TV viewers will pay more and get less, and someone will make more, and that isn't us.
I knew Bushies would figure out a way to hose TV viewers on digital conversion, and here it is.
If my rant almost sounds Republican in nature, that's because it is.
What is it Republicans go red with rage about? Regulations that add costs and inconsequential or ephemeral benefits (like clear air and water)?
This is what I am talking about, except here it was done in reverse -- it is the consumers instead of a specific industry that get the bill, which is why there is no hue and cry from Republicans about it.
There are numerous costs inflicted on consumers by the conversion process. The benefits, if any, are most fleeting and ephemeral. That is because the conversion program is fundamentally flawed, as if drawn up by FEMA, specifically to make somebody rich.
The sales pitch to the public for shifting broadcasts from analog to digital was that TV broadcasters were hogging a huge chunk of the spectrum -- our publically owned airwaves -- for free, and digital broadcasting reduces the amount they use and opens these limited resources to new and profitable uses that have to be bought for billions of dollars paid to the government, as well as opening space for additional pubic service use, such as by fire departments. That's fair enough. The broadcasts themselves were supposed to be better quality, and broadcasters would be given additional capacity in their reduced space to provide additional service such as HD or other broadcast options.
Even in a perfect world, it was clear that the program would inflict many of the costs for the conversion to digital on big segments of the populace. The two systems are not compatible on existing equipment. If analog broadcasts are phased out, old equipment has to be adapted, meaning viewers who got free TV before would need to subscribe to cable or satellite services or buy a set top converter box that converts the digital signal to analog channel 3, or replaced with new digital TVs.
The converter box costs $50 or $60, but the Feds offset some of that cost by supplying up to two $40 coupons per family, making the purchase cost about $15 or $25 each with sales tax.
If the program worked, the additional cost could be rationalized as an enhancement especially if it delivered on promises of better reception and numerous extras, such as the local NBC affiliate gives, broadcasting a range of Olympic qualifying tournaments on Channel 4.4.
I bought a set top box for $50 with the coupon, hooked it up to my rooftop antenna, set the TV to channel 3, and I found the pictures are really quite good.
But having first hand experience with the system, I found the set top converter box and the program so patently inadequate on the whole, with so very many, stunning limitations that may very well persist to the detriment of many users indefinitely that it seems the whole plan was almost specifically intended to force everyone to pay for television, and for someone to get rich on that.
- The boxes are hard to find in the stores sometimes; even Wal-mart was sold out when I first shopped, as were some other appliance and TV stores. This is problematic because the coupons only last 90 days, so it is possible that some coupons will expire before they can be used. Many may end up paying full price.
- The installation can be tricky: installers will have to move furniture and equipment to get the converter box attached to the antenna line, and installers need another open plug to juice up the converter box.
- Analog VCR's will also cease to work directly off antennas when the analog signals end, and they don't play nice with converter boxes. Output from digital boxes is converted to analog channel 3, meaning a viewer can only see and record what comes through on channel 3, bad news since converter boxes don't have programming functions. In other words, the ability to program VCR's to record more than one future shows on more than one channel is gone, and along with it the picture in picture function. (Note: it may be possible to find and pay extra for converter boxes that permit analog bypass, ie, allow users to watch digital signals with conversion or just use the analog signals as if the converter box was disabled, or users can bypass converter boxes on their own with a signal splitter, but the analog signals will stop in February 2009, rendering this feature worthless.)
- The digital signals themselves bite. A rabbit ears antenna set up inside is useless, especially if the user is some distance from the transmitters, so that may be the end of TV for apartment dwellers. Rooftop antennas have to be aimed right at the transmitter to come in, and since not all of the signals come from the same place, reception can be dicey, station by station. Not all of the broadcasters have strong enough signals to get to users; the PBS station WNET lost its transmitter on 9/11, and is using a weak digital transmitter until its analog service dies, so people any distance away from it have no service now. Network stations sometimes disappear as well, especially if there is weather.
As for the promise of additional side channels, so far that has been a marginal development. One network station repeats its newscast once after it is shown; another replays Olympic qualifying; the secondary PBS station in the market shows cooking programs 24/7; the jointly owned Fox and CW stations merely mirror each other's broadcast on the side channel. Nothing to write home about.
In sum, it seems like the extra money and additional installation charges don't add up to anything, and that that was pretty much the point of the exercise -- just pay for cable or Dish, the Government is saying.
If it been the idea to charge for TV to reduce viewing so people would stop being couch potatoes, that would be interesting and poignent. But I think most of us are past that and addicted beyond merely having cost affect our behavior that much.
So what was it that Reagan said are the most dreaded words: "I'm from the government and I'm here to help." Digital TV seems in that category for now.