Why I Hate Digital T.V.

If only the remotes could do it all.

Hello...Anyone There?

This new digital television age is really getting on my nerves, and it isn’t even in full swing yet.

Take for example my recent viewing of The Bonnie Hunt Show with special guest Joan London:

Bonnie: So you have seven children?

Joan: (Laughs)…Yes. I have sev…………………..and the pho……(still picture of her clan appears with voiceless background)…….you know most families used to have five, six, seven children and …..the………. 2 or 2.25 kids…..house…..I have broken..…….and I’ve ………(frozen smiles and bodies).

Bonnie: You have…………..and……..is……….

Joan: That’s my daug…….…. and ……….sh…..…..(flash back to Joan’s frozen smiling face and broken applause)

Now, I don’t know about you, but frankly this kind of television viewing is the pits. With the constant cutouts, the gray screen and choppy dialogue, you can miss the entire relevant content of a program during the fade-outs, staccato voices and silence.

It gets so bad in the afternoon on one particular station that I have resorted to turning my new DVD /VCR combo, with digital tuner, back to analog because the picture is so hit and miss on the digital feed that I lose more than I see.

How Do You Hook This Blasted Thing Up?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7w34nNux4Xw
Funny take on digital set-up

It All Ends In June

Of course this only works right now. On June 12, 2009, this will no longer be an option. All television stations in the U.S.A. will be streaming this new and improved digital reception. I can hardly wait. Can you imagine how wonderful this will be when we have to rely on a system that apparently is far from ready for everyday use?

Oh the claims of better picture quality and audio through a digital feed are all the hype. It is repeated almost daily on the analog channels in order to help persuade us to believe that the digital transition is a mark of progress. The claims are not all truth less. When I change from analog to digital, the picture is sharper and the colors do pop more, but if I have to settle for getting half a show versus the whole show, I might be willing to opt for the lower picture quality because after all, I’ve been watching it this way for years and have never had too many complaints.

The only complaint I had was when ABC jumped to UHF reception. We discovered that UHF reception was very wavy, especially when the wind was blowing in the wrong direction. But other than that, as far as I was concerned, analog worked pretty well. It’s been stable and reliable, and most people can receive the signal.

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	Sony BRAVIA DAV-HDX589W 5.1-Channel Theater System (Black) Price: Too low to display List Price: $429.99
	Terk HDTVa Indoor Amplified High-Definition Antenna for Off-Air HDTV Reception Price: $25.99 List Price: $69.99

It's Better, It's Better

So, we’ve all heard this a million times all ready, but the FCC says the change to digital is necessary because it will free frequencies for emergency, fire and police communications. They also say that digital is a much more efficient technology. Really? More efficient? I guess efficient doesn’t translate into effective.

Currently, 1,749 television stations have both analog and DTV capabilities. Sixty-nine stations have only DTV abilities. Stations like ABC, in my area, have gone completely digital before the conversion legally goes into effect. They decided to risk losing viewers before the mandate. I thought it was a risky move. Less costly from what I’ve been told, but still risky. Now instead of watching ABC nightly news, I’ve turned to NBC because my kitchen television is a small one with no conversion capability. So, for now, I’m watching someone else and liking it.

According to Nielsen, as of April 12, 2009, 3.2% of all U.S. households are still completely unprepared for the digital deluge. It is reasoned that most of the unprepared are low-income, minority and non-English communities, seniors, persons with disabilities, and rural and tribal areas. Apparently the digital converter box coupons aren’t helping these people. Why? Probably because only part of the problem is financial. The other issue is the technological aspect of the process. Unless you are technologically savvy, a converter box may as well be brain surgery.

If you don’t have cable, and you still aren’t sure if your television is current, rest assured that if you bought a television after March 1, 2007, all interstate commerce and imported sets entering the United States had to have contained a digital tuner. Whew. At least that’s something.

Of course if you’re like me and still have ancient televisions and no cable, you are in a predicament. You must either buy a new digital television, get a converter box which can run from $40-$60.00, or you must buy a DVD/VCR combo with a digital tuner. I choose the latter. Who knows how long it will last. The hookup wasn’t too bad, but then again I didn’t do any of it. I had someone help me, and we still needed more cable wires and a modulator that didn’t come with the unit. So far, everything is working, and I love the picture quality, when it appears on the screen. But I haven’t gotten over the aggravating aspect of losing half a show for this so-called improvement/progress.

I flipped the channel when I couldn’t stand Joan London’s voice cutting in and out any more. It made me mad, I have to admit. I wanted to hear about her life now that she’s left Good Morning America and she’s almost an Octo-Mom. But alas, it was not to be. At least I can say Joan looked good, at least the parts I saw before the screen jumped to black.

On The Serious Side

Television Tidbits

Who Invented TV? - History of Television
Understanding the invention of television
Analog vs. Digital TV
Most people do not know the differences between analog and digital. To learn more....

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meghansmummy says:
7 months ago

love this and sooo true

Cindy Letchworth says:
7 months ago

Thanks, meghansmummy. Thanks for stopping by.

ripplemaker says:
6 months ago

I didn't realized it's that bad. :( Hmmm I guess I spend less time now watching t.v. :) Hope it will get better though. To picture perfect tv reception. :) Here's a bowl of popcorn to go with it... hehe

Cindy Letchworth says:
6 months ago

Thanks, ripplemaker. This Friday America will change to all digital, so I can hardly wait to see what happens. I will have to say goodbye to my good old little television that won't be any good after Friday because it can't be equipped with any digital equipment. The picture is marvelous on this t.v., so I will hate to see it go, but you know, this is what we call progress.

Digital Stinks!!!! says:
6 months ago

I thought i was the only one that hated this digital crap. I hooked up the converter box to my new 50" t.v and after about a week i took it off and connected just the digital antennae to the t.v. That was no better, i scanned for digital channels. The channels that did come in only showed 3 minutes of good picture then it would go blank for a few minutes. sometimes i get a message that said "audio only" that means i hear whats going on and see nothing. so needless to say this digital switch stinks. I am not gonna pay some cable or satelite company to watch t.v that is suppose to be free. I don't need 150 channels nothing. so i just watch a lot of dvd's. I have a very large collection of movies that i have no problem watching over and over again, and finally, if this switch is suppose to free up the air waves for emergency services why not give them the digital channels and let us keep the analog. I'm no conspiracy buff but maybe the digital switch is to monitor what everybody is watching! I'M JUST SAYING!

Steve says:
6 months ago

I've found just the opposite. When I put converter boxes on my garage and spare bedroom TVs, I get more channels and the noise and ghosting are gone. I love it! I used to get about 4 channels on a 6" piece of wire antenna, now I get about 15. I also have a junky TV at the local airport in my hangar where there are lots of metal doors to reflect signals and cause "ghosting", it was always very annoying. I'd have to open the big door to just the right position to get good reception. No more, with the digital converter box, as long as the door is open a couple of feet or more I get great reception.

So it probably varies by area. Oh yeah, many of the DTV transmitters are on crappy antennas until the analog transmitters are turned off, so you might see an improvement after that.

"if this switch is suppose to free up the air waves for emergency services why not give them the digital channels and let us keep the analog." You are misunderstanding the reason for the switch. The switch lets TV stations use less spectrum, freeing up spectrum for public safety radio use.

JeffG says:
6 months ago

Same here. My box actually improved my reception and I have all these weird new "sub" channels. I guess they are kinda cool...

Cindy Letchworth says:
6 months ago

Hey Digital Stinks. I'm with you. Thanks for sharing your experience!

Steve, I'm glad someone has had good luck with the digital reception. I think it does vary by area, and I feel sorry for those who live in areas that are not equipped to receive any reception. Not so good for national security issues one would think.

JeffG, I do know what you mean about new channels. That has happened for me as well....as long as they come in.

Thanks everyone for stopping by. Hope to see you again.

Gabrielle says:
6 months ago

I can't watch unless I turn the DirecTV box off. My sons room gets 12 channels, depending on where the antenna is positioned. My living room only gets 10. My next door neighbor gets 14 LOL. WORST IDEA EVER!!

Cindy Letchworth says:
6 months ago

Oh Gabrielle how I agree with you. I can hardly wait to see what the fall-out will be from this. I'm sure those with cable wonder what all the hoop-la is about. Thanks for sharing.

Steve says:
6 months ago

Gabrielle, how many analog channels did you get before on the same antennas? More than you are getting now with Digital? You should be getting about the same number with digital, as long as the antenna you have is made for the digital channels in your area (not necessarily the old analog channels).

Sue says:
6 months ago

I HATE DIGITAL.

Sue says:
6 months ago

I HATE DIGITAL.

Sue says:
6 months ago

My only source of enertainment is gone. I used to get 2 to 3 channels and now I get none. I can't even get the news or weather. I have a converter box but my rabbit ears won't pull anything in. I can't afford cable so I guess I learn to live without TV. Once again the poor are the ones who suffer.

Cindy Letchworth says:
6 months ago

Steve: This is exactly the problem. Digital may be great for most people, but it hasn't improved life for everyone. This was a national concern before the conversion, and now we can see how it is affecting everyone.

Thanks Steve and Sue for commenting.

Steve says:
6 months ago

Unfortunately for some, we're stuck with it. Sue, it sounds like you have an antenna problem. What I would do in your situation is try to borrow an antenna made for the digital channels in your area, try it out, see if it works before spending the money to buy one. It will probably fix the problem.

Hairylegs says:
6 months ago

We Hate Digital Too!

First let me say we live in a rural area and we had a satellite dish without local channels. We didn't want local channels on our satellite because when a cloud floats by we lose reception.  We kept the analog because we could always count on the broadcast when nothing else worked. Plus we didn't want to pay for yet another thing that is supposed to be free.

Now we are told we have to convert analog to digital.

First, we need converter boxes for every TV in our house. Ok ordered coupons (only 2 allowed) bought boxes and hooked them up, ran the scan 4 dozen times and got 2 channels in the living room when there used to be 8, and 1 in the kitchen when there used to be 7 and the kicker is they are not the same channels. Now we are told that our antenna may be the problem.

Trees surround us, so our antenna is on a tower 15 feet above our home. Instead of having to spend a small fortune on a new antenna, hire someone to remove the old one and replace it with the new, I ordered local channels on my satellite. Now we pay 5 dollars more a month for local channels that we will lose when those clouds float by! A vicious cycle!

We would get rid of all our televisions and satellite and watch all our news and programs online, if we had more choices for Internet. You don't want to get me started on that one!

Cindy Letchworth says:
6 months ago

Thanks Hairylegs for weighing in. Isn't it aggravating how you have less channels than before? It's like all of the products that say "new and improved". A lot of times they are worse, but I may be getting a little cynical these days.

Lisa says:
4 months ago

I would rather have a case of the claps than dtv.

VideoAgent says:
4 months ago

wow! and I thought I had problems!

kay says:
3 months ago

This is freaking true, i hate dtv!! i used to be a tv junkie, everything i did was accompanied by the background noise of the television whether it would be reading, studing or sleeping in. now i don't watch tv anymore, i just use my computer for everything. i watch all my fave shows and i have even found new ones i can watch online. i rather wait for the vid to load than to catch the small glipses of possible action on the television.

Cindy Letchworth says:
3 months ago

It does seem the computer is bridging the gap for more and more people. Thank goodness this has worked for you. Thanks for your comment.

Patricia says:
2 months ago

The stupid box seems to have a mind of its own. Just when you thing you finaly have something to watch it goes out. Then you give up and pull out the dvd's again.

A BETTER PICTURE MAYBE \BUT AT WHAT COST. You never get to complete a entire program. I HATE THAT STUPID BOX, GIVE ME TH OLD SNOWY ANTENA ANYDAY.

Cindy Letchworth says:
2 months ago

I undertand......Thanks for sharing your "wonderful" experience.