My biggest problem is all the wrong information that is being told to people. Time Warner by the way is full of shit. They put all these ads on saying if you have cable you are covered. Well that is a fucking lie and here is why. Remember when they had that dispute where you couldn't get anything on WIVB was that CBS and the CW. Lets say they get into a dispute with another station like NBC (yes that is coming up in the future) or ABC. What you would have done in the past was just use those old rabbit ears or go out and buy some new ones. But now with the digital conversion if NBC isn't carried and you have an old TV that won't work. I think Time Warner wants to get people not get the boxes so they have more power, I also think that there ads are misleading. They are telling people you don't need to get the box just sign up for us. But what happens if what I said earlier happens. Or what if you lose your job and cut cable how would you get any TV then well you wouldn't.
What I did was apply for two coupons and then I bought my second box today. Yes I do have cable. Here is the reason I did that. If one of the networks gets dropped by Time Warner with out the box I won't be able to get that station. With out the credit the boxes run from about $50-$80 it would cost more to get them then. The other factor is what If I lose my Job and then I don't have the boxes and I don't have the money to get them, then what? The one thing of Rabbit ears I do have is pretty old and connects with screws so I think I will have to get new rabbit ears if I need them.
I want to make it clear that I don't know about what the other cable companies are doing so that is why I didn't attack them Like I did my company Time Warner. Yes sometimes I like them and some times I hate them. Overall there has been lots of information about this through ads with websites and numbers people can call. That being said a lot of people still don't really understand what is going on with the conversion. I think that I understand it pretty well but do get why people are confused and things like HDTV and the fact that there is HDRadio and all kinds of terms just makes things messier. Here is article I found on Yahoo today about the conversion date being changed.
WASHINGTON - After weeks of debate, Congress is giving consumers four more months to prepare for the upcoming transition from analog to digital television broadcasting.
The House voted 264-158 on Wednesday to postpone the shutdown of analog TV signals to June 12, to address growing concerns that too many Americans won't be ready by the Feb. 17 deadline that Congress set three years ago. The Senate passed the measure unanimously last week and the bill now heads to President Barack Obama for his signature.
The change is being mandated because digital signals are more efficient than analog ones. Ending analog broadcasts will free up valuable space in the nation's airwaves for commercial wireless services and emergency-response networks.
The delay is a victory for the Obama administration and Democrats in Congress, who maintain that the previous administration mismanaged efforts to ensure that all consumers - particularly poor, rural and minority Americans - will be prepared for the switchover.
The Nielsen Co. estimates that more than 6.5 million U.S. households that rely on analog TV sets to pick up over-the-air broadcast signals still are not ready. People who subscribe to cable or satellite TV or have a newer TV with a digital tuner will not be affected.
"The passage of this bipartisan legislation means that millions of Americans will have the time they need to prepare for the conversion," White House spokeswoman Amy Brundage said in a statement.
Wednesday's vote came one week after House Republicans blocked the bill under a special fast-track procedure that required two-thirds support to pass. This time, the bill passed the House under a regular floor vote, which requires a simple majority.
Among Democrats, 241 voted for the bill, while 10 voted against it. Among Republicans, 23 voted for the bill, while 148 voted against it.
Speaking on the House floor Wednesday, Rick Boucher, D-Va., chairman of the House Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet, said a delay was needed to prevent the digital transition from becoming a failure.
"It is unfortunate that Congress had to take additional action on this issue, but the prospect of leaving millions of consumers in the dark was simply unacceptable," subcommittee member Edward Markey, D-Mass., added.
Opponents of a delay warned, however, that the move will confuse consumers, create added costs for TV stations that will continue broadcasting both analog and digital signals for four more months and burden wireless companies and public safety agencies waiting for the airwaves that will be vacated by the switchover.
"It's time for us to move forward on this and keep our word to the American people," said Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., calling for the transition to proceed on Feb. 17.
Democrats have tried to address these concerns by allowing broadcast stations to switch to digital signals sooner than June if they choose, potentially freeing up spectrum for public safety early. But it is unclear how many TV stations plan to take advantage of this option.
The Consumer Electronics Association, meanwhile, is warning that a delay could result in a shortage of converter boxes that translate digital signals back into analog ones for older TVs. Manufacturers and retailers have planned inventory based on a Feb. 17 transition date.
The new administration called for the digital transition to be postponed after the Commerce Department last month hit a $1.34 billion funding limit for coupons that subsidize converter boxes for consumers. The coupon program allows consumers to request up to two $40 vouchers per household to help pay for the boxes, which generally cost between $40 and $80 each and can be purchased without a coupon.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the arm of the Commerce Department administering the program, is sending out new coupons only as older, unredeemed ones reach a 90-day expiration date and free up more money. The NTIA has more than 3.7 million coupon requests on a waiting list - and those people would not receive their coupons before Feb. 17.
A separate measure, part of the economic stimulus proposal working its way through Congress, would add $650 million in funding for the coupon program.
Democrats on Capitol Hill and at the FCC have also questioned whether the government has provided enough on-the-ground support to help consumers hook up converter boxes - or whether enough call center resources have been arranged to handle what could be an avalanche of requests for help.
"The country is not prepared to undertake a nationwide transition in 12 days without unacceptably high consumer dislocation," acting FCC chairman Michael Copps said in a statement. "We've got a lot of work to do, but we now have an opportunity to do it better."
The National Association of Broadcasters also welcomed the delay. The group said it will provide new television spots to promote the June 12 deadline, and work with stations to coordinate additional analog shut-off tests to raise awareness and help consumers prepare.
One other thing that is odd for places like Buffalo is that Canada is changing to digital also but they are doing it at a different date that I don't remember when it is. So for people who want to get those channels they need a box that can take both analog and digital signals I think that is called a pass through box but not sure about that.
Well lets hope the government doesn't pay for their cable bill, but if it did then they wouldn't need the boxes, HA. I'm not a conspiracy theorist but I do think this is a way to try and stimulate the economy. If you have an old non digital TV you have a few choices. One you can not do anything and say screw it and not watch TV. You can go out and buy one of these boxes. Some store gets money the company that makes them gets money and I'm sure once you are in the store you might buy other things. Then there are taxes people give back to the government on what they just bought. Then if you have money you go out and buy a new TV that is Digital. Maybe you don't get cable and you get an HDAntena for your new HD TV. Or you go out and get a Dish network or you get Cable. I think that government is spending money to try and and get things moving. Yes this was set up before the crash, but I think this is all about money. Yes there is that thing about analog being used for other things and that is true but I don't think that is the real reason for it. I won't go as far as to say I think the government is trying to help the Cable Companies and Make them more powerful, that would be to much of a reach, but it is possible. There is another option also I could be that the government knows that computers and the internet might replace TV, they know that if that happens there will be no way that they can regulate that. So maybe they are trying to get everyone watching TV at the same quality of what is on the internet. Hey In five years if we haven't blown our selves up and the world hasn't ended we all will look back and laugh and see how wrong we all where, who knows.
Is the gov't going to pay their monthly cable bill too?
You do make a good point but I don't agree. Yes there are some people who can't keep up, and maybe those people should get left behind. But most people who can't it is because they don't have the money. I think that when the government changes something by Law then they should take care of people who can't go along with the change. What if the US got smart and said we are changing to the metric system and then said well everyone has to pay for everthing that has to be changed them selves. Didn't the government out law gas with lead in it. They didn't give people tickets right away they gave people time to change and any new cars had to take the new gas, if memory serves. What I wonder is how does a company get to be one of the ones who make these boxes they are the ones who get all the money and then they have to pay taxes on that and the people buying the boxes have to pay taxes on them. To me it sounds like a money making scheme. The other thing I wonder is if after there are no more rebates if the prices of the boxes will drop or stay high. I do think that TV is not a Luxury Item at all. Yes some of them are but those nice huge ones there shouldn't be a problem with. If one has a TV that Doesn't work how do they get the news. If there is an Emergency how would people know. Yes there are Radios and Papers but I just read today some number that didn't sound right about people who can't read and write. What if you don't have a radio?
Sorry, but I totally disagree. Digital TV has been out for YEARS now, and this digital conversion has been coming for a long time.
Frankly, I think if people can't get with the times and get a digital-ready tv, then oh well, maybe they shouldn't have TV.
I'm sorry if that's harsh, but I think it's absolutely ABSURD that the gov't is going to subsidize converter boxes for people. The economy is a disaster. The last thing we should be doing is spending millions so that people who can't/won't embrace current technology don't have to go without TV. this is not water, food, heat, air, etc. this is TV. An UNNECESSARY (albeit ubiquitous) "luxury item", I think.