 
S_engineer
join:2007-05-16
Chicago, IL | 4 PSAs.... That will create havoc at the ole' AARP meeting! | |
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gaforces
United We Stand, Divided We Fall
join:2002-04-07
Santa Cruz, CA
 ·Cruzio Internet
edit:
January 30th, @02:58PM
| Mandated by Congress It appears the broadcasters don't get what the digital transition means, no wonder people are confused.
It is mandated by Congress that the people shall be informed of the impending digital transition.
The FCC has to carry that out, showing the ads when people are sleeping is not good enough.
The broadcasters are also being slow to implement their added space for digital transmissions.
The only broadcaster implementing all their added space is PBS  and they are only broadcasting after 5 pm around here.
I get 1 channel from FOX, 2 from CBS, 2 from NBC, 0 from ABC, and 5 from PBS on my digital tuner. | |
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TK Junk Mail
Go ahead, make my day
Premium
join:2002-03-03
Margate City, NJ
clubs:
 ·Comcast
edit:
January 30th, @02:46PM
| Re: Mandated by Congress said by gaforces  :It appears the broadcasters don't get what the digital transition means, no wonder people are confused. It is mandated by Congress that the people shall be informed of the impending digital transition. The FCC has to carry that out, showing the ads when people are sleeping is not good enough. You are right. They have to run these ads when the people most likely needing to seem them are watching. Like when Oprah or Judge Judy or American Idol or 60 Minutes is on. Or even better - a 2 min commercial during the Super Bowl.
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Internet News
My BLOG
My Web Page | |
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| | openbox9
join:2004-01-26
Navarre, FL | Re: Mandated by Congress The Super Bowl may work, but I'd hazard a guess that a lot of people use commercial breaks for things other than waiting for a PSA. | |
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| | | Skippy25
join:2000-09-13
Hazelwood, MO | Re: Mandated by Congress I pretty much only watch the superbowl for the commercials. Every once in a while the games are actually worth watching though. | |
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| | | | openbox9
join:2004-01-26
Navarre, FL | Re: Mandated by Congress Oops, that should have read, "The Super Bowl may work, but I'd hazard a guess that a lot of people use commercial breaks during the other mentioned shows for things other than waiting for a PSA." | |
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cacroll
Eventually, Prozac becomes normal
Premium
join:2002-07-25
Martinez, CA
| said by TK Junk Mail :They have to run these ads when the people most likely needing to seem them are watching. Like when Oprah or Judge Judy or American Idol or 60 Minutes is on. Or even better - a 2 min commercial during the S**** Bowl.
You're not permitted to utter the words "S**** Bowl" without permission. 
»Re: SuperBowl Party..WTFH??!
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Cheers,
Chuck
MS-MVP 2005-2007 [Windows - Networking]
PChuck's Network | |
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Sammer
join:2005-12-22
Pittsburgh, PA | Confusion Confusion about what the the transition means to individual households seems to be more of a problem than awareness and unfortunately 30 second PSAs probably aren't going to change that. | |
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MrMoody
Liberal Capitalist
join:2002-09-03
Smithfield, NC | Re: Confusion They can avoid a lot of FUD by including the following simple statement:
"If you get your television solely from cable or satellite, you will NOT be affected."
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The public is a poor business manager. | |
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| | bennor
join:2006-07-22
New Haven, CT
| Re: Confusion No kidding even the initial statement above: "The FCC continues to have concerns that the forced transition from analog to digital television due to be complete in February 2009 is going to be a mess" is misleading and confusing to those who don't understand that ONLY the OTA signals are going digital. Cable going from a mix of analog and digital to all digital is a whole different discussion and so far seems to be up to each cable company. | |
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Jwobot
join:2002-08-14
Utica, MI
·WOW Internet and C..
| Simple I disagree with the transition but for the ad's, all you need is to put an antenna transmitting a single to a tv with rabbit ears and say "If this is how you watch tv, then you need a converter box."
Then show a tv hooked up to a cable line and say "If this is how you watch tv, then everything is fine for you." | |
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| openbox9
join:2004-01-26
Navarre, FL | Re: Simple Not necessarily true. If you have a recent TV with an ATSC tuner, you don't need a converter box. | |
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| | Tobester
join:2000-11-14
San Francisco, CA
| Re: Simple said by openbox9 :Not necessarily true. If you have a recent TV with an ATSC tuner, you don't need a converter box. Now what will happen with my current circa 1982 SONY which receives Comcast directly through a cable attachment to the TV, without using a converter box.
Will I still be able to receive a signal? | |
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| | | openbox9
join:2004-01-26
Navarre, FL | Re: Simple You're fine as long as Comcast continues to broadcast NTSC signals to you (at least 2012 for your local stations). | |
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Dogfather
Altitude is your friend
Premium
join:2007-12-26
Laguna Hills, CA | Wrong on both counts 2009 is a long way off and people won't give a crap until 2009. | |
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en102
Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA | Re: Wrong on both counts People won't care until they lose signal from their antenna or rabbit ears.
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Canada = Hollywood North | |
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Dogfather
Altitude is your friend
Premium
join:2007-12-26
Laguna Hills, CA | Re: Wrong on both counts It's just like an election where most people don't start giving a crap or making up their mind until after Labor Day.
The NTSC ATSC switch is more than a year away and people are working on today's crap. | |
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dvd536
as Mr. Pink as they come
Premium
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ
| said by Dogfather :2009 is a long way off and people won't give a crap until 2009. not to mention the date originally slated for 1999 got pushed back several times when the date was getting close.
I do find it absurd that people have to pay to upgrade just so the cellphone companies can have the spectrum to make more insane profits thru crappy service, long contracts and ETFs.
IMHO the vouchers should be good for one converter box, not just $40 off[you know there wont be any $40 boxes]
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for the record, i have cable but still it isn't fair to those with only OTA!
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You can never be too rich, too thin or have too much Bandwidth | |
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bbt4
join:2003-11-03
Yakima, WA
| Is that right? We are from the government and we are here to help. We're sorry that we are going to change every thing then worry that what we are doing is so confusing even we don't understand it, then pass more requirements on everybody. Just remember that the government can't seem to manage this "transition" when they come back late and tell you that they want to run health care also.
Be afraid, very afraid. | |
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vzw emp
@qwest.net | Re: No wonder people are confused! I asked my parents, my brothers and my sister about this and they had no idea. If it wasn't for DSLR I'd be lost too. I think they've failed to get any kind of message about this transition to the public. | |
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gaforces
United We Stand, Divided We Fall
join:2002-04-07
Santa Cruz, CA | Wow, I wonder if that is a Verizon policy to make that claim, or it's just local sales people making things up to get a subscriber. Either way, DirecTV might have something to say about that ... | |
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gaforces
United We Stand, Divided We Fall
join:2002-04-07
Santa Cruz, CA | Re: No wonder people are confused! It's pretty funny that he had to go through all that, and all he had to do was ask you to sign up  | |
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JTRockville
Data Ho
Premium,MVM
join:2002-01-28
Rockville, MD
clubs: | Re: No wonder people are confused! True, true. As soon as I saw the red check-mark on his jacket, I knew I was gonna buy whatever he was selling. But I didn't let-on as much. | |
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dvd536
as Mr. Pink as they come
Premium
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ
| said by JTRockville :Verizon just came here to sell me their FiOS TV service, and they told me I'd no longer be able to use DirecTV after the mandated digital switch.  Despite the misinformation, I signed up for FiOS TV anyway. I'd been planning to make the switch, and figured now (when they're giving away TVs) would be a good time. Do they lock you into a long term contract with ETF to get that "free" tv?
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You can never be too rich, too thin or have too much Bandwidth | |
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| public
join:2002-01-19
Santa Clara, CA
·DSL EXTREME
| said by JTRockville :Verizon just came here to sell me their FiOS TV service, and they told me I'd no longer be able to use DirecTV after the mandated digital switch. Exactly. Then a Comcast salesman will come by and declare that neither DTV or the phone will work, and they need to buy a premium cable package. | |
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GlobalMind
Domino Dude, POWER Systems Guy
Premium
join:2001-10-29
Hollywood, FL
| Ads are here... I've seen a few ads show up here, and honestly they all pretty well don't spell things out clearly enough.
I've already had family call and ask what it all means and whether their TVs will still work or not.
Just living my role as Technology Consultant to the World.
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TheGlobalMind.com | Speed costs money. How fast do you want to go? | Trust the instinct to the end, though you can render no reason. Ralph Waldo Emerson
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rid0617
join:2003-07-20
Greer, SC
·AT&T Southeast
·AT&T DSL Service
| Another option I have no intention of buying a converter or another TV just because the FCC decided to raise some funds by auctioning off frequencies. It would be different if there was some programming worth watching or every hour of programming has 18 minutes of commercials. My TV will work just fine as a monitor to my DVD player. | |
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weekend_ads
@verizon.net | air the commercials on the weekend If broadcasters air the commercials on the weekends, they can get credit for the airtime they're supposed to put on educational / informational programming..
Maybe a cartoon or two about the digital tv transition? | |
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GlobalMind
Domino Dude, POWER Systems Guy
Premium
join:2001-10-29
Hollywood, FL
| Re: Make the Retailers Give a Straight Story... said by opus74 :Another source of confusion is greedy retailers. I was in BB last weekend and heard one of their blue-shirted idiots tell an older gentleman that he not only needed a new TV (his old one would be "blank" in 2009) but they had a map at the register showing where he could take his old TV for recycling. At least he didn't tell him to bury it in the back yard.  A very good point opus74. The way the information is being presented today by some folks they're confusing how you receive the signal vs what it gets displayed on.
Many, many people have absolutely no idea what that difference really means. | |
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CylonRed
Premium,MVM
join:2000-07-06
Bloom County
edit:
January 31st, @10:37AM
| This is driving probably 50% and probably more like 75%of HDTV's for the last year as tons of folks think digital tv means HDTV and no TV salesman is going to tell them the truth. | |
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| tbone2006
join:2006-07-22
Abilene, TX
| You are exactly right, retailers see the chance to make money off of people's confusion. Our local electronics store owner is running a very misleading commercial. It shows people sitting at a table talking about how they need to upgrade to digital by 2009. There is no mention it is for over the air only. He was even quoted in the local paper telling people not to get a converter box but instead buy a new tv. I am sure he would like you to buy one at his expensive store. | |
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threetrolls
join:2003-04-19
Bellevue, WA
| suprised at the frequency of the ads Maybe it is regional but I have seen the ads throughout the day - which surprised me. If the ads continue at the rate they are shown here I can't imagine there will be hordes of confused people. The ads give a phone number and URL if someone needs more information. | |
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Chuckles
Premium
join:2006-03-04
Saint Paul, MN | Converter coupons. I'm already arguing with cable subscribers who want to use the converter coupon towards comcast equipment. Silly people!
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kustomerservice.net | |
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Brer Rabbit Ears
@pacbell.net
| Typical Goose Chase This is a solution in search of a problem.
Come February next year, if there are any folks that crawl out from under a rock, finding their TV doesn't work, guess what? They'll head down to the TV dealer or BB and complain, and the salesman will tell them the news.
There are already ATSC TV's sold for about $100 at BB/CC.
The only thing I would change, is to make the $40 coupon good towards the new TV, not just a converter, and I would let the household "stack" them towards one TV.
Then I would have the FCC get back to doing its job, and have them force content providers to negotiate separate contracts for every channel, so the cable and satellite industry would in turn, offer ala-carte programming. | |
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FCC and Broadcasters Battle Over Digital TV Transition Ads
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