William Ashley Posted August 28, 2011 Report Posted August 28, 2011 (edited) So the water has broke and there is an odd sensation..... Analog is about to go black.. but but??? Are people ready for the switch? It seems people are going to either 1. Stop watching TV or 2. Buy the tech. I know I will now more or less be TV less (Although I'm TVless when at school anyway except for net and the odd TV working out etc.. or if I go to somewhere with a TV. None the less I'm wondering more so how this is going to effect any of you? Or your thoughts on it for others. The US gave a rebate for the converters.. but the 'Harper Government' tm. has not. I can still use my TV if it survives next time I'm home as a computer monitor via a Svideoout to rca. Or have my own CCTV via RF transmitter for "home broadcast television". Its not too late to shelve out the money to get the box. Maybe I'll inherit one. No more RadioCanada and CBC news.... back to "Radio" for CBC news and Radio Canada I suppose atleast the Radio didn't switch over too. http://montreal.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110825/mtl_digital_switch_110825/20110825/?hub=MontrealHome One week before Canada is DIGITIZED. So all this for 4G? more pay for streaming services at home. Ah I'm geussing the 5% of Canadians who hold out don't watch much TV anyway. Atleast now people can pay for consuming more bandwidth. More money for telecom, and more bling for phone users.. GO VIDEO PHONE. Enhanced biometric relay, and ... hell maybe even some location based computing capacities via mobile and cellular triangulation. Where is the digital to analog converter for cell phone? http://www.usatoday.com/money/topstories/2008-08-18-1588873518_x.htm Just wow that china needs to convert itself to digital by 2015.. it is a good thing that Chinese have lots of cells. Why can't I just plug my cell phone into my TV to use as a converter? http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/definition/4G yeah. I am one of the very few people to be in the short term adversely effected by the switch, but it just means more time reading I suppose or out in nature. Pervasive computing (also called ubiquitous computing) is the growing trend towards embedding microprocessors in everyday objects so they can communicate information.The words pervasive and ubiquitous mean "existing everywhere." Pervasive computing devices are completely connected and constantly available. http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/definition/pervasive-computing right up the location based computing future. http://digitaltv.gc.ca/eng/1297877456613/1298648705530 4 days Edited August 28, 2011 by William Ashley Quote I was here.
Socialist in Oil Country Posted August 28, 2011 Report Posted August 28, 2011 I thought the changes didn't matter unless you still had an antennae? Those days are about 20 years behind our household Quote
Wild Bill Posted August 28, 2011 Report Posted August 28, 2011 (edited) William, this is really not an issue - a yawner, in fact. First off, if you are on cable or satellite you don't have to do anything. That leaves people on rabbit ears or antennae. With those people, only those with old tvs will have a problem. Tvs that have been made in the past 4-5 years all have both analog and digital tuners. You just select "auto tune" on the remote and let your tv scan for whatever kind of signals it can pick up. If your tv is 'flat' it's guaranteed to have a digital tuner inside. So that leaves only people with old tvs, on rabbit ears or antennae. That's not very many people! Still, there are some out there. They need to purchase a converter box that will pick up digital channels and convert them into an old-fashioned signal for an old fashioned tv. The price is $50 or so at Future Shop. So what's the big deal? The earth is NOT coming to an end! Edited August 28, 2011 by Charles Anthony deleted re-copied Opening Post Quote "A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul." -- George Bernard Shaw "There is no point in being difficult when, with a little extra effort, you can be completely impossible."
GostHacked Posted August 28, 2011 Report Posted August 28, 2011 I ditched TV last year, now saving 80 bucks a month. There is nothing on TV worth watching anymore to warrent getting cable. Same crap on multiple channels, and more 'specialty' channels than needed. Save your money, watch it online or get out of the house now and then. Quote
Hydraboss Posted August 28, 2011 Report Posted August 28, 2011 Bill, the problem with the switch is not what is mandated by the Feds. Going digital...whohoo. No big deal. I haven't seen rabbit ears in probably 20 years. Got a few brand new 20" crts in the basement I bought for the kids video game systems that aren't being used. Still could, but might just junk them now. What pisses me off is that my service is with Shaw Cable and they're doing their own conversion. I always have "full" cable (don't ever use PPV, but the family likes to have all the regular channels). As of very soon, I will have to get a converter box for every tv in the house if I want to watch anything above about channel 20 (right where the good shows start). Why does this piss me off? You're a techie, you tell me... 103" screen/projector 1080p via hdmi 60" plasma 600hz 1080p 57" RPTV 720p 52" lcd 1080p 32" lcd 1080p 32" lcd 720p (x2) 24" led 1080p With all that technology, I still have to use those little stone-age, garbage design boxes with perhaps the worst remotes in history. No Shaw box, no view. How impressed would you be? Quote "racist, intolerant, small-minded bigot" - AND APPARENTLY A SOCIALIST (2010) (2015)Economic Left/Right: 8.38 3.38 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: 3.13 -1.23
William Ashley Posted August 28, 2011 Author Report Posted August 28, 2011 (edited) looks like this HUGELY HISTORIC AND VERY POLITICAL ISSUE was shelved to :media and broadcasting: well being 1 of the 1 in 10 people who have an ancient TV (with rabit ears and UHF) (an old samsung) with no intentions of buying another one I do find it to be issued, since THE FEDS ARN'T OFFERING A REBATE LIKE THE US DID TO SWITCH OVER. Cheap bastards. Anyway. Yeah 3 days to go.. I wonder if anyone will be upset or suprised when they stop getting TV and instead start receiving peoples phone messages. --- I think I am more likely to get 3d video goggles and hook it up to a tablet 5 years down the road as my next TV, or a "holographic projector" http://www.squidoo.com/holographictv http://www.nvidia.com/object/product_geforce_3D_VisionKit_us.html Edited August 28, 2011 by William Ashley Quote I was here.
bush_cheney2004 Posted August 28, 2011 Report Posted August 28, 2011 ...well being 1 of the 1 in 10 people who have an ancient TV (with rabit ears and UHF) (an old samsung) with no intentions of buying another one I do find it to be issued, since THE FEDS ARN'T OFFERING A REBATE LIKE THE US DID TO SWITCH OVER. Oh...the irony.....a convenient comparison to the "US" when wanting something for nothing. Quote Economics trumps Virtue.
Bonam Posted August 28, 2011 Report Posted August 28, 2011 This is such a non-issue it's hilarious. The fact that you are posting on this forum, and therefore have internet, means you have access to unlimited TV online through your computer already. Quote
William Ashley Posted August 28, 2011 Author Report Posted August 28, 2011 (edited) This is such a non-issue it's hilarious. The fact that you are posting on this forum, and therefore have internet, means you have access to unlimited TV online through your computer already. I'm away for school right now - the institution has free computers. I don't have internet or phone, or cable, or even electricity from the grid at my home. I attempt to use the computers here for "learning", such as current affairs, or my interests such as survivalism and culture based studies. I generally only watch the News Channles (CBC, CTVnews,BBC, (occassionally CNN for a few minutes a day perhaps to figure out what is on that day), and educational programming such as the history network, and the odd other show. However I don't watch TV at school via their internet service, it just doesn't feel appropriate, nor is premium television coming through the internet. TV value information tends to be much lower than what I find online in other mediums. IMO it is one of the biggest technology issues in Canadian history.. but it is one that was already decided... the switch was delayed.. now US technologies will find an easier market in Canada with new 4G technologies... IF Canada uses the bandwidth.. the EXACT same way as the US. Take for instance the number of disposed TV sets.. that is 1 in 4 tv sets being disposed of in Michigan.. I have seen no story about the environmental damage that results in the sudden junking of all the old tech that may have stayed in use for years to come. Edited August 28, 2011 by William Ashley Quote I was here.
Bonam Posted August 28, 2011 Report Posted August 28, 2011 I'm away for school right now - the institution has free computers. I don't have internet or phone, or cable, or even electricity from the grid at my home. You don't have any of these things and yet you view TV as some kind of necessity that the government owes you? Quote
bush_cheney2004 Posted August 28, 2011 Report Posted August 28, 2011 ...IMO it is one of the biggest technology issues in Canadian history.. but it is one that was already decided... the switch was delayed.. now US technologies will find an easier market in Canada with new 4G technologies... IF Canada uses the bandwidth.. the EXACT same way as the US. Gee, for a guy who wants nothing to do with the US, you sure are worried about the impact of this digital change. Quote Economics trumps Virtue.
charter.rights Posted August 29, 2011 Report Posted August 29, 2011 CBC was granted a 1 year extension by the CRTC. They will still be transmitting an analog signal. Quote “Safeguarding the rights of others is the most noble and beautiful end of a human being.” Kahlil Gibran “Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.” Albert Einstein
Wild Bill Posted August 29, 2011 Report Posted August 29, 2011 Bill, the problem with the switch is not what is mandated by the Feds. Going digital...whohoo. No big deal. I haven't seen rabbit ears in probably 20 years. Got a few brand new 20" crts in the basement I bought for the kids video game systems that aren't being used. Still could, but might just junk them now. What pisses me off is that my service is with Shaw Cable and they're doing their own conversion. I always have "full" cable (don't ever use PPV, but the family likes to have all the regular channels). As of very soon, I will have to get a converter box for every tv in the house if I want to watch anything above about channel 20 (right where the good shows start). Why does this piss me off? You're a techie, you tell me... 103" screen/projector 1080p via hdmi 60" plasma 600hz 1080p 57" RPTV 720p 52" lcd 1080p 32" lcd 1080p 32" lcd 720p (x2) 24" led 1080p With all that technology, I still have to use those little stone-age, garbage design boxes with perhaps the worst remotes in history. No Shaw box, no view. How impressed would you be? I have no idea what the hell Shaw Cable is doing in your area, HB! I've never heard of such a thing! Anywhere else, if your tv could get the cable channels before then it will still get them after! I could see a cable company deciding to no longer support analog tv at all. It would save them a LOT of money on hardware. That would require a converter box from digital to analog. But only getting channels up to ch 20-? I just don't understand that! Quote "A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul." -- George Bernard Shaw "There is no point in being difficult when, with a little extra effort, you can be completely impossible."
jacee Posted August 29, 2011 Report Posted August 29, 2011 I've been using homemade 'rabbit ears' for over a year now and getting all the stations I need (about 10). Now I'll get a digital converter and see how the same setup works with that. Has anyone tried it yet in S Ont. And how many stations do you get? Quote
Hydraboss Posted August 30, 2011 Report Posted August 30, 2011 I have no idea what the hell Shaw Cable is doing in your area, HB! I've never heard of such a thing! Anywhere else, if your tv could get the cable channels before then it will still get them after! I could see a cable company deciding to no longer support analog tv at all. It would save them a LOT of money on hardware. That would require a converter box from digital to analog. But only getting channels up to ch 20-? I just don't understand that! Look down at "tiered channels" (anything good) Shaw transition ...no box, no watch. Quote "racist, intolerant, small-minded bigot" - AND APPARENTLY A SOCIALIST (2010) (2015)Economic Left/Right: 8.38 3.38 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: 3.13 -1.23
bush_cheney2004 Posted August 30, 2011 Report Posted August 30, 2011 I like this part of the Q&A web site: One of my TV stations is not listed, what does this mean? If one of your stations is not listed, it may be because its broadcast originates from a nearby area. Consult the pages of surrounding areas on our interactive map to find out if this is the case. Please note that our map does not cover stations originating from the United States. United States = "nearby area" Quote Economics trumps Virtue.
Wild Bill Posted August 30, 2011 Report Posted August 30, 2011 Look down at "tiered channels" (anything good) Shaw transition ...no box, no watch. Wow! They've got more nerve than a bum tooth! This is deliberate by your local provider, HB! To be fair, eventually there will be no support for analog tv. Nobody can support buggy whip users forever. Sooner or later they are going to have to put the horse out to pasture and buy a car. That being said, every other cable company that I know about is waiting, not wanting to stick their customers with too much all at once. They will handle the digital broadcasts first, as it costs them very little. Many of the channels they carry right now are digital anyway. In a year or two when everyone is used to the change I'm sure they will put pressure on their customers to upgrade their old tvs but slowly! If they wait an extra year there will be fewer "old people" to worry about and it will be easier to push them along. To hit your customers all at once seems a marketing blunder, from my POV. If I was going to be forced to get a new digital tv just to support what I already had I might go to a satellite service instead, just for revenge! The cost is competitive and the number of channels is similar. If I had a Bell phone service I could get a bundled cost if I took their satellite service as well. If they were going to push me into going digital who says I have to take THEIR digital? Then I'd phone up my old cable company, tell 'em to rip out their cable feed and go pound salt where the sun don't shine! Quote "A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul." -- George Bernard Shaw "There is no point in being difficult when, with a little extra effort, you can be completely impossible."
Boges Posted August 30, 2011 Report Posted August 30, 2011 I ditched TV last year, now saving 80 bucks a month. There is nothing on TV worth watching anymore to warrent getting cable. Same crap on multiple channels, and more 'specialty' channels than needed. Save your money, watch it online or get out of the house now and then. Everything about this post is wrong. Cable TV is great. I find it hilarious that people think streaming and downloading their shows is better than watching shows from your sofa in Full High Def. Sports is crappy online (when the Dolphins aren't on TV I'll take what I can get though) Cable TV is very customizable to your likes and wants. I like watching documentaries about WW2 and aviation programming. The Military Channel and History TV are fantastic. My wife likes watching Movies. We have TMN. 2 New HD movies every week and you get OnDemand services the rest of the public wastes bandwidth on. HBO programming is also very good. People who think Cable is useless are pretty ignorant. Quote
Hydraboss Posted August 30, 2011 Report Posted August 30, 2011 That being said, every other cable company that I know about is waiting, not wanting to stick their customers with too much all at once. They will handle the digital broadcasts first, as it costs them very little. Many of the channels they carry right now are digital anyway. In a year or two when everyone is used to the change I'm sure they will put pressure on their customers to upgrade their old tvs but slowly! If they wait an extra year there will be fewer "old people" to worry about and it will be easier to push them along. That's the kicker. All of my sets already have digital tuners/converters. I've been watching their digital channels for as long as they've been around (their analog as well). It's just that NOW I have to get the "digital converters" from them. Don't actually physically need them to receive the broadcasts, just need them because Shaw has encoded them. If you already own one but it's not Shaw's, don't bother bringing that either. Won't work. Quote "racist, intolerant, small-minded bigot" - AND APPARENTLY A SOCIALIST (2010) (2015)Economic Left/Right: 8.38 3.38 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: 3.13 -1.23
Wild Bill Posted August 31, 2011 Report Posted August 31, 2011 That's the kicker. All of my sets already have digital tuners/converters. I've been watching their digital channels for as long as they've been around (their analog as well). It's just that NOW I have to get the "digital converters" from them. Don't actually physically need them to receive the broadcasts, just need them because Shaw has encoded them. If you already own one but it's not Shaw's, don't bother bringing that either. Won't work. Sounds like a marketing suit just put Dale Carnegie back about 50 years! Is satellite an option? How about OTA, or Over The Air? That's where you get your own antenna again! I'm recently separated and poor as a church mouse. I've moved into an old house in the poor part of town but I'm getting all kids of digital and UHF channels! What's more, HD picked up on an antenna is FAR sharper than by cable! There are thousands of amplifiers in any big city cable system and probably 30 or more between you and the cable company's antennae. These amplifiers can't help but degrade an HD signal a little bit but they all add up. You lose all the specialty cables but hey, only a few of those are any good. Around here to get a channel you want you have to take a bundle of channels filled with crap! I really don't miss The Shopping Channel or The Watching Paint (CCL-Canadian, of course!) Channel. Besides, for $60 I got a new video card for my computer. It's got a jack for an HDMI cable that I use to feed my "flat" new TV. Lots of networks keep a library of their shows at their main website. So I watch them on my TV and screw the cable company! There's a website called "tvfool.com". You can enter your location and if you know it your expected antenna height and it will give you a chart of all the channels you can expect to receive and even compass directions for the antenna! I'm fortunate here in Hamilton. For another $50 I bought a two-bay UHF antenna (All the digital broadcasting is done on UHF - VHF will be sold to cell phone companies or whatever in a few years). The two bays are hinged in the centre so that I can point one to Toronto and the other towards Buffalo. That's the directions where 95% of the channels are coming from and the missing ones are just repeats of others anyway. Just a thought. Quote "A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul." -- George Bernard Shaw "There is no point in being difficult when, with a little extra effort, you can be completely impossible."
Bonam Posted August 31, 2011 Report Posted August 31, 2011 (edited) Everything about this post is wrong. ... People who think Cable is useless are pretty ignorant. No, people who think cable is useless just have different needs and wants than you do. Cable TV is great. I find it hilarious that people think streaming and downloading their shows is better than watching shows from your sofa in Full High Def. You can connect your computer to a large TV mounted on the wall or whatever just as easily as you can the cable input. Just because you don't have cable, doesn't mean you can't watch stuff from your sofa. That's how I have it set up. 50'' plasma TV on the wall, hooked up to my computer, which I can control with a wireless mouse... I also have two 24'' monitors below the TV, also connected to the computer. Used to be a gaming setup, now I mostly use the setup to trade, but it's certainly nice to sit back and watch something on it now and then too. Sports is crappy online (when the Dolphins aren't on TV I'll take what I can get though) I don't care to watch sports on TV (at all) so this doesn't bother me one bit... Cable TV is very customizable to your likes and wants. I like watching documentaries about WW2 and aviation programming. The Military Channel and History TV are fantastic. These are available online. In high def too if you like (for those of them that were ever released in HD). My wife likes watching Movies. We have TMN. 2 New HD movies every week and you get OnDemand services the rest of the public wastes bandwidth on. HBO programming is also very good. When it comes to movies, you clearly get a much much better selection for the cost using online services like Netflix. You can also download movies in full blue ray quality from a variety of sources. Edited August 31, 2011 by Bonam Quote
Boges Posted August 31, 2011 Report Posted August 31, 2011 When it comes to movies, you clearly get a much much better selection for the cost using online services like Netflix. You can also download movies in full blue ray quality from a variety of sources. I'm mulling over getting Netflix but it's selection isn't quite as good as you'd indicate. There's no new content. You get HBO and you get the latest of many great Shows. TMN is much better and worth the extra $12. Downloading in Full HD will use up your bandwidth limit really fast. I don't know what your limit is but downloading everything you want in 1080p will use it up fast. Netflix is not 1080p BTW. I find it funny that people think searching for something on a bit torrent and downloading it is better to just turning on your TV and scanning what some channel has to offer. I can retire into my bedroom and watch a portion of a show before I sleep without caring about how much bandwidth it's going to use. Quote
Bonam Posted August 31, 2011 Report Posted August 31, 2011 Bandwidth limits? Don't have em I download several hundred GB each month with no problems. Quote
GostHacked Posted August 31, 2011 Report Posted August 31, 2011 (edited) Everything about this post is wrong. Actually it is really good. I have time for so many other things now. Just because you get Jersey Shore in HD does not make Jersey Shore any better (bottom of the barrel programming here). For me ditching TV was one of the better things I have done for myself. If I like a series of any kind, I'll go and buy the DVDs or BlueRay versions. Cable TV is great. I find it hilarious that people think streaming and downloading their shows is better than watching shows from your sofa in Full High Def. Youtube depending on the upload, can be full HD. Netflix, full HD streaming. Sports is crappy online (when the Dolphins aren't on TV I'll take what I can get though) I guess I am not missing much since I really don't care to watch sports at all. Cable TV is very customizable to your likes and wants. I like watching documentaries about WW2 and aviation programming. The Military Channel and History TV are fantastic. Not here in Canada. You get to chose your packages. If there was an ability (and the tech is there) to pick any set number of channels (like pick any 30 you want for X amount of dollars), then that would be worth it. I could chose the channels I want and forget the rest of them. Why do I need a few hundred channels? I spend more time trying to figure out what to watch instead of just watching a show. y wife likes watching Movies. We have TMN. 2 New HD movies every week and you get OnDemand services the rest of the public wastes bandwidth on. HBO programming is also very good. Some channels are good, I'll admit, but they are far and few between to make cable on the whole worth having. People who think Cable is useless are pretty ignorant. That's quite the ignorant statement in of itself. I'd rather read a book than watch TV. take a look at most of the channels and track the time and ratio of show to commercials. You are watching 2-3 times more commercials than you were 20 years ago in a given time frame. Sure is nice to watch all the ads in HD. Edited August 31, 2011 by GostHacked Quote
GostHacked Posted August 31, 2011 Report Posted August 31, 2011 That's the kicker. All of my sets already have digital tuners/converters. I've been watching their digital channels for as long as they've been around (their analog as well). It's just that NOW I have to get the "digital converters" from them. Don't actually physically need them to receive the broadcasts, just need them because Shaw has encoded them. If you already own one but it's not Shaw's, don't bother bringing that either. Won't work. Your HDTVs already have the converters in them (built into them) and yet Shaw is making you purchase/rent their box because they encrypt stuff?? Yeah what more reason do you need to ditch cable tv!?? Quote
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