Re: 79 days left before the end of TV.
Red Green
4ax.com:
> In 79 days, I will no longer be able to watch tv. I live in a rural
> area. There is no cable tv. Satellite is way beyond what I can
> afford as a retired person, on a fixed income. I got my $40 coupons
> and my converter boxes. All I get is One PBS channel. On analog, I
> can get 7 channels. I quit using that converter for now. February
> 2009 will be a very sad time. No news, no weather reports, no
> sitcoms, no movies, no talk shows, no soaps, just Barney and the
> Teletubbies.......
>
> Goodbye tv.
>
>
The channels you get on analog now probably are not broadcasting digital
yet.
I thought I read that there are exceptions to the digitl by 2/2009. You
could call the stations of the ones you get now to verify if they are
broadcasting digital now or will they be in 2/2009. Or check their web
site.
Also, to see what is being broadcast digital now for your address go to
http://antennaweb.org/aw/Address.aspx
Put in your street address and zip minimum.
hr(bob) hofmann@att.net
> In 79 days, I will no longer be able to watch tv. I live in a rural
> area. There is no cable tv. Satellite is way beyond what I can
> afford as a retired person, on a fixed income. I got my $40 coupons
> and my converter boxes. All I get is One PBS channel. On analog, I
> can get 7 channels. I quit using that converter for now. February
> 2009 will be a very sad time. No news, no weather reports, no
> sitcoms, no movies, no talk shows, no soaps, just Barney and the
> Teletubbies.......
>
> Goodbye tv.
Exactly where do you live????
mm
There's nothing on tv anyhow. Just the 87th rerun of Law & Order, as
Nina Tottenberg put it.
However, if you live in a really rural area, far from the stations,
there may be repeater transmitters that will still broadcast in
analog. They are rarely mentioned, but I saw a list of them
somewhere.
In addition, teh stations you can get may be broadcasting in digital
now, but I read something that implied they are likely not to be doing
so at full power. They'll increase their power on the big day. I
wish I knew how much the increase would be.
I bought one converter, which I haven't connected, and a Philips DVDR
with Hard Drive. I've had it for 6 months, just using the hard drive,
and I just bought some blank DVD's Friday, just to have one if I need
it4.
I too watched digital for a while, and then went back to analog. My
big complaint about digital is it takes at least 5 seconds, it seems
like more, to tune the station in. Are they all like that?
And I can't change to another channel until the first one tunes in.
Are they all like that?
If I turn the dvdr on and it's set for channel 11.1 and I want 2.1, I
have to wait until it tunes in to 11.1 before I can change stations.
And channel surfing is going to be slow it will be impractical. And
I know longer get the newspaper tv-guide. I use a website, but I
don't want to go upstairs when I'm watching tv in the kitchen, or get
out of bed when I'm watching tv in bed, just to see what is on the
other station.
Caesar Romano
days left before the end of TV.:
>In 79 days, I will no longer be able to watch tv. I live in a rural
>area. There is no cable tv. Satellite is way beyond what I can
>afford as a retired person, on a fixed income. I got my $40 coupons
>and my converter boxes. All I get is One PBS channel. On analog, I
>can get 7 channels. I quit using that converter for now. February
>2009 will be a very sad time. No news, no weather reports, no
>sitcoms, no movies, no talk shows, no soaps, just Barney and the
>Teletubbies.......
I also live in a rural area. We moved here 23 years ago from
California and found that we could only receive two broadcast
stations. The reception was so bad we decided it wasn't worth
bothering with; so we just left the TV off.
We turned to books and reading and haven't missed the TV in all this
time. Now we get movies from Netflix, news and weather from the
Internet and everything else from the library. We raised two children
without TV and IMO they are better people for it.
Try using your mind instead. Or, if you can't do that then move to a
city. We don't need mindless cry babies in rural areas. We have enough
problems just getting a dial-tone on the phone.
ransley
> area. There is no cable tv. Satellite is way beyond what I can
> afford as a retired person, on a fixed income. I got my $40 coupons
> and my converter boxes. All I get is One PBS channel. On analog, I
> can get 7 channels. I quit using that converter for now. February
> 2009 will be a very sad time. No news, no weather reports, no
> sitcoms, no movies, no talk shows, no soaps, just Barney and the
> Teletubbies.......
>
Do you know they are broadcasting in digital yet, call the stations.
Do you have a good outside antenna. CR reviewed digital boxes, the
ones at stores have the worst picture only online can you get the
better ones and prices are the same, I dont know if they affect
reception.
Eric in North TX
> In 79 days, I will no longer be able to watch tv. I live in a rural
> area. There is no cable tv. Satellite is way beyond what I can
> afford as a retired person, on a fixed income. I got my $40 coupons
> and my converter boxes. All I get is One PBS channel. On analog, I
> can get 7 channels. I quit using that converter for now. February
> 2009 will be a very sad time. No news, no weather reports, no
> sitcoms, no movies, no talk shows, no soaps, just Barney and the
> Teletubbies.......
>
> Goodbye tv.
Antenna aiming is more critical with digital or at least different, I
found my digital sweet spot quite a few degrees from the analog one.
My experience is the opposite, my analog sucked, digital gives me a
much better signal, and I'm in a fringe area. I'd spent so much trying
to get the analog signal (big antenna, rotor, amplifier) that digital
rolls right in.
hal...@aol.com
<steffank...@hated.byOT.troll.posters.net> wrote:
> letter...@invalid.com wrote innews:45f9j4teh21qp943t...@4ax.com:
>
> > In 79 days, I will no longer be able to watch tv. �I live in a rural
> > area. �There is no cable tv. �Satellite is way beyond what I can
> > afford as a retired person, on a fixed income. �I got my $40 coupons
> > and my converter boxes. �All I get is One PBS channel. �On analog, I
> > can get 7 channels. �I quit using that converter for now. �February
> > 2009 will be a very sad time. �No news, no weather reports, no
> > sitcoms, no movies, no talk shows, no soaps, just Barney and the
> > Teletubbies.......
>
> > Goodbye tv.
>
call congress and COMPLAIN!
We have Satellite tv but my friends who watch just regular tv all
report reception is poor.
the analog channels that were noisey, ghosty or snowey, arent viewable
most of the time on digital.
in the carolinas a early stop of analog resulted in viewership decline
of 20%
bad program, poorly implemented, a real congressional special:(
all it was about? $$$ to make the federal budget look better, without
regard to american people.
the 40 buck boxes arent very good, and often require a outdoor antenna
with rotor, which none of my friends want to deal with.
call your supposed congressional representives and complain loudly,
and while you at it demand unbundling of cable and sat channels, so
everyone can buy ala carte just the channels they want
Bill
> In 79 days, I will no longer be able to watch tv.
>
Free-To-Air Satellite TV...
http://www.sadoun.com/Sat/Order/Satellite-systems/FTA-Systems.htm
Free Satellite TV Channels...
http://www.lyngsat.com/freetv/United-States.html
Nixon.D
<lett...@invalid.com> wrote in message
news:45f9j4teh21qp943t...@4ax.com...
> In 79 days, I will no longer be able to watch tv. I live in a rural
> area. There is no cable tv. Satellite is way beyond what I can
> afford as a retired person, on a fixed income. I got my $40 coupons
> and my converter boxes. All I get is One PBS channel. On analog, I
> can get 7 channels. I quit using that converter for now. February
> 2009 will be a very sad time. No news, no weather reports, no
> sitcoms, no movies, no talk shows, no soaps, just Barney and the
> Teletubbies.......
>
> Goodbye tv.
>
Don't be all that concerned. You may find that you don't miss it. I've
quit watching TV for the most part and find that I have more important
things to do.
As long as you can get a couple of good newspapers, communicate with folks
via E-mail, and visit frequently with friends, you should be happy. These
newsgroups can afford an interesting passtime as well.
TV (radio too for the most part) is just trash with all variety of trashy
people jabbering away at you. Get it out of your life if you can; you'll be
a better person ---- yes, you will.
McDave
=================================================================
hal...@aol.com
> <letter...@invalid.com> wrote in message
> > In 79 days, I will no longer be able to watch tv.
>
> Free-To-Air Satellite TV...http://www.sadoun.com/Sat/Order/Satellite-systems/FTA-Systems.htm
>
> Free Satellite TV Channels...http://www.lyngsat.com/freetv/United-States.html
so the folks who dont want a TV antenna with rotor on their home
wouldnt mind a 3 foot diameter dish with equatorial mount in their
yard, and still no local channels?
cshenk
> My experience is the opposite, my analog sucked, digital gives me a
> much better signal, and I'm in a fringe area. I'd spent so much trying
> to get the analog signal (big antenna, rotor, amplifier) that digital
> rolls right in.
Same here. We got a box just on a whim as we have a 3rd older style TV used
just for PS2 and other such ilk games. Got a box for almost nothing after
the coupon as we'd heard there were local stations not on our cable TV and
it was true. The reception isnt as good as the cable but it's not bad and
we get 7 stations of which we have 3 we find useful (of the 4 we arent
interested in, 2 seem mostly religion based and 2 we get via cable already).
BTW, I do not live in a rural area. I live in what is called 'Hampton
Roads' (think Norfolk VA area and the 5 cities combined are called Hampton
Roads).
JohnR66
news:45f9j4teh21qp943t...@4ax.com...
> In 79 days, I will no longer be able to watch tv. I live in a rural
> area. There is no cable tv. Satellite is way beyond what I can
> afford as a retired person, on a fixed income. I got my $40 coupons
> and my converter boxes. All I get is One PBS channel. On analog, I
> can get 7 channels. I quit using that converter for now. February
> 2009 will be a very sad time. No news, no weather reports, no
> sitcoms, no movies, no talk shows, no soaps, just Barney and the
> Teletubbies.......
>
> Goodbye tv.
>
the tube (or panel) are happier and healthier. Programming went down the
tubes years ago and the news is all sensationalized anyway.
dpb
> In 79 days, I will no longer be able to watch tv. I live in a rural
> area. There is no cable tv. Satellite is way beyond what I can
> afford as a retired person, on a fixed income. I got my $40 coupons
> and my converter boxes. All I get is One PBS channel. On analog, I
> can get 7 channels. I quit using that converter for now. February
> 2009 will be a very sad time. No news, no weather reports, no
> sitcoms, no movies, no talk shows, no soaps, just Barney and the
> Teletubbies.......
>
You're getting four more analog and one more digital than am getting here.
Only hope I see is _IF_ (the proverbial "big if") the stations are not
yet broadcasting digital in full power yet as someone else suggested.
There was another thread a month ago or so where somebody posted a url
to the FCC website that has current station power. I'll try to go look
and repost it; a search on google group may find it sooner.
Only thing I'll really miss which is important here in High Plains is
the local weather radar/live forecast/warning information. (And yes,
we've had the discussion before, what's local to the relay transmitters
is _NOT_ what is shown on the city stations for local weather/news
segments so satellite is not the solution.)
As someone else noted, it does suck, at least so far. I have no idea on
what the underlying motive(s) were/are really, certainly I could care
less about much of the touted reasons. I've been unable to ascertain
from the stations to date what their plans for signal strength of the
pertinent transmitters are--their web sites are uninformative about real
problems (as are all psa's and the ludicrous PBS "special" w/ Norm and
buddies "solving" everybody's problems in some residential 'burb) and at
least so far, e-mails have been ignored. Eventually I'll pick up the
phone and call and see if there's any sentient life form available.
Anyway, don't give up complete hope; if you're close enough to an urban
area to have 7 OTA stations, I'm pretty sure you'll have sufficient
signal for most of them although it may take a better antenna and tuning.
Re: the comment on the CR report on the converter boxes -- afaict by
reading the reports, the only thing "better" boxes did was slightly less
drop out if one is after the absolute perfection in picture quality and
some features on programming, menus, etc. I saw no mention of SNR,
signal strength sensitivity, etc., etc., etc., that would have any
bearing on or any help in choosing one over another for marginal
reception areas--I sincerely doubt they were tested for such.
--
Pete C.
lett...@invalid.com wrote:
>
> In 79 days, I will no longer be able to watch tv. I live in a rural
> area. There is no cable tv. Satellite is way beyond what I can
> afford as a retired person, on a fixed income. I got my $40 coupons
> and my converter boxes. All I get is One PBS channel. On analog, I
> can get 7 channels. I quit using that converter for now. February
> 2009 will be a very sad time. No news, no weather reports, no
> sitcoms, no movies, no talk shows, no soaps, just Barney and the
> Teletubbies.......
>
Be sure to try the convertor box again after the cutover date, say in
March as many of the stations will be transmitting digital at
considerably higher power than they are currently using temporary
transmitters/antennas.
SteveB
> area. There is no cable tv. Satellite is way beyond what I can
> afford as a retired person, on a fixed income. I got my $40 coupons
> and my converter boxes. All I get is One PBS channel. On analog, I
> can get 7 channels. I quit using that converter for now. February
> 2009 will be a very sad time. No news, no weather reports, no
> sitcoms, no movies, no talk shows, no soaps, just Barney and the
> Teletubbies.......
>
> Goodbye tv.
Get one of those gizmos from the salesman on Second Hand Lions.
Steve
m...@privacy.net
>Free-To-Air Satellite TV...
>http://www.sadoun.com/Sat/Order/Satellite-systems/FTA-Systems.htm
>
>Free Satellite TV Channels...
>http://www.lyngsat.com/freetv/United-States.html
How well does this stuff actually work above?
Do YOU use it?
Ken
> In 79 days, I will no longer be able to watch tv. I live in a rural
> area. There is no cable tv. Satellite is way beyond what I can
> afford as a retired person, on a fixed income. I got my $40 coupons
> and my converter boxes. All I get is One PBS channel. On analog, I
> can get 7 channels. I quit using that converter for now. February
> 2009 will be a very sad time. No news, no weather reports, no
> sitcoms, no movies, no talk shows, no soaps, just Barney and the
> Teletubbies.......
>
> Goodbye tv.
>
I quit watching TV in 1991 or 92 when my cable price doubled. After a
momnth or so I didn't miss it a bit.
I get my news from NPR and entertainment from XM satellite, CDs, books,
magazines, sudoku, crosswords, etc.
Ken
--
"When you choose the lesser of two evils, always
remember that it is still an evil." - Max Lerner
Hell Toupee
> In 79 days, I will no longer be able to watch tv. I live in a rural
> area. There is no cable tv. Satellite is way beyond what I can
> afford as a retired person, on a fixed income. I got my $40 coupons
> and my converter boxes. All I get is One PBS channel. On analog, I
> can get 7 channels. I quit using that converter for now. February
> 2009 will be a very sad time. No news, no weather reports, no
> sitcoms, no movies, no talk shows, no soaps, just Barney and the
> Teletubbies.......
>
> Goodbye tv.
I broke down and bought a new digital tv. Reception, even on the
analog channels, is much better than it was with my old set. I'm
even getting analog channels I never got with my previous tv. Dunno
if you can manage it on your budget, but smaller digital sets now
can be had for as little as a couple hundred dollars.
AndyS
Hell Toupee wrote:
> I broke down and bought a new digital tv. Reception, even on the
> analog channels, is much better than it was with my old set. I'm
> even getting analog channels I never got with my previous tv. Dunno
> if you can manage it on your budget, but smaller digital sets now
> can be had for as little as a couple hundred dollars.
Andy comments:
In Family Dollar Stores in North Texas.... and at WalMart, an ATSC
(digital)
set , with 19" screen, is about $120
In a year, they will be under $90
The BIG SCREEN stuff is from $300 to $1000, depending on a lot of
features....
And old analog TVs will be at Goodwill Stores for many years, for
about
$20, which will work OK with converter boxes....
Just wanted to let folks know that the world didn't end...
Andy in Eureka, Texas
dpb
...
> There was another thread a month ago or so where somebody posted a url
> to the FCC website that has current station power. I'll try to go look
> and repost it; a search on google group may find it sooner.
http://www.fcc.gov/mb/video/tvq.html
--
Phisherman
>In 79 days, I will no longer be able to watch tv. I live in a rural
>area. There is no cable tv. Satellite is way beyond what I can
>afford as a retired person, on a fixed income. I got my $40 coupons
>and my converter boxes. All I get is One PBS channel. On analog, I
>can get 7 channels. I quit using that converter for now. February
>2009 will be a very sad time. No news, no weather reports, no
>sitcoms, no movies, no talk shows, no soaps, just Barney and the
>Teletubbies.......
>
>Goodbye tv.
I watch very little TV if any at all, yet I have a theater room. No
cable. Get all the news and weather online and with radio. My
theater room is used for playing DVDs, no Blu-ray yet until prices
come down. If there is a TV program I want to watch, I record it on
my PC (I have a tuner) then play it back. I can watch an hour show
in about 40 minutes when I skip the crap. Most of the time PBS is the
only channel worth watching.
mm
<hal...@aol.com> wrote:
Well maybe they can think of themselves as citizens of Ecuador.
mm
You must not have seen Entertainment Tonight.
>
mm
wrote:
>
>
>Hell Toupee wrote:
>> I broke down and bought a new digital tv. Reception, even on the
>> analog channels, is much better than it was with my old set. I'm
>> even getting analog channels I never got with my previous tv. Dunno
>> if you can manage it on your budget, but smaller digital sets now
>> can be had for as little as a couple hundred dollars.
>
>Andy comments:
>
> In Family Dollar Stores in North Texas.... and at WalMart, an ATSC
>(digital)
>set , with 19" screen, is about $120
Should they be a dollar?
Or 10 dollars if it's a big family?
>
> In a year, they will be under $90
>
>The BIG SCREEN stuff is from $300 to $1000, depending on a lot of
>features....
>
>And old analog TVs will be at Goodwill Stores for many years, for
>about
>$20, which will work OK with converter boxes....
You'll be able to find those on the sidewalks and inside and next to
dumpsters, starting the day after Xmas, and peaking in the week or two
after the conversion.
When I lived in NYC, people made a point of throwing good trash away
days before the garbage man came, so people could take the stuff. Or
they would put it on the top of the garbage can. One time I was on my
bike and I saw a 9 inch tv on top of a garbage can, and while I was
trying to figure out how to attach it to my racing bike (with luggage
rack) the woman of the house came out with rope to help me. She said
it didn't need much work and it didn't, a fuse or less.
m...@privacy.net
> If there is a TV program I want to watch, I record it on
>my PC (I have a tuner) then play it back
do you have an outside antenna for above?
Red Green
news:u0n9j4ta51gdpn6s5...@4ax.com:
I have an econo digital TV. No converter box. It still takes a moment for
the station to lock in. Seems to depend on the signal strength. I see:
Pic and sound comes in very fast
Pic comes in but sound is delayed
Black screen for a bit then all comes in
Blue screen of death with Unusable Signal message
Pixelization - I'm near FT Bragg helicopter airfield,
very near. Every time an Apache or Blackhawk goes over
it whacks things out.
Seems to depend on the signal strength.
All I have is some indoor amplified ears. Good enough for the 15 min a
day I turn on the TV...sometimes.
>
> And I can't change to another channel until the first one tunes in.
> Are they all like that?
No, not on my econo digital TV anyway. I can keep pushing the channel up
button. The station display will change and the pic will not (well
sometimes anyway). Stop hitting the selection button and it goes to what
was last displayed...sometimes anyway. Hey, it's free. F* Time Warner
(mid-south). Comcast too (northeast).
Rant: I remember when CATV was just coming into play from antenna days.
Big draw was something about fewer (or none?) commercials. Last time I
had cable a few years back I actually counted commercials once. 12 in a
row.
AndyS
mm wrote:>
> When I lived in NYC, people made a point of throwing good trash away
> days before the garbage man came, so people could take the stuff. Or
> they would put it on the top of the garbage can. One time I was on my
> bike and I saw a 9 inch tv on top of a garbage can, and while I was
> trying to figure out how to attach it to my racing bike (with luggage
> rack) the woman of the house came out with rope to help me. She said
> it didn't need much work and it didn't, a fuse or less.
Andy comments:
Yeah, I've always been a collector of electronic trash myself. If
I couldn't
fix it, I'd junk it for parts, as I have been an electronics hobbyist
since the
8th grade.....
I don't think I've ever had to cannibilize a TV I found in a trash
heap, tho , since it seemed I could
always get them fixed, usually by just re-soldering the connections
on
the main board. Cold solder joints are difficult to locate, so I
just take
10 minutes and re-solder the whole mother board..... Usually that
would
do the trick.
And, when a TV set of mine got to the point that I couldn't fix
it, I'd
cut out the capacitors and power resistors, maybe the potentiometers,
and power transistors and xtal, and junk it.
If "I" have thrown it out.... it NEEDED throwing out :>))))
I rarely do that anymore, tho. It just ain't worth the
trouble...
Andy in Eureka, Texas
Ed Pawlowski
"Nixon.D" <nix...@comcast.net> wrote in message
> TV (radio too for the most part) is just trash with all variety of trashy
> people jabbering away at you. Get it out of your life if you can; you'll
> be a better person ---- yes, you will.
>
> McDave
> =================================================================
>
>
Most broadcast TV is trash, but cable and sat have many very good
informative channels. Discovery and History Channel are two of my
favorites. Did you catch the 2 hour show on the life of Einstein? Some of
the travel shows? While I'm proud to say I've never watched Desperate
Housewives, I do enjoy Modern Marvels, How Its Made, and similar shows.
Ulysses
> On Mon, 01 Dec 2008 22:50:06 -0600, letter...@invalid.com wrote Re 79
Wow, I could have written that. 'Cept I'm still in California.
I do, however, have Dish Network and subscribe to movie channels
only. If you buy your own equipment you can get access for $6/mo and
with that you can subscribe to such movie channels as Encore for $5/mo
for five channels or Cinemax or HBO for $12/mo. Total for five decent
movie channels is $11/mo. Not only that but you also get NASA, Sky
Angel, and a bunch of infommercial channels and home shopping channels
and you can get the local weather. Plus you can watch Pay-Per-View if
you so choose and can get a dial tone. They also have free preview
channels occasionally and sometimes they are decent movie channels
such as IFC, TCM, or Fox Movies. I think there is also a free Mexican
and Chinese channel.
aemeijers
shows and DH not included), but more often than not, am tuned into one
of the non-OTA channels. I couldn't justify the $46 a month for Satt
just for the conventional networks- I'd make do with a roof antenna.
I have had this same discussion with a few of my TV-snob relatives that
won't even have a set in the house.
--
aem sends...
KC
> area. There is no cable tv. Satellite is way beyond what I can
> afford as a retired person, on a fixed income. I got my $40 coupons
> and my converter boxes. All I get is One PBS channel. On analog, I
> can get 7 channels. I quit using that converter for now. February
> 2009 will be a very sad time. No news, no weather reports, no
> sitcoms, no movies, no talk shows, no soaps, just Barney and the
> Teletubbies.......
>
One local station is continually replaying the message about the
changeover. In that message they state that they expect to reach 90%
of current viewers after the changeover. Or conversely, 10% will be
SOL, just like you.
KC
Ron
OK, 2 questions, what do you mean by your PC having a tuner, and what
is the signal source if you don't have cable?
Stormin Mormon
liberal for me.
--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.
"Ken" <inv...@invalid.com> wrote in message
news:Xns9B68636D62...@130.133.1.4...
I get my news from NPR.
Ken
Stormin Mormon
--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.
"Phisherman" <nob...@noone.com> wrote in message
news:i9ibj4tusnt41chaf...@4ax.com...
Ron
> On Tue, 2 Dec 2008 10:52:52 -0800 (PST), AndyS <andysha...@juno.com>
> wrote:
>
>
>
> >Hell Toupee wrote:
> >> I broke down and bought a new digital tv. Reception, even on the
> >> analog channels, is much better than it was with my old set. I'm
> >> even getting analog channels I never got with my previous tv. Dunno
> >> if you can manage it on your budget, but smaller digital sets now
> >> can be had for as little as a couple hundred dollars.
>
> >Andy comments:
>
> > In Family Dollar Stores in North Texas.... and at WalMart, an ATSC
> >(digital)
> >set , with 19" screen, is about $120
>
> Should they be a dollar?
> Or 10 dollars if it's a big family?
>
>
>
> > In a year, they will be under $90
>
> >The BIG SCREEN stuff is from $300 to $1000, depending on a lot of
> >features....
>
> >And old analog TVs will be at Goodwill Stores for many years, for
> >about
> >$20, which will work OK with converter boxes....
>
> You'll be able to find those on the sidewalks and inside and next to
> dumpsters, starting the day after Xmas, and peaking in the week or two
> after the conversion.
I don't know why you think that. Very few people get their signal from
OTA these days. I have 3 standard TVs that will all work just fine
with cable. And, they will show up on places like Craigslist before
people just throw them away. I just bought my girlfriend a 27" Sony
Wega Flatscreen with the original remote off of CL for $30.00. That
thing has a better picture than a lot of the LCDs that I've seen!
Wayne Boatwright
Here is an example of a TV tuner card that can be inserted into a card slot
in your PC.
However, you still need a signal source. If you don't have a high-speed
broadband connection (via cable, DSL, etc.), you may not be able to
received the signals. I'm not sure if these work with an antenna, but due
to your location, you would probably need a high mast outdoor antenna,
probably with a rotator.
That type of antenna setup should also work with your present converters
and TVs and bring in more broadcast stations.
--
Wayne Boatwright
(correct the spelling of "geemail" to reply)
************************************************************************
Date: Tuesday, 12(XII)/02(II)/08(MMVIII)
************************************************************************
Countdown till Christmas Day
3wks 1dys 2hrs 12mins
************************************************************************
'Sometimes I wake up grumpy; Other times I let her sleep'
************************************************************************
Ron
mm
wrote:
>
>> I too watched digital for a while, and then went back to analog. My
>> big complaint about digital is it takes at least 5 seconds, it seems
>> like more, to tune the station in. Are they all like that?
>
>I have an econo digital TV. No converter box. It still takes a moment for
A moment would be a lot better. Maybe it will do better when and if
the signal strength is greater.
>the station to lock in. Seems to depend on the signal strength. I see:
>
> Pic and sound comes in very fast
> Pic comes in but sound is delayed
> Black screen for a bit then all comes in
> Blue screen of death with Unusable Signal message
> Pixelization - I'm near FT Bragg helicopter airfield,
> very near. Every time an Apache or Blackhawk goes over
> it whacks things out.
>
>Seems to depend on the signal strength.
>
>All I have is some indoor amplified ears. Good enough for the 15 min a
>day I turn on the TV...sometimes.
All I have is a 6' wire lying on the floor, plugged into the center of
the co-ax connector. I can get Baltimore stations, but not DC like I
can in analog. (I live on the NW side of Baltimore) I can get all but
one DC station in analog with just the wire, and I'm sure when I
repair or replace the amplified antenna in the attic, I'll be able to
get them all, and maybe then the digital too, and maybe in a moment
rather than 5 seconds. I can't get up in the attic until the surgeon
puts me back together again. I'm hoping for the first week in
January, plus he says 6 weeks to recover, which I think means 3 weeks
before I can climb up to the attic.
>> And I can't change to another channel until the first one tunes in.
>> Are they all like that?
>
>No, not on my econo digital TV anyway.
Does econo have a brand name?
>I can keep pushing the channel up
>button. The station display will change and the pic will not (well
>sometimes anyway). Stop hitting the selection button and it goes to what
>was last displayed...
This is good in the long run, but bad for me in the short run. I had
planned to use this DVDR as my tuner for years to come, but now,
unless the tune-in time gets much lower, I'm going to be very
frustrated waiting for tune-in every time, or having to use the number
buttons. I've only gotten two new tv's in my life. One was a
premium for opening a bank account. It had loads of weaknesses, but I
couldn't return it because they only had one model. Then it was
stolen a couple months later. The other was an Akai or Aiwa, or
something like that and broke 2 or 3 times, and much sooner than it
should have.
>sometimes anyway. Hey, it's free. F* Time Warner
>(mid-south). Comcast too (northeast).
>
>Rant: I remember when CATV was just coming into play from antenna days.
>Big draw was something about fewer (or none?) commercials. Last time I
My brother was very disappointed to find out that cable had
commercials. I somehow found out before I paid for it. Motels or
hospitals or something like that.
>had cable a few years back I actually counted commercials once. 12 in a
>row.
>
>>
>> If I turn the dvdr on and it's set for channel 11.1 and I want 2.1, I
>> have to wait until it tunes in to 11.1 before I can change stations.
>> And channel surfing is going to be SO slow it will be impractical. And
>> I know (NO) longer get the newspaper tv-guide. I use a website, but I
mm
wrote:
> I'd
>cut out the capacitors and power resistors, maybe the potentiometers,
>and power transistors and xtal, and junk it.
>
> If "I" have thrown it out.... it NEEDED throwing out :>))))
Yes, same for me. I"m the last stop on the road.
>
> I rarely do that anymore, tho. It just ain't worth the
>trouble...
I'm still collecting. I need a tv for every room, and one for
watching outside while I fix the bike or lawnmower or something. Comes
to 10 total. I still haven't got color in each room. Not the attic
(where I only would watch an hour or two per year; or the spare
bedroom (where I have a 9-inch B&W which fits in the speaker opening
from a wind-up phonograph that I got after the guts had been removed),
or the laundry room (where I really only listen to it and rarely look)
or outside, where light-weight is the most important, since I take it
in at the end of the day. The outside tv shouldn't need more than AC
current, but I guess next spring, I'll have to run co-ax from a
splitter or amp connected to the DVDR.
> Andy in Eureka, Texas
mm
wrote:
There are 10 or 20 percent or more that do, and that is still a large
number of tvs. Plus a lot of people have cable or something but it
isn't connected to the tv in the kitchen or the bathroom, and they'll
buy a new tv to replace the one that doesn't work.
>I have 3 standard TVs that will all work just fine
>with cable. And, they will show up on places like Craigslist before
>people just throw them away.
Maybe big expensive tv's will be on craig's list, but I don't have
room or desire for big tv's anyhow. 19 inhces is my limit.
I find quite a few working tvs now. I'm sure there will be more right
after the conversion.
> I just bought my girlfriend a 27" Sony
>Wega Flatscreen with the original remote off of CL for $30.00. That
>thing has a better picture than a lot of the LCDs that I've seen!
I won't get around to looking there. But other people have benefitted
from your post, I'm sure.
mm
wrote:
>
>> Here is an example of a TV tuner card that can be inserted into a card slot
>> in your PC.
>>
>> http://tinyurl.com/55pgyj
>>
>> However, you still need a signal source. If you don't have a high-speed
>> broadband connection (via cable, DSL, etc.), you may not be able to
>> received the signals. I'm not sure if these work with an antenna, but due
>> to your location, you would probably need a high mast outdoor antenna,
>> probably with a rotator.
>>
>> That type of antenna setup should also work with your present converters
>> and TVs and bring in more broadcast stations.
>
>$200.00!? Ah, no thanks.
They have a series of things with a cutesy name that have co-ax input,
from an antenna or cable, some with remote control and some with
digital video recorder software for 80 to 150 iirc.
I saw one on sale at Staples or someplace on Thanksgiving weekend, but
a( I didn't have time to check if it was the model I wanted. b) I
still haven't connected my computer to my TVs, and I am willing to
record via the computer, but I don't want to have to sit at my desk to
watch the stuff.
mm
<cayoung61**spamblock##@hotmail.com> wrote:
>Only if you like the far left, liberal point of view.
Your second jab in one thread. Why can't we have a technical
discussion without bringing in politics?
Lots of NPR programs have nothing to do with politics or anything
liberal or conservative.
And all of it is better than Limbaugh and Hannedy. Surely you don't
listen to those.
mm
wrote:
>One local station is continually replaying the message about the
>changeover.
If people don't know about this by now, well, I don't know what to say
about them.
Ron
> On Tue, 2 Dec 2008 21:43:51 -0800 (PST), Ron <BigELil...@msn.com>
Well, I have never bought any software. I use freeware, or what
friends, family and my employer have given to me when they upgrade.
I built my current computer for $325.00 2 yrs ago, and I have 3 very
nice 19" CRT monitors that I got from my employer when they went to
flat panels.
Also, got Windows 2K Pro and XP Pro for free. (just got the XP a
couple of months ago when my employer went to Vista)
Ron
> On Tue, 2 Dec 2008 20:45:54 -0800 (PST), Ron <BigELil...@msn.com>
I don't know about the percentage, but isn't that the reason they came
out with the converter boxes? And who in the world has cable, but has
a TV in the kitchen and bathroom that isn't connected to cable? I've
never seen such a thing. I have a TV in my kitchen that is connected
to cable...why use an ant? And people that have a TV in a BR, are just
plain weird, IMO. I go to the BR to do three things, and none of the 3
are to watch TV.
> >I have 3 standard TVs that will all work just fine
> >with cable. And, they will show up on places like Craigslist before
> >people just throw them away.
>
> Maybe big expensive tv's will be on craig's list, but I don't have
> room or desire for big tv's anyhow. 19 inhces is my limit.
What does your room and desires, have to do with people throwing away
perfecting working NTSC TVs between Christmas and March?
According to your claims, they will be on the sidewalks and next to
dumpsters, regardless of size....If that's true, I guess I'm gonna be
cruising the roads, very soon.
Nixon.D
"aemeijers" <aeme...@att.net> wrote in message
news:33nZk.171087$Mh5.1...@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
=====================================================
"aem sends".... ! Haven't seen that used that way in many a year.
That tells me you are a "Telecommunicator" of the old school; either
government or military.
Having at least one TV around the house was always good; for emergency
purposes if nothing else. I suppose that purpose fades with the
disappearance of local broadcasting. Of course broadcast radio remains (if
they could stop their commercials long enough to send word out that
NuclearWar had just begun in Wash., D.C., NYC and LA !!)
McDave
============================
Nixon.D
"Ed Pawlowski" <e...@snet.net> wrote in message
news:NwmZk.9140$be....@nlpi061.nbdc.sbc.com...
Yes. Those are about the only channels I watch; or I'll watch CSPAN if I
just happen to catch them in a live committee-hearning situation on a
subject that interests me.
I missed that Einstein show you mention. Wish I had known about it.
McDave
===================================
>
>
Ron
> "aemeijers" <aemeij...@att.net> wrote in message
>
> news:33nZk.171087$Mh5.1...@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
>
> > Ed Pawlowski wrote:
If a nuclear war were to begin, I don't think NYC or Los Angeles would
be on
the list....unless you meant Louisiana?
Phisherman
My Hauppenpauge tuner is working with an attic antenna only, no cable.
It comes with software, although poorly written, that will record
programs (weekly, daily or one-time). It picks up high definition.
The tuner card has absolutely nothing to do with the Internet, so it
doesn't matter if you have DSL, cable, dialup, or no Internet at all.
You can get an off-brand tuner card for as little as $20. There are
tiny USB versions for laptop PCs or full-featured tuner cards. Tuner
cards do produce heat, so make sure your PC has proper ventilation.
Phisherman
<cayoung61**spamblock##@hotmail.com> wrote:
>Only if you like the far left, liberal point of view.
You can believe the world is 6,000 years old if you want.
dpb
One can believe in scientific models of the evolution of the universe
including the development of sentient life and also disagree strongly w/
NPR's political pov and reporting slant... :)
--
Ken
news:gh52js$ebd$2...@news.motzarella.org:
> I can't listen to NPR for more than a minute or two at a time. Too far
> left liberal for me.
>
Then listen to Fox or CNN. Doesn't matter to me.
Ken
--
"When you choose the lesser of two evils, always
remember that it is still an evil." - Max Lerner
hal...@aol.com
to disaster, and my new favorite show fixing big things.
tonights new episode is a new engine being installed in a cruise ship,
had one episode where a 747 gets disassembled to replace the pressure
bulkhead, and another showing how high tension lines are serviced with
the power on
hal...@aol.com
few years.
a major advertiser is political adds, congress needs your eyeballs on
that screen, to get re elected
Stormin Mormon
hypocricy?
--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.
"mm" <NOPSAM...@bigfoot.com> wrote in message
news:pcbcj4h5mt6n1eoji...@4ax.com...
Bill
> "Bill" <billnoma...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>>Free-To-Air Satellite TV...
>>http://www.sadoun.com/Sat/Order/Satellite-systems/FTA-Systems.htm
>>
>>Free Satellite TV Channels...
>>http://www.lyngsat.com/freetv/United-States.html
>
> How well does this stuff actually work above?
>
> Do YOU use it?
I sure do. I have a 12 ft. motorized C/Ku dish and two smaller fixed Ku
dishes. (Also Mercury II FTA receiver.)
It is quite difficult to align a motorized satellite dish to point at all
the satellites as it rotates back and forth from horizon to horizon. This
can take several days of making small adjustments to get it just right.
Easier to get a fixed dish system to start and point at just one satellite.
Joan F (MI)
expensive equipment is in place, there is pressure to get a good emergency
communications system up and running and they need some of the bands this
will free up to do so.
David Nebenzahl
> lett...@invalid.com wrote in news:45f9j4teh21qp943t2muq4od7ak4okk4t9@
> 4ax.com:
>
>> In 79 days, I will no longer be able to watch tv. I live in a rural
>> area. There is no cable tv. Satellite is way beyond what I can
>> afford as a retired person, on a fixed income. I got my $40 coupons
>> and my converter boxes. All I get is One PBS channel. On analog, I
>> can get 7 channels. I quit using that converter for now. February
>> 2009 will be a very sad time. No news, no weather reports, no
>> sitcoms, no movies, no talk shows, no soaps, just Barney and the
>> Teletubbies.......
>>
>> Goodbye tv.
>
> The channels you get on analog now probably are not broadcasting digital
> yet.
Not true here, at least (S.F. Bay Area); I get all the analog stations
with my little converter box.
--
Washing one's hands of the conflict between the powerful and the
powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral.
- Paulo Freire
Jon Danniken
> Lots of NPR programs have nothing to do with politics or anything
> liberal or conservative.
Is it April first already?
Jon
Nixon.D
"Ron" <BigEL...@msn.com> wrote in message
news:0b6a3430-68b2-48bb...@d14g2000yqb.googlegroups.com...
=====================================================
Why do you think they would not be on the list???
DaddyDave sends . . . . . . . .
bill allemann
internet, no antenna.
Bill
"Ron" <BigEL...@msn.com> wrote in message
news:06acbefa-83ae-4aa6...@k19g2000yqg.googlegroups.com...
dicko
You can buy both analog and digital TV tuner cards that plug into a
computer's PCI slot, connect via USB, or connect via ethernet that
allow you to watch and record over the air TV, and work with a cable
box to watch cable TV.
All these boards come with the manufacturer's own application to turn
your computer into a TV. Or, if you have the Media Center Edition of
XP, Vista Home Premium, or Vista Ultimate, you can use that.
-dickm
Ron
> "Ron" <BigELil...@msn.com> wrote in message
Because of Barksdale Air Force Base.
Nixon.D
"Stormin Mormon" <cayoung61**spamblock##@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:gh52js$ebd$2...@news.motzarella.org...
>I can't listen to NPR for more than a minute or two at a time. Too far left
> liberal for me.
I once listened to Di-Han-Rheeee- e- e- e- e em and Tojo Numbnuts for quite
a while. I became nauseated for 4 hours.
Those bastards are TOTALLY socialistic/communistic/Left-wingNuts. And WE
are paying for their misguided efforts.
The propaganda-media of our nation (and that includes almost all of them)
should be controlled by the Dept. of Defense. All of their trash should
be monitored as it was during WW-II. If they promulgate trash that could
have a detrimental effect on our war effort they should be squashed !
Immediately !
McDave
===============================================
Nixon.D
=========================================================
I assume you mean that Barksdale would be of far higher priority above LA
and/or NYC??
D.DaddyDave sends . . .
Nixon.D
"Joan F (MI)" <jjf...@removethisameritech.net> wrote in message
news:PeednY3uPLW6T6vU...@giganews.com...
You MAY gain a bit in the spectrum. But, I don't think digital video
conserves bandwidth over analog. And, I'll be happy to discuss this with
anyone that knows anything about modulation methods and spectrum use.
Andy???
McDave sends
==========================================
>
Ron
> "Ron" <BigELil...@msn.com> wrote in message
> Because of Barksdale Air Force Base. =========================================================
> I assume you mean that Barksdale would be of far higher priority above LA
> and/or NYC??
>
Correct. Take out the biggest military threats first.
Mark Lloyd
>In 79 days, I will no longer be able to watch tv. I live in a rural
>area. There is no cable tv. Satellite is way beyond what I can
>afford as a retired person, on a fixed income. I got my $40 coupons
>and my converter boxes. All I get is One PBS channel. On analog, I
>can get 7 channels. I quit using that converter for now. February
>2009 will be a very sad time. No news, no weather reports, no
>sitcoms, no movies, no talk shows, no soaps, just Barney and the
>Teletubbies.......
>
>Goodbye tv.
I currently get 6 digital channels. No PBS which is the one I really
want. Some stations aren't broadcasting digital yet, or are currently
using lower power (and will increase it in 77 days*).
* - it's 77 now.
--
22 days until the winter solstice celebration
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com
"The government of the United States is not, in
any sense, founded on the Christian religion."
hal...@aol.com
or 5 digital channels in the same space as a single analog one digita
isnt necessarily high def, the stations can have a single high
defenition show, or 4 lower resolution different ones
most stations will not be increasing power
finally the analog bandwioth is being auctioned off to commercial
users.
the sale was to help balance the budget
hal...@aol.com
power ones, they got a extension for a couple more years because
converting costs big bucks
Nixon.D
=====================================================
I suppose you are correct. NYC and the SanFran and the L.A. would
likely be the last on their list since our enemies have so many friends
there.
McDave sends . . . .
==============
dpb
That's not true universally, certainly; and many are broadcasting the
digital signals at far less power than their main antenna signal
strength. Only one of the three network stations in this area is yet
actually broadcasting their digital signal full time; the other two have
(I understand) done some intermittent broadcasts but afaik from what
their web sites sat they're not going full digital until much closer to
the actual transition date. What the reason is, they've not
disclosedd--I'm presuming simply going to wait and do the switchover
once for real and be done w/ it.
What I've yet to be able to learn is what their intentions are wrt to
final power on the translators we get their relayed/"local" broadcasts
from (the main stations are all ~225 mi removed, they have translators
at from 60-75 mi or so that are our sources).
The latter for the low-powered and local and some translators is true as
far as "drop-dead" date.
--
AndyS
Nixon.D wrote:> You MAY gain a bit in the spectrum. But, I don't
think digital video
> conserves bandwidth over analog. And, I'll be happy to discuss this with
> anyone that knows anything about modulation methods and spectrum use.
> Andy???
>
> McDave sends
> ==========================================
>
> >
Andy replies:
A standard 6 Mhz analog channel can transmit 19.4 megabits of
encoded
video, Dave.
That will support 5 standard definition channels of encoded video
where
only one channel of analog video was provided.
In my rural area, we have several stations that are sending 3 or
more channels
where only one existed, and one station that is sending 5. It is
captioned on
the video decoder, for channel 8, as 8-1 , 8-2 , and 8-3.
High Definition video takes more space, so only one ( I think ) HD
station
can be sent in the 6 Mhz bandwidth.
Like yourself, I care not for High Definition. I like black and
white TV and
love the way my car radio sounds, so I'm not likely to be a customer
for
the "latest and greatest" if cosmetics are the only plus. I don't
care about
seeing the pimple on the nose of Barbara Streisand....
HOWEVER, I love getting several times the number of channels. I
hope
they don't all end up sending football games or Three Is Enough re-
runs
just to fill up the space, tho....
If you want to pursue some details, just google " DTV Bandwidth"
and
you'll get enough hits to slake your lust for a long time....
Andy in Eureka, Texas
AndyS
Nixon.D wrote:
> The propaganda-media of our nation (and that includes almost all of them)
> should be controlled by the Dept. of Defense. All of their trash should
> be monitored as it was during WW-II. If they promulgate trash that could
> have a detrimental effect on our war effort they should be squashed !
> Immediately !
>
> McDave
> ===============================================
Andy comments:
Isn't that exactly what the Liberals have been saying all
along???? :
. "If they promulgate trash that could
> have a detrimental effect on our war effort they should be squashed !
> Immediately !"
I guess the next deal is to vote on who gets to decide what
"detrimental
trash" is.
:>))))) Andy in Eureka,
Texas
Nixon.D
"AndyS" <andys...@juno.com> wrote in message
news:0b1ae0fd-ddc3-4521...@s20g2000yqh.googlegroups.com...
I say let DOD decide. Those are the guys who have their lives on the line
is such a scenario !!!
mm
wrote:
>On Dec 3, 1:51 am, mm <NOPSAMmm2...@bigfoot.com> wrote:
>> On Tue, 2 Dec 2008 20:45:54 -0800 (PST), Ron <BigELil...@msn.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>> >On Dec 2, 7:24 pm, mm <NOPSAMmm2...@bigfoot.com> wrote:
>> >> On Tue, 2 Dec 2008 10:52:52 -0800 (PST), AndyS <andysha...@juno.com>
>> >> wrote:
>>
>> >> >Hell Toupee wrote:
>> >> >> I broke down and bought a new digital tv. Reception, even on the
>> >> >> analog channels, is much better than it was with my old set. I'm
>> >> >> even getting analog channels I never got with my previous tv. Dunno
>> >> >> if you can manage it on your budget, but smaller digital sets now
>> >> >> can be had for as little as a couple hundred dollars.
>>
>> >> >Andy comments:
>>
>> >> > In Family Dollar Stores in North Texas.... and at WalMart, an ATSC
>> >> >(digital)
>> >> >set , with 19" screen, is about $120
>>
>> >> Should they be a dollar?
>> >> Or 10 dollars if it's a big family?
>>
>> >> > In a year, they will be under $90
>>
>> >> >The BIG SCREEN stuff is from $300 to $1000, depending on a lot of
>> >> >features....
>>
>> >> >And old analog TVs will be at Goodwill Stores for many years, for
>> >> >about
>> >> >$20, which will work OK with converter boxes....
>>
>> >> You'll be able to find those on the sidewalks and inside and next to
>> >> dumpsters, starting the day after Xmas, and peaking in the week or two
>> >> after the conversion.
>>
>> >I don't know why you think that. Very few people get their signal from
>> >OTA these days.
>>
>> There are 10 or 20 percent or more that do, and that is still a large
>> number of tvs. Plus a lot of people have cable or something but it
>> isn't connected to the tv in the kitchen or the bathroom, and they'll
>> buy a new tv to replace the one that doesn't work.
>
>I don't know about the percentage, but isn't that the reason they came
>out with the converter boxes?
Converter boxes will be too much for some people. And I can even see
it myself. Some people have postponed buying a new tv, because of the
conversion or for other reasons, but the need for a converter box (and
thus for two remote controls, or maybe one can control at least some
tv functions from teh converter remote control) will push them over
the edge, and they'll buy a new tv. They should take the old one to
Goodwill Industries, but many won't bother. Heck, I once found a 1500
dollar electric wheel chair next to the dumpster at an apartment
building not too far away. Worth 1500 dollars when I found it (maybe
4500 new). Fortunately it didn't get trashed. I took it home and
donated to the MD or MS foundation.
>And who in the world has cable, but has
>a TV in the kitchen and bathroom that isn't connected to cable? I've
People who live in apartments that come with only one jack, or more
likely one in the living room and one in the big bedroom, who don't
know how to connect splitters, drill holes, or run wires themselves.
And either the apartment won't put in another jack or the tenant won't
pay what seems like an inflated fee.
>never seen such a thing. I have a TV in my kitchen that is connected
>to cable...why use an ant? And people that have a TV in a BR, are just
>plain weird, IMO. I go to the BR to do three things, and none of the 3
>are to watch TV.
>
>> >I have 3 standard TVs that will all work just fine
>> >with cable. And, they will show up on places like Craigslist before
>> >people just throw them away>>
>> Maybe big expensive tv's will be on craig's list, but I don't have
>> room or desire for big tv's anyhow. 19 inhces is my limit.
>
>What does your room and desires, have to do with people throwing away
>perfecting working NTSC TVs between Christmas and March?
They're not going to go to the trouble of advertising smaller tvs,
especially those that are more than a couple years old. Even on
Craig's list where it is easy. I know my neighbors, based on what
they throw away already. Some work long hours, and for almost none of
them is 30 dollars is enough to get them to advertise.
>
>According to your claims, they will be on the sidewalks and next to
>dumpsters, regardless of size....If that's true, I guess I'm gonna be
>cruising the roads, very soon.
I think it's true. That's one reaosn why I want my surgery in early
January, so I'll be driving around by the time they're out.
I'll try to post back the middle of February, but I may forget or go
out of town around then. (I forget things all the time these days. :(
)
mm
<cayoung61**spamblock##@hotmail.com> wrote:
>You're the one asking for tech discussion without politics. Do I hear some
>hypocricy?
Of course not. You had already inserted politics, the same basic
comment twice in one thread, and there's no reason you shouldn't get
some back at you.
You also misuse the word "hypocrisy". It's saying one thing and
doing or believing another, in different forums, so that you give a
false impression of your views in the first forum. I did everything
in one post, no secret from anyone. You may find it inconsistent,
but I show the reason it's not in the first paragraph above.
And Joe, if you think I'm wrong, you obviously don't listen to enough
NPR. Plus it has almost no commercials, unlike the never ending
commercials on AM.
mm
We're talking about college stations, right, and stuff like that.
Do the new digital tv's receive analog? I would think not.
Am I right that digital reception will work with lower power signals,
because the digital nature of the signal means even a 50% weak signal
will come out perfectly, with no static?
But does this mean that people who used to be on the fringe of the
signal, maybe 50% strengh, will get less than 50% with the new weaker
signal. amd many of these people won't be able to get any reception on
these stations at all.
I hope not. Because I like getting DC stations in Baltimore. Right
now with my regular amplified antenna broken, and just using a
six-foot wire, I can't get DC digital stations.
dpb
...
> Am I right that digital reception will work with lower power signals,
> because the digital nature of the signal means even a 50% weak signal
> will come out perfectly, with no static?
>
> But does this mean that people who used to be on the fringe of the
> signal, maybe 50% strengh, will get less than 50% with the new weaker
> signal. amd many of these people won't be able to get any reception on
> these stations at all.
>
> I hope not. Because I like getting DC stations in Baltimore. Right
> now with my regular amplified antenna broken, and just using a
> six-foot wire, I can't get DC digital stations.
Well, yes and no...what will happen is that rather than there being a
very gradual degradation in picture quality as is currently the
situation w/ analog where as the signal gets weaker the picture just
becomes snowy, may lose synch occasionally, even fade all the way to
essentially b&w reception of color transmission, at some point the
digital signal will simply not pick up at all.
So, the picture quality won't have the gradual degradation; it'll be
essentially all or nuttin' (ignoring the occasional dropped pixel, etc.).
The problem is, what that level will be for any given receiver is
dependent on so many variables it's pretty much impossible to give any
general rule on some percentage.
As I noted above, so far the one translator here is so weak w/ their
digital signal that even w/ the "extreme fringe" antenna the converter
box hasn't been successful. But, they're only broadcasting at about
80kw at the moment whereas the analog signal is several (I forget which
station is how much and don't feel like looking it up again at the
moment) times the strength.
Again, what I've been unable to determine from the stations' public
information on the conversion is what their ultimate power of the
digital signals will be and whether they have an concern about covering
the same fringe areas they're presently covering w/ the analog signals.
Upthread I posted a link to the FCC web site that does have the current
licensed power levels and at least some of the current actual power
levels (how I found the 80kW number above). It does also have the
analog power level for the same stations so you can see how it compares
but you'll probably be in the same quandary as far as information as to
their intent after the transition time as I.
--
Red Green
news:oo9cj4tlq8n5lu0d6...@4ax.com:
> On Tue, 02 Dec 2008 19:37:18 -0600, Red Green <postm...@127.0.0.1>
> wrote:
>
>>
>>> I too watched digital for a while, and then went back to analog. My
>>> big complaint about digital is it takes at least 5 seconds, it seems
>>> like more, to tune the station in. Are they all like that?
>>
>>I have an econo digital TV. No converter box. It still takes a moment
>>for
>
> A moment would be a lot better. Maybe it will do better when and if
> the signal strength is greater.
>
>>the station to lock in. Seems to depend on the signal strength. I see:
>>
>> Pic and sound comes in very fast
>> Pic comes in but sound is delayed
>> Black screen for a bit then all comes in
>> Blue screen of death with Unusable Signal message
>> Pixelization - I'm near FT Bragg helicopter airfield,
>> very near. Every time an Apache or Blackhawk goes over
>> it whacks things out.
>>
>>Seems to depend on the signal strength.
>>
>>All I have is some indoor amplified ears. Good enough for the 15 min a
>>day I turn on the TV...sometimes.
>
> All I have is a 6' wire lying on the floor, plugged into the center of
> the co-ax connector. I can get Baltimore stations, but not DC like I
> can in analog. (I live on the NW side of Baltimore) I can get all but
> one DC station in analog with just the wire, and I'm sure when I
> repair or replace the amplified antenna in the attic, I'll be able to
> get them all, and maybe then the digital too, and maybe in a moment
> rather than 5 seconds. I can't get up in the attic until the surgeon
> puts me back together again. I'm hoping for the first week in
> January, plus he says 6 weeks to recover, which I think means 3 weeks
> before I can climb up to the attic.
My ears are just sitting next to the TV at ground level. Window is
nearby...in the direction of most broadcasts. If I turn the amplification
off I get almost nothing. I hope that means there's hope on your end.
It's an econo Phillips MANT510 I got at Wally World. States it works best
within 20 miles. Most transmitters are like 40 air miles away according
to antennaweb.org. Says it's 50dB amolification.
>
>
>>> And I can't change to another channel until the first one tunes in.
>>> Are they all like that?
>>
>>No, not on my econo digital TV anyway.
>
> Does econo have a brand name?
It's a $299 27" CRT RCA I got at some electronics chain like a year ago.
Today, for 300 I could probably get an econo flat thingy.
>
>>I can keep pushing the channel up
>>button. The station display will change and the pic will not (well
>>sometimes anyway). Stop hitting the selection button and it goes to
>>what was last displayed...
>
> This is good in the long run, but bad for me in the short run. I had
> planned to use this DVDR as my tuner for years to come, but now,
> unless the tune-in time gets much lower, I'm going to be very
> frustrated waiting for tune-in every time, or having to use the number
> buttons. I've only gotten two new tv's in my life. One was a
> premium for opening a bank account. It had loads of weaknesses, but I
> couldn't return it because they only had one model. Then it was
> stolen a couple months later. The other was an Akai or Aiwa, or
> something like that and broke 2 or 3 times, and much sooner than it
> should have.
>
>>sometimes anyway. Hey, it's free. F* Time Warner
>>(mid-south). Comcast too (northeast).
>>
>>Rant: I remember when CATV was just coming into play from antenna
>>days. Big draw was something about fewer (or none?) commercials. Last
>>time I
>
> My brother was very disappointed to find out that cable had
> commercials. I somehow found out before I paid for it. Motels or
> hospitals or something like that.
>
>>had cable a few years back I actually counted commercials once. 12 in
>>a row.
>>
>>>
>>> If I turn the dvdr on and it's set for channel 11.1 and I want 2.1,
>>> I have to wait until it tunes in to 11.1 before I can change
>>> stations. And channel surfing is going to be SO slow it will be
>>> impractical. And I know (NO) longer get the newspaper tv-guide. I
>>> use a website, but I don't want to go upstairs when I'm watching tv
>>> in the kitchen, or get out of bed when I'm watching tv in bed, just
>>> to see what is on the other station.
>
hal...@aol.com
stations nationwide generally moved from VHF to UHF which doesnt
propagate nearly as well. analog UHF stations were typically million
watts, while VHF 100s of thousands.to overcome worse UHF reception.
plus UHF is degraded more by snow, trees with leaves rain etc.
new tvs around here had both analog and digital tuners bfor a few
years.
many people espically older folks will lose channels they like or
service altogether
Red Green
news:8b5fdd28-d820-4100...@w35g2000yqm.googlegroups.com:
> out with the converter boxes? And who in the world has cable, but has
> a TV in the kitchen and bathroom that isn't connected to cable? I've
> never seen such a thing. I have a TV in my kitchen that is connected
> to cable...why use an ant? And people that have a TV in a BR, are just
> plain weird, IMO. I go to the BR to do three things, and none of the 3
> are to watch TV.
No gay porn as a nightcap huh?
>
>> >I have 3 standard TVs that will all work just fine
>> >with cable. And, they will show up on places like Craigslist before
>> >people just throw them away.
>>
>> Maybe big expensive tv's will be on craig's list, but I don't have
>> room or desire for big tv's anyhow. 19 inhces is my limit.
>
> What does your room and desires, have to do with people throwing away
> perfecting working NTSC TVs between Christmas and March?
>
Jim1...@gmail.com
wrote:
lol. Now that is a fine play on words.
dpb
...
> stations nationwide generally moved from VHF to UHF ...
That's simply not true -- VHF channels far more generally remained VHF.
You're in a metro area where the band congestion is very high and new
channels were, naturally, added in the UHF band since VHF was generally
already locally allocated and there were undoubtedly a "veritable
plethora" of stations quite early on. That's not the way it is outside
metro areas, however, that covers a very large fraction of the geography
of the country but a small fraction of the population (and decreasing
all the time).
There's only one UHF channel at all here and it's the local upstart of
only a couple years existence.
All of the four (count-em, four!) broadcast stations (the three networks
plus PBS) are VHF and have been since they went on-air. I'd have to
look up those dates, but these translators are relatively recent--we
never had a TV set until the mid-60s (I was already out of HS) and
living out of town I don't recall just how many of the kids in town had,
but it was a pretty rare phenomenon there until about 1960 I'd say from
recollections. I recall there was an early cable but times were tough
in the 50s and not many of my acquaintances were able (or, more
accurately, probably, chose to) afford it. I remember wanting
permission to borrow the car to go to town to watch the Patterson
heavyweight fight at a classmate's home although can't recall just what
year that would have been exactly--Mom wouldn't let me owing to prize
fighting being an unapproved activity. :)
--
--
Ed Pawlowski
"Mark Lloyd" <mll...@xmail.com10.invalid> wrote in message
> I currently get 6 digital channels. No PBS which is the one I really
> want. Some stations aren't broadcasting digital yet, or are currently
> using lower power (and will increase it in 77 days*).
>
> * - it's 77 now.
What? Its changed? If they keep changing the number or days left every day
or two people will really be confused.
mm
>
>many people espically older folks will lose channels they like or
>service altogether
How does this work? Do older folks watch the disappearning channels
more? Or do they dissappear more because they are watched by older
folks. (Do they have the Evil Eye?)
OT, if I lose the DC stations, even getting cable won't get them back.
The DC cable has the Baltimore stations, but up here, they are not so
ecumenical. So I'll really be stuck. .
There are times even the network stations, even in prime time, don't
have the same programs. Especially when the game is on in Baltimore.
mm
<custo...@sbcglobal.netINVALID> wrote:
>I think Ron probably meant that he was streaming TV shows through the
>internet, no antenna.
>Bill
That's possible but there are also tv cards that go in slots and
receive tv from the air. A friend gave me one that he wasn't using
anymore. I put a 4 foot piece of single strand wire in the co-ax
connector and could get about three stations. (If I connected cable
instead, or a better antenna to the same jack, I'd get more stations)
The problem was that I could only see tv and couldn't use the
computer. I think it was possible to put the tv picture in a little
box in the corner, but then I could barely see it.
Instead I watch a 12 or 15 inch tv that is on the dresser to the left
of me, and the computer is in front of me.
There's probably some way with the tv-card to save the tv show, but I
don't want to fill my hard drive, and to play it back, I'd have to sit
at my desk and still couldn't do my computer work at the same time..
It also has a radio tuner, with a separate antenna input, which I put
another wire in, but it didn't get many stations, and I have a real
radio on the bed behind me.
>
>"Ron" <BigEL...@msn.com> wrote in message
mm
wrote:
>
>On Wed, 3 Dec 2008 13:35:00 -0600, "bill allemann"
><custo...@sbcglobal.netINVALID> wrote:
>
>>I think Ron probably meant that he was streaming TV shows through the
>>internet, no antenna.
>>Bill
>>
>>
>>"Ron" <BigEL...@msn.com> wrote in message
>>news:06acbefa-83ae-4aa6...@k19g2000yqg.googlegroups.com...
>>On Dec 2, 6:53 pm, Phisherman <nob...@noone.com> wrote:
>>> I watch very little TV if any at all, yet I have a theater room. No
>>> cable. Get all the news and weather online and with radio. My
>>> theater room is used for playing DVDs, no Blu-ray yet until prices
>>> come down. If there is a TV program I want to watch, I record it on
>>> my PC (I have a tuner) then play it back. I can watch an hour show
>>> in about 40 minutes when I skip the crap. Most of the time PBS is the
>>> only channel worth watching.
>>
>>OK, 2 questions, what do you mean by your PC having a tuner, and what
>>is the signal source if you don't have cable?
>>
>
>You can buy both analog and digital TV tuner cards that plug into a
>computer's PCI slot, connect via USB, or connect via ethernet that
>allow you to watch and record over the air TV, and work with a cable
>box to watch cable TV.
>
>All these boards come with the manufacturer's own application to turn
>your computer into a TV. Or, if you have the Media Center Edition of
>XP, Vista Home Premium, or Vista Ultimate, you can use that.
YTou can't upgrade XP to make it Media Edition, can you?
I find that strange. It seems like just the sort of thing people
would want to do after the fact, weeks or months after installing XP.
Is Vista the same way?
>
>-dickm
Nixon.D
Andy;
OK. I sort of suspected something like that was the truth of it all.
Years ago I was up to speed on the bits of info. that could be passed within
a given bandwidth. Seems the basic tenets of modulation have not changed,
just the nature of what makes an acceptable signal...........
Car radios . . . Yep. The best, by far, audio we have around here is
that we hear in our car. Outstanding.
McDave sends
===========================================================
David Nebenzahl
> "AndyS" <andys...@juno.com> wrote in message
> news:ed604366-a2ed-4ab8...@t3g2000yqa.googlegroups.com...
>>
>> A standard 6 Mhz analog channel can transmit 19.4 megabits of
>> encoded video, Dave.
>>
>> That will support 5 standard definition channels of encoded video
>> where only one channel of analog video was provided.
>
> OK. I sort of suspected something like that was the truth of it all.
> Years ago I was up to speed on the bits of info. that could be passed within
> a given bandwidth. Seems the basic tenets of modulation have not changed,
> just the nature of what makes an acceptable signal...........
But keep in mind that we have something today that they didn't have back
then: efficient compression techniques (like MPEG, etc.) that
effectively increase the number of bits without requiring more
bandwidth. Dunno what kind of compression HD uses, but I'm sure it uses
something pretty sophisticated. (Not to mention error detection and
correction, etc.)
--
Washing one's hands of the conflict between the powerful and the
powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral.
- Paulo Freire
Stormin Mormon
--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.
"Jon Danniken" <jondanS...@yaSPAMhoo.com> wrote in message
news:6po52jF...@mid.individual.net...
"mm" wrote:
> Lots of NPR programs have nothing to do with politics or anything
> liberal or conservative.
Is it April first already?
Jon
Stormin Mormon
beg-a-thon on public TV and public radio.
--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.
"mm" <NOPSAM...@bigfoot.com> wrote in message
news:5l5ej4t0cha78qvtg...@4ax.com...
hal...@aol.com
> On Wed, 3 Dec 2008 16:26:00 -0800 (PST), "hall...@aol.com"
many older folks just have regular analog tv, and watch snowey
channels, which will be replacewd by blank digital screens.
HeyBub
> On Tue, 2 Dec 2008 23:40:43 -0500, "Stormin Mormon"
> <cayoung61**spamblock##@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Only if you like the far left, liberal point of view.
>
> Your second jab in one thread. Why can't we have a technical
> discussion without bringing in politics?
>
Because politics interferes with technology. What the electorate "feels"
over-rides what can be proven and these "feelings" (as in "I feel your
pain") often trump science, logic, or common sense.
In the book "The True Believer," Eric Hoffer made the observation that
people join mass movements to give meaning to their otherwise drab and
insignificant lives. The goals of the movement are immaterial - it's the
movement itself that matters. And since the members also vote, well, there
you are.
Mark Lloyd
>the only stations not currently broadcasting in digital are the lower
>power ones,
Here, the CW station is not currently broadcasting in digital but
intends to in February.
> they got a extension for a couple more years because
>converting costs big bucks
According to the DTV government site, translator stations are exempt
too.
--
21 days until the winter solstice celebration
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com
"The government of the United States is not, in
any sense, founded on the Christian religion."
Mark Lloyd
wrote:
>On Wed, 3 Dec 2008 13:43:13 -0800 (PST), "hal...@aol.com"
><hal...@aol.com> wrote:
>
>>the only stations not currently broadcasting in digital are the lower
>>power ones, they got a extension for a couple more years because
>>converting costs big bucks
>
>We're talking about college stations, right, and stuff like that.
>
>Do the new digital tv's receive analog? I would think not.
>
I expect they all do. Consider how many people use analog cable, with
no box.
>
>Am I right that digital reception will work with lower power signals,
>because the digital nature of the signal means even a 50% weak signal
>will come out perfectly, with no static?
>
It'll probably be very erratic.
>But does this mean that people who used to be on the fringe of the
>signal, maybe 50% strengh, will get less than 50% with the new weaker
>signal. amd many of these people won't be able to get any reception on
>these stations at all.
>
>I hope not. Because I like getting DC stations in Baltimore. Right
>now with my regular amplified antenna broken, and just using a
>six-foot wire, I can't get DC digital stations.
Mark Lloyd
>mm wrote:
>...
>> Am I right that digital reception will work with lower power signals,
>> because the digital nature of the signal means even a 50% weak signal
>> will come out perfectly, with no static?
>>
>> But does this mean that people who used to be on the fringe of the
>> signal, maybe 50% strengh, will get less than 50% with the new weaker
>> signal. amd many of these people won't be able to get any reception on
>> these stations at all.
>>
>> I hope not. Because I like getting DC stations in Baltimore. Right
>> now with my regular amplified antenna broken, and just using a
>> six-foot wire, I can't get DC digital stations.
>
>Well, yes and no...what will happen is that rather than there being a
>very gradual degradation in picture quality as is currently the
>situation w/ analog where as the signal gets weaker the picture just
>becomes snowy, may lose synch occasionally, even fade all the way to
>essentially b&w reception of color transmission, at some point the
>digital signal will simply not pick up at all.
>
And around that point it'll be coming and going, with the picture
blocky and the sound in little bursts.
>So, the picture quality won't have the gradual degradation;
It will, just in a different form.
>it'll be
>essentially all or nuttin' (ignoring the occasional dropped pixel, etc.).
>
dropped pixels .0001% of the time.
dropped pixels .01% of the time.
dropped pixels .1% of the time.
dropped pixels 2% of the time.
dropped pixels 10% of the time.
dropped pixels 40% of the time.
dropped pixels 90% of the time.
dropped pixels 99.1% of the time.
with similar erratic audio.
That's NOT "all or nuttin'".
[snip]
dpb
I don't believe the actual reception curve will look anything at all
that smooth from the very low to the very high as it is in analog.
There will be a sharp cutoff from essentially undetectable to unusable
w/ digital in practice.
--