On Sun, 27 Nov 2005 13:16:53 -0700, Dick LeadWinger wrote:

On Sun, 27 Nov 2005 13:43:46 -0600, clifto wrote:

Invader3K wrote:
Personally I'm looking forward to the highly increased picture quality
and digital surround sound that DTV can provide. If some people want to
stick with their 1950s technology, so be it; but don't hold it against
those of us who want to move into the 21st century, thank you very
much. Many parts of the world like Japan and Western Europe have pretty
much moved to DTV already, and those countries haven't been engulfed in
mobs of angry people who can't watch TV anymore.

The problem isn't moving into the 21st Century, Mr. Futuristic Modern Dude.
We're already there. The problem is *removing* the existing broadcasts.

There'd be room for everyone if Congress wasn't so easily bought by
commercial interests bent on forcing the public to throw away literally
TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS worth of equipment.

I'm as far from a treehugger as one can get, but have you given any
thought whatever to the landfill problem when hundreds of millions of
television sets suddenly need landfill for disposal?

I don't think things are as bad as you portray. It will be over 3
years before a hard cutoff, maybe longer. In that time many thousands
of TV's will need to be replaced anyway. Or the owners will simply
want to update to a new plasma, etc. And don't forget the many
millions of people on satellite or digital converter boxes like us
that won't be affected. I don't think the sky is falling just yet.
No doubt it won't be a pretty picture when the time comes.

I wouldn't miss the major netowrks if the disappeared tomorrow.
The only thing I watch on VHF is the local cable channel with our town
meetings on them and occasionally public TV.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com
Roger