Digital (mis)adventures
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- January
- 5
You know how every network channel has been running those public-information spots about getting ready for the conversion to digital TV? They make it sound as if it’s so easy for those who have an aerial antenna or rabbit ears. You just buy the converter box with your government coupon, plug the box into the TV, the TV into the box and poof! you have digital TV.
Yeah, right.
First off, if you have rabbit ears, you will need a dual-band antenna, an additional expense. Indeed, the $40 government coupon — you’re allowed two per household —will not necessarily cover the entire cost of the converter box. And you’ll need a converter box for each TV set. So far I’ve spent about $225, $80 of which has been covered by the government.
If your TV is hooked up to a VCR and DVD player, you may, depending on your setup, have to run the converter box through the VCR, which is what I ended up doing, or the DVD player. That two-minute demonstration on TV? Try three hours and counting.
Once you set up the box, you’ll notice that the promise of a plethora of programming isn’t quite what you imagined. Some channels are just glorified weather Web sites. Others are repeats.
Meanwhile, favorites may be missing entirely. For example, you may not be able to get Thirteen-WNET digitally now. That’s because Thirteen won’t be switching to a high-powered DTV transmitter until Feb. 17 — the deadline for the digital conversion.
All of this in part so that you can get better picture and sound quality. I think I have a pretty good eye and ear since I write about art and music for a living. I don’t see or hear much difference between digital and analog. Watching TV, after all, isn’t like looking at a Picasso, is it? A pretty TV star is pretty much a pretty TV star.
The truth is the government is forcing viewers to spend time and money on the “digital revolution” at a moment in our economic history when many citizens are short of both. If we must, we must. But please, a little more honesty from both the federal government and the network cheerleaders regarding the ease and cost of the transition would be appreciated.
This entry was posted
on Monday, January 5th, 2009 at 1:30 pm by Georgette Gouveia.
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