DTV & ME

On February 17, 2009 all analog signals will end.

So will our sanity.

For those of us who remember living with "rabbit ears", we know that all we had was what we saw on the dial of our television sets. You had UHF and VHF to choose from. Channels 2 - 13 and 20 - 56. (Actual channels choices may have varied from state-to-state).

We also recall that if you were the youngest in the household, you were the one who got up, walked across the room to both change channels - often to stations you didn't even want to watch, and you were also in charge of the antennae. You got the "tin foil" and wrapped the antennae, spun the rabbit ears around and contorted it and you all ways just to get a half-decent picture.

How many times did someone yell, "There! That's good", and you'd go back to the sofa, only to have to get back up and do it all again?

That was life with analog TV.

Then along came cable. Hundreds of channels and no antennas.

Yippee!!!

No more getting up to adjust the picture. Now you just have to figure out what you want to watch.

You had choices - Basic or Premium. Box or no box. How many boxes would you need.

HBO. Cinemax. Showtime. Movies. Sports. TV was now a smorgasbord of viewing choices and the pictures were clear and vibrant.

Everyone was excited about the new way to watch TV. You even had "pay-per-view" movies and sports programs.

I remember when you could go to the movies and see the latest James Bond flick and waited a year before it came to television. With cable, you got to see it about six months after its theatrical release.

Add a Beta video player and you were "in the mix"!

You could program the VCR to record - yes, I said record, any show, movie or sporting event while you were away, and when you were ready to watch, you could press "play" and what was originally on Sunday afternoon, you were viewing on Thursday night.

Then VHS replaced Beta, and players became easier to program. Some were able to do tape-to-tape so you could copy and share videos with friends and family.

And the occasional stranger on the street - for a fee.

Everybody had a collection of videos stacked near the TV for quick reference. Some still in the original box.

This became a mom's best friend. She could "park" her child in front of the set with his/her fave video while she conducted household business (cleaning, preparing meals, etc) without worrying. She knew the child would be entertained until they fell asleep on the floor, or in the playpen.

Now we have DVD. Same thing - different packaging. With this - you can almost get the movies before they hit the theaters, never mind the stores...

All of these are viewable via our trusty television sets. You remember - the analog you've had since the 1980's.

Now they have developed HDTV - High Definition TV.

A better picture, with better sound. No antennas or cables are needed.

These are the TV's of the future. The future which is here!

The future which will drastically change as of February 17, 2009.

If you have a HDTV, you will be fine. If you have cable, dish or satellite - you too will be fine.

But what if you still have Grandma Rose's old floor model Motorola with the "rabbit ears"? What will become of your television watching habits?

You need help.

You either need to buy a newer TV. These run from $300.00 to thousands of dollars depending upon varying factors: size, features, etc. After this, you will need to get cable, dish or satellite, and pay a monthly bill costing $30.00 and up.

If you can't do this, are you stuck peeking into the windows of your neighbors who do have TV's with all the "bells and whistles"? NO.

You can go to DTV.gov and apply for a discount coupon to purchase a converter box. You buy the box, attach it to your set, and program it according to the manufacturers' instruction and you will get TV.

But what do you get?

Here's what you don't get: Cinemax, HBO or any other cable channel. You also may lose some of your local broadcast channels.

You see, DTV can only transmit "free" digital channels that are available in YOUR area.

Now, the inherent problem here is: not all channels are available in all areas.

Some buildings are in zones where there is a lot of interference that can disrupt signals and block you from getting some channels. If you live in an apartment building or complex, you may fall into one of the "bad zones".

So, what do you do in these instances?

Well, now you have to buy - guess what? AN ANTENNA.

That's right. You buy a newer TV for $300.00, add a converter box for $20.00, and now you need an antennae for upwards of $50.00 (unless you get the SmartAntennae each box suggests you get, these cost upwards of $250.00). This all adds up to $570.00 or more. And, again depending on where you live - you may still not get all the free digital channels you are looking for at any given time.

Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. You can do a channel search at one o'clock and find twenty channels and then re-do a search only to find five of those stations.

So, what is the point...?

It's all about "the future of television"...the future - HAH! Take me back to the "good ole' days".

Gimme channels 2, 5, 7, 9, 11, 26, 32, 44, 50 and 56...they all had good shows. So what I had to get up from time to time... I need the exercise.

Don't laugh...if you have the time to read this...so do you!

"Pass the popcorn..."!