are running the asylum.

What are you all thinking in regard to this change? Am I being logical or just cantankerous?

[mikeytherat]

1. To use your old TV, you'll need a Digital Converter Box

http://dtvfacts.com/digital-tv-converter-box/

You can get coupons (two per household) good for $40 off the price of the converter box (which should retail at about $40-$50).

Here's how to apply for your coupons:
http://dtvfacts.com/82/how-do-i-get-40-dollar-converter-subsidy-coupon/

Hope this helps!

mikey_the_rat

[DarkTirade]

2. Does your TV have antenae?

You could at least watch the broadcast channels.

[sgsmith]

3. I'm not an expert on this

But, from what I understand, the changeover from analog to digital transmission affects only those people who use a TV with an antenna. It doesn't affect you if you watch TV using either a cable or satellite provider.

If you're using cable, the cable companies are changing a lot of how their systems work. This is mainly due to the explosion in demand for High Definition programming. HD requires a lot more band width for any given show, and since cable companies believe they have to provide HD content, they're reallocating resources to meet that demand. Which basically means that basic service is becoming the poor man, with as little content provided as possible.

No one is going to have to throw away their old style CRT televisions. However, once you see HD on a modern digital television, you'll probably want to throw away that CRT!

BTW - Digital does not mean High Definition.

[caty]

5. I've seen HD

and I don't like it. The picture is so sharp that it just does not look real.

As far as price goes, my CRT television quit two weeks ago. I bought a 19" Magnavox LCD HDTV for $400. My old TV was a 27", but I have a small living room and it always seemed too big for as close as I was sitting (about six feet away). The 19" is great. When you start replacing your old TVs, consider going a little smaller.

[alphafemale]

4. On the plus side, you can likely get a converter box, subsidized and then

You can upgrade your older/smaller TV from someone Else's analog newer/larger castoff dirt cheap.

That'll do for me while waiting for the cost of the digitals to fall into the price of reason.

[_testify_]

6. Do you have cable TV now?

If so, you won't need to buy another box. This really only affects households who only receive the over-the-air broadcast channels. Existing analog TVs won't be 'useless'.

Now, I agree with you about the way they package the channels. The basic package used to include channels people watch. Now it includes the worst crap they have to offer and you need to buy the second or third tier to get the good stuff. A-la-carte would be ideal, but I know it's a pipe dream. :(

[Hugin]

7. So, where is all of this HD content going to magically appear from?

They're going to make us buy a new TV to watch the same crap we've been watching for 50 years.

Great deal... FOR THEM!

[electron_blue]

8. Just buy a converter box, don't rent one.

And rant on, I hear ya. But change is inevitable in every facet of life.....

[gmoney]

9. Harry Shearer has been talking about this for years on Le Show

He's NOT a fan of digital in the least...

[sir_captain]

10. sheesh

calm down. do you have cable service now? if so, you are already renting a set-top box from them and your current tv will work just fine with a digital cable STB in 2009 and it won't cost you any extra money.

there are a lot of good technical reasons to be switching to the digital spectrum. we are freeing up huge swaths of the EM spectrum (like the upcoming 700 mhz auction) that will become available for other technologies. these are the things that allow for stuff like, you know, the internet.

anyway, concern over this switch is way overblown and really not worth wasting a lot of time worrying about, imho.