Comments on: Frankenstein Television

By: G. Spivey

G. Spivey — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 03:19:13 +0000

I would be willing to bet that no one replying to this post relies on broadcast only television. They (you) have either cable or satellite and are not truly affected by the change to digital broadcasts.

Let me cut to the chase. Digital broadcasts do not work as well as analog. You either have a signal or you don’t have a signal. If you do, you most probably will not be able to watch an entire program without the picture either freezing or the screen going completely black.

This happens whether I am in a rural setting or within 5 miles of the cluster of towers. (Houston, TX) I have both an older television and new “digital” television. Both experience the same glitches, for lack of a better word.

This SHOULD concern you. Broadcast television has gotten this country through many a bad situation. You could depend on being able to receive some type of signal though it might have been mostly “snow.”

What are you going to do if you satellite goes out and a storm is headed your way? I doubt you will be able to get a technician out to correct it for you. Remember if this is the case there will be numerous people with the same problem.

Cable is a little better but not much. No power to the cable company means no television for you. Power lines and cable lines down and you are lucky enough to have a generator? Won’t do you much good if you can’t get the weak digital signal like you could when it was analog.

There is no effort being put forth to correct the digital strength issues. This could be a national problem in the event of a major catastrophe. (for people, not the government)

Last item. Why would it be decided that there should be a way to black out all television in a given area at any time desired? Decide that for yourself.

By: James Smith

James Smith — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 00:53:28 +0000

This dated article does provide insight into the back-room antics and coercive mandates that this legislation represents in an illustrative manner. It is the elected minority using the power in their domain to require the unelected majority to give up the power in their domain. The power I refer to is the power of ownership and the choices that are fomerly thought to go along with ownership. Bastiat’s writing in “The Law” illuminates this conflict of ownership and control between owners and controllers. The political system of socialist countries and mixed economies such as the United States overshadows this conflict. I beleive the principle of ownership will win because if ownership does not trump control of external persons, such as government, the economy will misfire and malfunction as this conflict creates more heat than light.

In the end, the practical response of practical owners will tend to win. That win will be the resistance to such mandated legislation by owners. The result of this win by owners will likely be a negative response to the February mandate as people refuse to change their life, invest their time, and pay their money for such an intrusive and abusive requirement. Though owners can be coerced the ultimate resistance will show in some negative way in the long run, if not also in the short run.

By: Shane Morris

Shane Morris — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 15:05:49 +0000

The principles in the articles are not out-of-date. They reveal that the more things change the more they remain the same. That fifty years ago they faced the identical struggle we face today. Socialism is alive and well yet few people recognize it. Good point about TV obsolesence, I agree, let it wither.

By: Kevin Kelley

Kevin Kelley — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 23:09:42 +0000

FEE should not reprint out of date technical articles unles they are edited to be up to date. Converters are not $650 but are $40 and you can by a digital TV for about $250, I\’ve seen 15\" for $200 range. I believe a free market should determine digital TV acceptance and not the FCC. But, like I have to contend with wide screens in new computers instead of griping that square screens are no longer available, people need to accept that the analog TV era is gone (I was a technician in analog and would have to relearn everything) and we are now in the digital era, instead of wasting bandwidth for analog AND digital, deal with it.

By: tom harrison

tom harrison — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 01:37:39 +0000

Forget TV… let’s start using our computers fro news and entertainment and let the television industry suffer the consequences for this “mandate”.

By: Dr. Michael Beitler

Dr. Michael Beitler — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 00:17:53 +0000

Interesting article. I was not aware of a lot of this.