Converting to digital tv

[Facetious]

About a month ago, my cable tv provider called me at home one night to inform me that I was on the list of those who had not yet requested the new mandatory digital signal receiver units. Anyway, the long and short of it was that I gave the cable tv rep guy the relevant info and 2 days later, just as he had promised, I received a box from UPS.

The following day after receiving this box, I decided, what the hell, I'm going to open it and see what it was that they sent me and just as I anticipated, nothing real exciting.

Now, It was my understanding that if I had failed to connect these digital receivers into my system by a certain date of which had already passed (by about three to four weeks already) I would no longer be able to receive any channel above channel 33.
Guess what ? I never hooked up these new cable tv
provider digital receivers and I still receive every channel just as if nothing ever happened.
Think about that one.


Now for my conspiracy theory :1orglaugh

"They're" using these "special boxes" not for any digital upgrade, they're using these so called "digital receivers" to monitor what it is that we are watching.
They're probably also using them to listen in on our household conversations too ! :shocked: e.g. anti obama, pro 2nd Amendment, any confessions with respect to a member of the household admitting or confessing to discarding an old cell phone in the trash can, anti same sex marriage households, anti immigrant RACIST EXTREMIST daddies, that sorta stuff. :jester:

I'm just kidding ! rest assured ! At ease !

 

[D-rock]

Every since they converted to digital I have lost all reception from my regional NBC station. It came in very clear before that. It wasn't like I was barely getting it. Wasn't digital T.V. supposed to be easier to pick up, you were supposed to be able to get more channels, and it was supposed to be clearer. I have also noticed that while the channels come in they are clearer it's more sensitive to the direction the outdoor antenna is pointed. In my view the federal government screwed me out of a channel. It wasn't like I got a lot of them beforehand either.

 

[europorn]

It's all fuckin bullshit !!!

 

[Patrick_S]

All these conspiracy theories about digital tv are so incredibly stupid. If the government were using digital tv receivers to "monitor" people´s habits then people would find out. It wouldn´t be hard for someone who´s good with electronics to check if the box is transmitting some sort of signal. I´m sure some of these conspiracy loons have tested if the boxes are sending any signals, and since noone have found anything you can be 100% sure that the box isn´t some sort of "spyware".

 

[busenbust]

Perhaps Digital really is that literal : a case of ON/OFF.

 

[Facetious]

In my view the federal government screwed me out of a channel. It wasn't like I got a lot of them beforehand either.

The only items of noteworthiness that I recall about the direct reception digital signal "upgrade" i.e. from transmitter tower to television via a VHF aerial was :
1) The entire UHF spectrum was going away entirely and will be rededicated to govt and emergency (fire & police) use.
2) There would be a voucher system (for non cable tv subscribers) that would include a special digital signal receiver box which would be connected in parallel between the tv itself and the outdoor antenna.

 

[busenbust]

...and what of Digital Radio....the quality of reception does not necessarily exceed that of analog So, why the Big Idea????

 

[tartanterrier]

I'm surprised they haven't made an X-Files show of this

 

[busenbust]

^^LOL. Great idea :thumbsup: (Where would Cancer Man feature??

 

[tartanterrier]

^^LOL. Great idea :thumbsup: (Where would Cancer Man feature??

Well he could be in a dark smoky room with a thousand different screens,whilst ordering
hit squads to take out those who watch obscure TV or something

 

[shayd]

About a month ago, my cable tv provider called me at home one night to inform me that I was on the list of those who had not yet requested the new mandatory digital signal receiver units. Anyway, the long and short of it was that I gave the cable tv rep guy the relevant info and 2 days later, just as he had promised, I received a box from UPS.

The following day after receiving this box, I decided, what the hell, I'm going to open it and see what it was that they sent me and just as I anticipated, nothing real exciting.

Now, It was my understanding that if I had failed to connect these digital receivers into my system by a certain date of which had already passed (by about three to four weeks already) I would no longer be able to receive any channel above channel 33.
Guess what ? I never hooked up these new cable tv
provider digital receivers and I still receive every channel just as if nothing ever happened.
Think about that one.


Now for my conspiracy theory :1orglaugh

"They're" using these "special boxes" not for any digital upgrade, they're using these so called "digital receivers" to monitor what it is that we are watching.
They're probably also using them to listen in on our household conversations too ! :shocked: e.g. anti obama, pro 2nd Amendment, any confessions with respect to a member of the household admitting or confessing to discarding an old cell phone in the trash can, anti same sex marriage households, anti immigrant RACIST EXTREMIST daddies, that sorta stuff. :jester:

I'm just kidding ! rest assured ! At ease !

If you've got cable television, you've got a DTV converter in your cable box. Cable companies have put the DTV converters in their boxes since they started offering digital television channels. The only people who wouldn't have gotten reception from their television would be those who have a TV with "rabbit ears" (the tuning antenna) that don't have a) cable or b) satellite TV. If you've got one or the other service, you don't have to worry about the boxes. The cable company probably called you because they still offer analog channels, and wanted to try to sell you a new converter.

As for the listening in, although I know you were sarcastic, they already do pay attention to what we watch through ratings boxes.

 

[busenbust]

Well he could be in a dark smoky room with a thousand different screens,whilst ordering
hit squads to take out those who watch obscure TV or something

Yeah, either The Wire, The Shield:thumbsup:, or Big Tit Porno :1orglaugh

 

[Facetious]

All these conspiracy theories about digital tv are so incredibly stupid. If the government were using digital tv receivers to "monitor" people´s habits then people would find out. It wouldn´t be hard for someone who´s good with electronics to check if the box is transmitting some sort of signal. I´m sure some of these conspiracy loons have tested if the boxes are sending any signals, and since noone have found anything you can be 100% sure that the box isn´t some sort of "spyware".

I haven't yet heard of any of such theories pertaining to the new digital tv hookup, I was just sort of mocking the over reaching and over zealous conspiracy theory establishment in general.

 

[Hot Mega]

If you've got cable television, you've got a DTV converter in your cable box. Cable companies have put the DTV converters in their boxes since they started offering digital television channels. The only people who wouldn't have gotten reception from their television would be those who have a TV with "rabbit ears" (the tuning antenna) that don't have a) cable or b) satellite TV. If you've got one or the other service, you don't have to worry about the boxes. The cable company probably called you because they still offer analog channels, and wanted to try to sell you a new converter.

As for the listening in, although I know you were sarcastic, they already do pay attention to what we watch through ratings boxes.

Exactly right. I would add that I helped an elderly couple by using their voucher to get the DTV converter for them and installed it on one of their televisons. They were panicked that their t.v. might explode or something if they didn't..

I would say if you don't have sat. or "cable".....DTV is quite an enhancement over the analog broadcast. I only expected a small upgrade in picture quality since their t.v. apparently wouldn't have the resolution to harness the full picture quality being broadcast. After I programmed it to autoscan it tuned to the channels, the first thing you notice is there wouldn't be any "snow" on a digital channel as on weaker signals the picture slightly freezes or pixels (which to me is a little better than "snow" for some reason) and many stations have multiple channels such as with NBC for example has 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 & 4.4 with different, somewhat dedicated programming to each. Seemed pretty nice...And the stations now appear with a program display, rudimentary guide, on screen menu and I think I saw a few other enhancements. Hooking it up was a simple in-out process.

If you have an t.v. which is not hooked up to "cable" or sat. this is certainly worth hooking up IMO.

 

[Ainttalkinlove]

We already live in the 1984 society that Orwell described. Does anyone know how they get tv ratings that they always talk about? The tv watchs us just as much as we watch it. That book earily describes much of our society the way it is now.

For those of you who do not know of what i speak go purchase yourself a copy of 1984 bye George Orwell.

and...

DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER

 

[busenbust]

^^^^:rofl:

 

[Hot Mega]

We already live in the 1984 society that Orwell described. Does anyone know how they get tv ratings that they always talk about? The tv watchs us just as much as we watch it. That book earily describes much of our society the way it is now.

For those of you who do not know of what i speak go purchase yourself a copy of 1984 bye George Orwell.

and...

DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER

Ratings are generated by a private company who installs their devices in a sample group of homes which monitors programming....has nothing to do with the government.

 

[belgianass]

did it 3 months ago ...
watching tv hasn't changed a lot for me, still laying in the couch, chips and beer at a close range ... and the remote as well ...

Tv has Hd and all, for me that's just another light that is turned on inside the tv so that it looks brighter ... Sound, no difference there, i had surround before ... perhaps i'm deaf all ready for not hearing the difference ... damn you metal music ...

but then again about your conspiracy ... they know more about you then you know ... :sing:theme of "twilight zone":sing:

 

[Hot Mega]

did it 3 months ago ...
watching tv hasn't changed a lot for me, still laying in the couch, chips and beer at a close range ... and the remote as well ...

Tv has Hd and all, for me that's just another light that is turned on inside the tv so that it looks brighter ... Sound, no difference there, i had surround before ... perhaps i'm deaf all ready for not hearing the difference ... damn you metal music ...

but then again about your conspiracy ... they know more about you then you know ... :sing:theme of "twilight zone":sing:

If you don't have cable or sat. it should be quite a bit different than what you were watching IMO. Well, in the sense that you have more programming and a converter box which does your channel tuning instead of your t.v.

 

[belgianass]

for me ... i had to change tv (almost broke), cable (analog) was almost same price as Digital and i really wanted to see that difference where they were always talking about, even bought the "Bravia" to see all the variety in colors ...
really ... i'm happy with it, don't complain there, but really I was happy before as well with my old one ... only thing changed is that i get accustomed with the much larger screen, if i have to look at a small screen, my eyes get numb in a way ... I can't even believed I watched small tv before ...
It's just (according to me) a selling thing, profits went down and someone had this bright idea and suddenly everybody had to change ... try to buy a tv that doesn' t fit on your wall ... perhaps there are still countries who have them, but over here nothing (unless it is second hand) ...