DraginRat wrote: What is this, the whine of the week. Nothing real important to whine about this week, so this will have to do?
Good Grief people, get a life and go live it.
Ken Gasbarri
If this is the worst thing we all have to whine about this week, than this has been a REALLY good week! We should all be thankful! Lets all whine over the television box, and be grateful is not another world disaster calamity event!
DutchmenSport
2005 Chevy Silverado 3500 Dually Duramax 6.6L V8 Turbo
Century Truck Cap Commercial /Toolboxes
Northeast Outfitters Canoe
talonguy wrote: I think the $40 coupons are a bunch of baloney. Until our leaders learn how to balance the budget EVERY YEAR, we should not be giving away any money to people no matter how that money is acquired. The American people are beginning to expect handouts, and that is why people are reluctant to change their Washington representation in any MEANINGFUL way (no matter what they say in the polls). People and state/local governments want their handouts. Don't even get me started on the stimulus checks.
Perhaps you have no idea how this money was acquired! This program was forward funded to force the transition to digital for the express reason of harvesting the additional spectrum left over to auctioning off to commercial interests like the Wi-Fi you might be reading this through, or your cellphone, etc. The side benefit to us is that while the rest of the world is and has moved forward to digital television, the Americans whine and complain about “what’s wrong with status quo”. Until they see the difference.
And while there are others here that will whine and complain that the RF spectrum "belong to the people", the bottom line is that with the exception of the Amateur, CB, and FRS bands, everything else is either public service or commercial interests that are spending billions on this spectrum to in turn charge you billions to either use their equipment, service, or sell commercial time. So to balance the budget you spend a few hundred million to recover billions to clean out the spectrum and keep everyone’s existing TV operational. The last time I checked this is pretty sound financial reasoning.
So how is this related to “giving away” money?
Maybe you should surrender YOUR coupons and spend several thousand$$ to forklift all your TV’s?
The government often has to put specific requirements on a program like this, or there WILL be extreme amounts of fraud and abuse. Unfortunately, it can often cause problems for those who do actually qualify for the program, as we see here. I've seen it countless times as a civil servant for a large govt. agency.
I originally disagreed with this handout program. In fact, I ordered my two coupons with the intent to hold them and not use them in order to save the taxpayer $80, but I have since given them to someone who needs them, and I realize that there are people who really do need them.
Many of my friends and family ordered coupons, and I guarantee none of them would be in the "targeted" group in which they were meant for.
lonekazoo wrote: In fact, I ordered my two coupons with the intent to hold them and not use them in order to save the taxpayer $80, but I have since given them to someone who needs them, and I realize that there are people who really do need them.
That is interesting as that was my plan also. In fact, I did buy one converter outright and used a coupon on a second. The other coupon got cut to ribbons. I have to admit to liking tech stuff even when I have to pay for it. Always have.
talonguy wrote: I think the $40 coupons are a bunch of baloney. Until our leaders learn how to balance the budget EVERY YEAR, we should not be giving away any money to people no matter how that money is acquired. The American people are beginning to expect handouts, and that is why people are reluctant to change their Washington representation in any MEANINGFUL way (no matter what they say in the polls). People and state/local governments want their handouts. Don't even get me started on the stimulus checks.
Perhaps you have no idea how this money was acquired! This program was forward funded to force the transition to digital for the express reason of harvesting the additional spectrum left over to auctioning off to commercial interests like the Wi-Fi you might be reading this through, or your cellphone, etc. The side benefit to us is that while the rest of the world is and has moved forward to digital television, the Americans whine and complain about “what’s wrong with status quo”. Until they see the difference.
And while there are others here that will whine and complain that the RF spectrum "belong to the people", the bottom line is that with the exception of the Amateur, CB, and FRS bands, everything else is either public service or commercial interests that are spending billions on this spectrum to in turn charge you billions to either use their equipment, service, or sell commercial time. So to balance the budget you spend a few hundred million to recover billions to clean out the spectrum and keep everyone’s existing TV operational. The last time I checked this is pretty sound financial reasoning.
So how is this related to “giving away” money?
Maybe you should surrender YOUR coupons and spend several thousand$$ to forklift all your TV’s?
And perhaps you didn't read my post. I can see I've touched a nerve with you. Not sure what you mean by "balancing the budget", but I'm guessing you're referring to the micro-budget relating to the spectrum auction. If you didn't know, the budget deficit for FY 2009 approaches $500 billion, and that does not include future 2009 War on Terror funding. I stand by my original statement.
Ironically, the people these coupons are supposed to help the most are also the least educated about the impending switchover to digital and probably are not aware of their ability to procure coupons. I would be very surprised if a large number of people on this forum required a coupon to buy a convertor box.
By the way, I did not get any coupons and will not in the future. Furthermore, I have not seen a single TV program in months (but for reasons I will not go into here).
Oh, if you're arguing about the transition now, wait until you hear this!
How many of you have basic cable tv? You know, the kind where your old tv hooks to the cable line and there isn't a cable converter box that has to be used. It's just a cable line hooked to the back of your tv or other equipment like vcr, dvd player, etc before it runs to the tv and you don't use any digital box you pay the cable company for.
They say that we will not notice any difference when the change happens if we are on cable or satillite. They say that if we have satillite tv or cable we won't be effected, as this only will effect those with a tv antenna used to pick up signals.
OK. If you have satillite tv, your signal is already received in digital form. The box or receiver is a digital receiver already. It converts the digital signal sent to the dish into analog to be received by your tv. It also has an S video and rca jacks on the back to hook up to other equipment or that HD ready tv.
But, if you still are a basic cable user who doesn't use a converter box to get your signals, your cable signal comes in analog. The cable company converts what they receive in digital back to analog to send it out, along with the digital signal sent along those same wires in piggyback form.
Now, hang on to your hats here......YOU WILL BE EFFECTED! If you have analog cable, or like I said, no cable box or digital tv receiver, there is a provision that allows for 3 years for the cable companies to convert to TOTAL DIGITAL SIGNALS sent on those wires.
So, you're sitting there watching your basic cable, and you have an older tv that doesn't have a digital receiver in it. You don't have a digital vcr or any sort of receiver on the top or near the tv that you pay the cable company for, or bought yourself, for digital cable.
Now, you won't notice anything change, as they said, when the transition happens. BUT, you will have up to 3 years before your old tv won't work anymore, as they will have to stop sending out analog signals over their wires by that time. And, then, you WILL notice something. You'll notice that your old tv and other older non digital equipment won't pick up anything but snow. There will be no picture at all.
That means you will have to call your cable company and get a digital receiver, or buy new digital ready video equipment. Then, you'll have to pay the cable company for digital cable, and rent a digital receiver from them at whatever they decide to charge you.
Hows that for change without letting you know the whole story?
Now, here's the kicker. You can buy your own digital receiver, and you can hook it up, only having to call the cable company and giving them a certain number on the box itself, and you're back in business. You don't have to pay for digital cable unless they decide to stop offering basic cable and only offer digital packages. And, even if they do not offer anything but digital, you still can buy a digital box on your own and not have to pay to rent theirs.
But, the current converters for analog to digital tv ALSO will do the same thing. You can hook them to your cable and give the cable company the number they ask for, and you're watching digital signals and digital cable without paying them for renting their box, either. Plus, most cable companies won't charge you to do this, unless, like I said, they only offer digital packages. But, even then, you won't have to pay for renting their box.
So, if you have cable now, and don't think you need the converter, GET IT ANYWAY. That way, if you do still have analog cable, you can have it digital. And, after the program ends with for the coupons, the companies who make these digital converters can raise their prices up to where they want to. Right now, they are set by the FCC and cannot charge that much. But, afterwards, they can charge upwards in the hundreds of dollars, and you'll have missed your chance to get one for just a few bucks using the program in use now.
So, if you can get a coupon or coupons and a digital converter or converters, GET THEM! You'll be glad you did. You might be able to replace the one you use in your rv when that one goes out with it, if you store it and save it. You might know someone who will needs one, and can sell it to them for much more than you paid with your coupon. Or, you might have something that a few years from now will be worth it's weight in gold to someone who doesn't have one, needs one on Ebay, etc.
Just thought everyone should know. I use one of mine from the coupon program on my tv now. I have analog cable, and with my converter, I now have digital cable for analog price. Sure, I don't get the stations on the digital package, but, the stations I DO get are all in digital quality and 100 times clearer and cleaner than they were before. And, it only took a call and a serial number and nothing else was charged, and I am now watching digital cable pictures on my analog cable package....plus digital signals on my rv antenna....all for the price of about $25 for both after the coupon.
Tim
If I don't meet your expectations
Maybe you should lower your standards.
The FCC rule requires cable operators guarantee that analog-only customers will receive broadcast channels until 2012. There is no requirement that cable signals must be all digital after that. Now cable companies may in fact go to all digital; market decisions will decide.
Although I claim no expertise in the matter, I am unaware of the ability of the converters in the government program to convert cable's QAM format.
The FCC rule requires cable operators guarantee that analog-only customers will receive broadcast channels until 2012. There is no requirement that cable signals must be all digital after that. Now cable companies may in fact go to all digital; market decisions will decide.
Although I claim no expertise in the matter, I am unaware of the ability of the converters in the government program to convert cable's QAM format.
Tom
Not sure where all the stations come from but I get around 24 in place of three sitting in my yard and they are with out snow and clear as our house cable.We will be camping in the Keys in a few weeks so that will tell how good they are.
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