Burning Pancakes

Useful technology | Useless geekery

1. KGS 4.6.07 / 11pm

   The issue over the rush to go digital is a two edged sword. I have personal experience with the conversion process here in Finland, which is set to go “fully digital” late August/early Sept.

   For those of us modern families who have more than one television, each tube has to have its own digital receiver, and if one doe snot wish to run a antenna cord from one end of your house to another, it will require an additional antenna, and aimed in the “supposed” correct direction.

   Purchasing a digi box receiver is not cheap, with the bargain basemnet version running about 60-80 Euros, ($68-88 bucks). But that’s not all, you then must purchase all new antenna wire (analogue has lesser problems with a cracked casing) and a digi booster to boot!

   Then we come to the problem that most digital users have with their surrounding area, interference, if tall hill is between your antenna and the digi signal tower, you’ll have to find an inventive way in lifting your antenna another 2-4 meters in height.

   Then there is the weather, digital display/receiving changes in winter conditions as well as in summer. Then there are motorcycles and snow mobiles whose engines cause your digital screen to go completely haywaire while they operate in the vicinity.

   Now we come to the old folks, who not only have to purchase all this extra electronics, they have to be able to learn how to use it. in short, many CAN’T understand the need for two remotes, one for the television and the other for the digi box.

   The remote for the digi box is an enigma wrapped in a riddle all by itself for the older generation who don’t even own a cell or a PC. With the touch of the wrong button, they have already shrunk their picture tube size and added sub title text in French apperaring along the bottom.

   What about all of us who own a RV, summer cottage or even a cabin boat? No longer are we able to have a TV to watch, not unless your generator is able to handle a digi box, plus you’ll need a digi antenna, so that means screw the folks with the boats and RVs.

   While digital TV is fun to watch when it works, the added costs plus all the time and trouble it takes to make the damn thing work, plus all the extra disturbances as well as the loss of all your other TVs, not to mention the locking out of many old folks from watching altogether (which is a big part of their day) makes the “step in to the future” into a major step into a pile of crap.

   OBTW, we Finns still have to pay for the right to watch TV, so since Formula One went cable, most are even locked out of that as well.
2. Asher Heimermann 4.8.07 / 9pm

   I did not know that.
3. Asher Heimermann 4.8.07 / 9pm

   I forgot to add, I agree with poster number 1.

   Asher Heimermann
   http://blog.asherheimermann.com
4. Wednesday Morning Wandering « oldephartteintraining 5.16.07 / 6am

   [...] Sensible National Digital Television [...]

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