So I'm sure many of you have heard about the change in TV from analog to digital set for 1 year from now which will make old (analog) TVs obsolete, unless you buy a converter. This switch to digital really is a great thing for TV, radio, the government, and most likely other technology. Many people are upset because they think they have to buy new TVs. Well, if you have bought a TV within the past couple years, it may already be a digital TV. If you receive your signal through cable or satellite, the box is already doing the conversion. It is only old TVs that use bunny-ear antennas or roof top antennas. If you are one of those people who will be affected by this, the government will have subsidies to help pay for converters or new TVs which are primarily being given out over the internet. Therefore, it is only the very poor or rely on free TV and cannot afford the internet (and so probably don't even know about the subsidies) who will really be affected by all this.
Let's keep looking at the bright side. Many people will buy new TVs which will greatly help our economy. Its something we can spend our tax refunds on. Don't worry about those millions of old TV sets, which are one of the hardest things to recycle. They'll just fill up a couple landfills all by themselves.
Don't get me wrong, I think its a great and necessary step forward. The amount of free air space this will open up is great. I just think the government is overlooking some aspects, and that it is (intentionally or unintentionally) pushing people towards a necessity for paid TV, which I find terrible.
Oh, and by the way, I heard something about it negatively affecting public broadcasting, but I'm not sure exactly what the meant.
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Poor landfills...
I haven't heard anything about its affect on public broadcsting, but I gotta say, it should be NO problem in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. Our PBS station is already broadcasting digitally, and with that improvement, they introduced several new channels. We now have a home and garden PBS channel (in HD), an arts and music channel, three regular PBS channels, a PBSkids channel (kid shows 24/7), and a local, Minnesota-related programming only station. PBS pretty much rocks. I don't know if it's because I am old and actually enjoy documentaries and dramatic adaptations of classic novels, but PBS is almost all we watch since they introduced the new channels! We even got rid of cable!
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
I second that...
I'm from the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and they have great PBS!! I miss it.
Twin Citians unite!
And did you know that public radio was invented here? The first ever public broadcasting station was at St. John's University.
Minnesota = progressive!
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
No way! That's interesting info to know.
I love the Twin Cities!