Article blasts digital TV reception

Well, wouldn't ya know it? I'm not the only bloke who's concerned about TV having weaker reception once the government-mandated transition to digital TV happens.

In the past few days, I've written extensively about the problem of many Americans potentially being denied TV, a useful and educational medium that they've had access to for over 50 years. Now I've found an article from February expressing the exact same concerns I've had. It correctly says that when a station's signal becomes weak enough that a regular analog picture becomes snowy, a digital signal vanishes completely. So, "rather than getting a lower quality picture you get none at all."

The piece came on the heels of the discovery that the FCC was overestimating the range of digital signals - likely on purpose, in a propaganda effort to win support for digital TV. A study by Centris, an L.A.-based market research firm, says millions of Americans will need sophisticated outdoor antennas to receive the same stations they get now with basic rabbit ears.

"For the people with rabbit ear antennas, I would say at least 50% won't get the channels they were getting," said Dr. Oded Bendov, a consultant who helped install digital antennas on the Empire State Building. "I would say a lot of people are going to be very unhappy."

So now you know I'm not just speculating about digital TV signal loss. It's a very real problem, and I think it's going to doom digital.

And don't run by me this B.S. about getting cable. Cable is expensive, and I'm on a budget. I know folks in my county who live on roads where cable isn't even available. And their digital reception is going to be even worse than mine is, because they live much further from most stations' towers. So don't you dare try telling them to get cable.

If people are so disgruntled now at buying a new set or a $40 converter, think what it's going to be like when they have to pay $40 a month for cable or hundreds on an outdoor antenna with a coaxial - assuming they even can.

(Source: http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/12878.cfm)