Comments on: The Digital Switchover and Why It's About People http://chrisgammell.com/2009/06/12/the-digital-switchover-and-why-its-about-people/ Analog electronics and everything else between 1 and 0 Sat, 04 Feb 2012 15:53:36 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Seagull http://chrisgammell.com/2009/06/12/the-digital-switchover-and-why-its-about-people/comment-page-1/#comment-978 Seagull Tue, 16 Jun 2009 19:29:08 +0000 http://chrisgammell.com/?p=1188#comment-978 I haven't made the 'switch' - I watch, in the average month, zero hours of TV, and man, does it sedate the masses. It's worse than cigarettes and alcohol put together, if you ask me - at least you can do something else while indulging in THOSE addictions. By definition, of course, this makes it about 10 times worse (at least) than all illegal drugs (at least in terms of numbers of addicts/victims) put together... not that I'm a crack user trying to justify his addiction, of course. No, no, no. All I'm saying is: turn off my cable (I will thank you forever, although my wife and kids may not, at least not right now :)!), but PLEEEEASE don't turn off my internet. Cos that's not a drug, right? At least not a passive one. Still, at the end of the day, my work (PCB layouting; housing, packaging and product development) is largely driven by this addict mentality, so I guess I should either shut up or 'put up' (as in, lay down my 'tools' and strike on behalf of the good of humanity), but hypocrite that I am, I don't do this. I mean, I have to pay those damn cable/TV bills SOMEHOW, don't I?!?!? Anyway, at the end of the day, I have to agree with Chris, in essence... actually, it only surprises me that a mere 300,000 calls were received - on the surface, a large number, but that must be a pretty small percentage of the overall TV watchers, right? Or maybe the other 2-3 million are just still glued to the box in front of the 'snow', either hoping a) that the lost-and-never-found remote is going to jump into their hands to enable them to finally change channel, or b) that it is just a 'temporary' (this definition extends up to as long as it takes one to keel over once the TV dinners and beer are gone) 'brownout' of TV signals. I haven't made the 'switch' - I watch, in the average month, zero hours of TV, and man, does it sedate the masses. It's worse than cigarettes and alcohol put together, if you ask me - at least you can do something else while indulging in THOSE addictions.
By definition, of course, this makes it about 10 times worse (at least) than all illegal drugs (at least in terms of numbers of addicts/victims) put together... not that I'm a crack user trying to justify his addiction, of course. No, no, no.
All I'm saying is: turn off my cable (I will thank you forever, although my wife and kids may not, at least not right now :) !), but PLEEEEASE don't turn off my internet. Cos that's not a drug, right? At least not a passive one.
Still, at the end of the day, my work (PCB layouting; housing, packaging and product development) is largely driven by this addict mentality, so I guess I should either shut up or 'put up' (as in, lay down my 'tools' and strike on behalf of the good of humanity), but hypocrite that I am, I don't do this. I mean, I have to pay those damn cable/TV bills SOMEHOW, don't I?!?!?
Anyway, at the end of the day, I have to agree with Chris, in essence... actually, it only surprises me that a mere 300,000 calls were received - on the surface, a large number, but that must be a pretty small percentage of the overall TV watchers, right? Or maybe the other 2-3 million are just still glued to the box in front of the 'snow', either hoping a) that the lost-and-never-found remote is going to jump into their hands to enable them to finally change channel, or b) that it is just a 'temporary' (this definition extends up to as long as it takes one to keel over once the TV dinners and beer are gone) 'brownout' of TV signals.

]]> By: Chris Gammell http://chrisgammell.com/2009/06/12/the-digital-switchover-and-why-its-about-people/comment-page-1/#comment-970 Chris Gammell Sun, 14 Jun 2009 14:23:57 +0000 http://chrisgammell.com/?p=1188#comment-970 Hi Dave, I know they offered incentives over here for a while and even gave a bunch of boxes away but the people that needed them most were still too lazy to go get the boxes. In other cases people were too confused to know if they would need the boxes. And I'm guessing a good percentage of the population was completely oblivious. Your idea was valid though, giving discounts and giing some away would help for sure. In other news, I read that <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/06/13/digital.TV/index.html" rel="nofollow">the FCC received over 300,000 calls</a> once they turned the analog signals off. That's exactly what I would have expected and I love how incised people are now. My favorite response, "My television has gone blank. What are they doing to me?". Yes, not only was the government trying to tell you to prepare for this for months, they also are now punishing you for not doing anything :-) ~Chris Hi Dave,

I know they offered incentives over here for a while and even gave a bunch of boxes away but the people that needed them most were still too lazy to go get the boxes. In other cases people were too confused to know if they would need the boxes. And I'm guessing a good percentage of the population was completely oblivious. Your idea was valid though, giving discounts and giing some away would help for sure.

In other news, I read that the FCC received over 300,000 calls once they turned the analog signals off. That's exactly what I would have expected and I love how incised people are now. My favorite response, "My television has gone blank. What are they doing to me?". Yes, not only was the government trying to tell you to prepare for this for months, they also are now punishing you for not doing anything :-)

~Chris

]]> By: Dave http://chrisgammell.com/2009/06/12/the-digital-switchover-and-why-its-about-people/comment-page-1/#comment-969 Dave Sun, 14 Jun 2009 12:47:27 +0000 http://chrisgammell.com/?p=1188#comment-969 I live in the UK and we are going through the same scenario, our switchover should have been taking place around now, but it's been put back to 2012. I don't know how the whole TV/cable setup is over there, but the set top boxes are pretty cheap for us costing about £20. If the governments really want us to change they could offer incentive or help, such as offering a discount to convert to digital. for example, As the financial climate is tough around the world and the motor industry is suffering, the government here are offering £2000 to trade in your old car for a new one to put life back into the motor industry. Is it possible that a similar scheme could be put in place to hurry up the analogue to digital switchover? I live in the UK and we are going through the same scenario, our switchover should have been taking place around now, but it's been put back to 2012. I don't know how the whole TV/cable setup is over there, but the set top boxes are pretty cheap for us costing about £20. If the governments really want us to change they could offer incentive or help, such as offering a discount to convert to digital. for example, As the financial climate is tough around the world and the motor industry is suffering, the government here are offering £2000 to trade in your old car for a new one to put life back into the motor industry. Is it possible that a similar scheme could be put in place to hurry up the analogue to digital switchover?

]]> By: bowler http://chrisgammell.com/2009/06/12/the-digital-switchover-and-why-its-about-people/comment-page-1/#comment-968 bowler Sat, 13 Jun 2009 06:12:33 +0000 http://chrisgammell.com/?p=1188#comment-968 i've heard there are a few detriments to digital TV, such as when the signal is weakened by physical obstructions, but overall it's still a vast improvement i've heard there are a few detriments to digital TV, such as when the signal is weakened by physical obstructions, but overall it's still a vast improvement

]]> By: Fluxor http://chrisgammell.com/2009/06/12/the-digital-switchover-and-why-its-about-people/comment-page-1/#comment-967 Fluxor Fri, 12 Jun 2009 20:41:49 +0000 http://chrisgammell.com/?p=1188#comment-967 Back in Feb, I wrote a blog post about the switchover, then realized it got postponed yet again. Mine was more on the technical side of things. I'm certainly not going to make the switchover. First, I watch cable, so it doesn't really matter. Second, I still use the VCR with a CRT. And I drive a GM car. So it's not exactly like I'm the type of guy who adopts the best technology out there. Finally, I'm cheap. I think that says it all. Back in Feb, I wrote a blog post about the switchover, then realized it got postponed yet again. Mine was more on the technical side of things.

I'm certainly not going to make the switchover. First, I watch cable, so it doesn't really matter. Second, I still use the VCR with a CRT. And I drive a GM car. So it's not exactly like I'm the type of guy who adopts the best technology out there. Finally, I'm cheap. I think that says it all.

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