Thanks RFB, for your comments on "over the
air TV, etc." We really depend on it here. I
hope it's around for a while. Also, I had mentioned
that little DTV I got a few weeks ago. I don't know
why I like it so much, but I do. I carry it around with
me in a backpack with a bunch of other stuff. I
really like being able to look at the weather radar
"sub-channels" from some of the local TV stations. That
to me, in itself, is much better than a weather radio.
Anyway, I appreciate your input on this thing.
To ChannelX1610: Hang in there. Something will
come along. You show a lot of dedication. Again, I
wish there was something I could do to help you,
but I am in a similar financial situation. Things will
get better.
Best Wishes,
Bruce, DRS2
I like the local weather stations available on DTV. We used to have 2 of them until NBC bought out the weather channel and got rid of Weather Plus, their free alternative that was available on WLWT 5.2 a couple years ago. It's now a free alternative to TV Land called MeTV Cincinnati. Now, the only weather channel in Cincinnati is the Weather Tracker channel from WCPO. It's not as good as Weather Plus, but they do simulcast the local NOAA weather radio during severe weather.
Now, if only lightning didn't make DTV as bad as satellite in this area during storms. Half the time, every channel is barely watchable due to lightning interference. I miss the snowy lines lightning would bring to analog VHF. You could still see the picture and hear the sound on analog. Example: There is a severe thunderstorm for clermont county until ten PM eastern time. With digital, it's like this: Th e i a ev thun warn cler county un te east time.
The FCC's decision to get rid of analog TV actually hurts public safety IMO.
The subject of so called "free television" always gets me stirred up.
There we were with a working system, namely analog VHF & UHF TV. Everything about it worked well. We had all the equipment, and with a simple scan-doubler, anyone who wanted a better picture could have one.
I found a $150 scan-doubler made by Marshall that turned a VGA computer screen into something that, to me, looked like film quality. It was SO good that Marshall withdrew it from the market and replaced it with a $250 scan-doubler that produced a terrible picture that looked like a bad toy. Why would they do this? Because the public was never intended to upgrade their analog TV, they were being herded into the digital HDTV future where all equipment needed to be replaced and reception was hit and miss.
I DECLINED the digital box coupons and never ever will own any digital TV equipment. For me, there is no such thing as free TV except DVDs from the public library, and when they get replaced by blue ray discs, I will be in a totally non-TV life-style.
Just having caught up on this thread, a post a few days ago prompted this response. The post concerned expanding the FM broadcast band. Here's my opinion from the point of view of the hobbycaster.
I have said it before and I have seen it happen that if a highway is widened the traffic volume will increase to the new capacity. I believe the same will happen if a broadcast band is expanded. More stations and translators will pop in to fill the void. Unless hobbyists can get a legally protected piece of this pie (not going to happen) there will be no benefit.
Neil
Carl, I think your viewpoint would change if you actually bought a high definition TV. I hated digital until I actually bought a flat screen HDTV. The picture probably looks as good if not better than that scan doubler thingy you were talking about. There is no snow and no ghost images. Sure, there is horrible reception problems in rural areas (AKA where I live, 30 miles from the towers), BUT for the lucky people who can get a steady signal, it is amazing!
Also, you can still get basic ANALOG cable TV (if you're not in an area ruled by Comcast's all-digital monopoly. Cincinnati has Time Warner and analog still exists with the exception of about 15 channels and counting that have moved to the expensive digital tier.) and enjoy all the perks of analog TV. At least you can when there isn't an outage.
And don't give up on movies when blu-ray becomes standard. The players have standard DVD outputs too. Now, that's a picture I'd love to see on that awesome scan doubler. Or even a standard DVD on it.
In my opinion, a world without TV is just plain boring. Unless, you have a micro-powered radio station to kill some time. So I guess it's probably not too boring at the internet building despite having no source of TV programming.
It is never boring here at the Internet Building.
And even though we have a ban on DTV and blue ray, I still think about ways of utilizing video with our radio service.
Some radio programs can be watched on Ustream TV.
Trouble with that is, I think radio is strongest if you can't see what the personalities look like. If you saw me you'd understand.
But I think about running an N-scale model railroad on the camera.
The train would pass by.
Then the train would pass by.
Then the train would....
I'll admit the over-the-air DTV looks pretty good. But, I still don't care for the way it was rammed down our throats.
I also don't like the way a perfect picture is suddenly replaced by a message telling me the signal is too low.
Standards also seem to be lacking as of yet. Audio levels are all over the place from one channel to the next, one show to the next.
No Cable TV here. The Radio Shack antenna on the roof does just fine thank you.
My brother is a model train guy. I really
wish I had room for one in my house. But
then I'd have to buy all of the stuff, too.
I don't like HDTV because I was a casual
TV DXer, and even with indoor antennas,
when the E-skip or tropo was good you
could get amazing DX.
HOWEVER, and this is very odd, really.
(We haven't had cable in a long time. We
don't really need it.) We live fairly near the
local TV transmitters, but we are in a valley
on a very busy street, and under an aircraft
approach/departure pattern to the local
airport. It is multipath city here, and analog
TV was always a mess. Tons of ghosting, and
the NTSC pictures would sort of collapse and
flip around, the sound would buzz - - it was
so annoying. And it never ended. You would
adjust the antennas, and things would still
be a mess.
Now keep in mind, I still don't like DTV. BUT,
we really depend on our local channel 3 (virtual 3,
RF 33,) which is CBS. For some reason, with our
NTSC to ATSC converter boxes, we get pretty
reliable and stable reception of virtual channel 3,
and some of the other local channels.
I never imagined that it would be this good. One
of our converter boxes happens to be a real good
one. It's a box that is a favorite in the DTV DXing
community. It seems to be very stable. That is
is the box that we use the most. (Still, no more
TV DXing, you really have to have a tower or go
up on a mountain to TV DX now. I miss it.)
Anyhow, DXing aside, going to over the air NTSC to
over the air ATSC made things much better for us.
It seems so unlikely with all of the multipath, but it
it's true. I guess it's because most of the transmitters
are so close. (Now that battery powered DTV that
i keep talking about - RF wise, it's as deaf as a post.)
Bruce, DRS2
"I have said it before and I have seen it happen that if a highway is widened the traffic volume will increase to the new capacity. I believe the same will happen if a broadcast band is expanded."
You know, something similar was said back in the early 70's during the first oil crunch about alternatives like hydrogen and the pity excuse given back then was ..."too expensive to retool everything", when nothing special was required and every gas station and refinery has water and electricity ran to it.
So instead of increasing capacity, we just let the thing overflow and become crowded and throw the excuse that if it is expanded it would fill up.
Well DUH! Of course it's going to fill up! That's called progress, advancement, moving forward, and eventually it will call for more expansion. So the solution is to just let it become overcrowded and add to the existing overcrowding problem?
What kind of logic is that nonsense?
Same illogical nonsense when they say the skies are crowded and is why we don't have our flying cars as promised to us back in the 50's.
Wow, the skies sure are crowded eh. I can barely see the sky with all that clutter up there!
It has nothing to do with being a problem to expand the band or whatever, it has everything to do with control and limiting people and keeping certain things out of their reach and only within reach of the elite.
Mankind does not have a problem expanding the limits of a city when the population expands. Mankind does not have a problem expanding the size of the cooler to hold more beer, or expanding the tax bill imposed on each of us.
But obviously when the solution is as simple as expansion to allow more room for expansion and we come up with pathetic excuses not to expand, one wonders how our species has survived all these centuries.
Never say never or not going to happen. Same was said to Tesla and Marconi and Edison and Franklin and Gates.
Good thing they didn't listen to the status quo.
We should not either, not if we want something to change.
RFB