Why does that other car say impal ass on it? Was this before Prop 8?

KSPRAYDAD (TAWKN.com)

@FuturePastNow:

Well of course it only gets 1/2 the channels... the rest of them aren't transmitting until feb.

dOk

@Sussudio: Because it is a conspiracy. Like EVERYTHING.

KSPRAYDAD (TAWKN.com)

Oh, man, signs of things to come.

f3rg

@subsider34: Sure, just keep telling yourself that.

thefutureisnow

@Aturayd: The GM one is working fine.

subsider34

Too bad the vehicle wasnt a GM one..

Aturayd

@jewsrock: Yahoo doesn't produce news articles, they just post other outlets work, mainly Reuters and The AP

Sussudio

My dad finally broke down and used his $40 coupon on a DTV box. It gets half the channels that the plain-old rabbit ears did.

FuturePastNow

@jewsrock: It isn't Yahoo!. The picture was provided to Yahoo! by Reuters to use in their article.

vee-media

LOL - awesome pic.

EnochLight

Why Reuters when its really Yahoo?

jewsrock

I think I see what you did there

the_sidewinder

hah! I thought that was shooped until I read the article and saw that the FCC actually sponsors a car.

jcostantino

@jewsrock: See right by the headline with the swirly orange logo? You know the one that says Reuters.

Plus didn't this tip you off? "WASHINGTON (Reuters) "

nyaz

I see here the digital transition is under some serious heat.

SachiEriphyle

@spectralveil: compUSA has a wall of them. You could build a fort with the amount I saw there.

geiko

Hmm. It's a Ford.

fredygamer

The worst thing about the transition is the converter boxes, I have yet to find one worth the extra $20 over the coupon, and they are always sold out.

spectralveil

@jcostantino: Nope not shopped, happened last weekend at Phoenix International Raceway. Saw it live, was very ugly.

Jasonsdaddee

@nyaz:
Well alot of blogs (including this one) report on stories they get elsewhere. and when another blog wants to refer to that blog that got reference elsewhere they go "x via y" so why dont they do "Reuters via Yahoo) here? just because yahoo didnt really change the writing doesnt mean that isnt where they found the story.

They shouldve done "Reuters via Yahoo via Digg and Gettyimages"

jewsrock

that picture made my day

rolfo87

I think I'll just stick with my cable provider. Seems like a logical choice.

Although my TV already has a built-in digital tuner. :P

magikal04

@dOk: There are no "new" channels transmitting in February. Every station is now transmitting in digital except for a very few which have exemptions.

dondgc

@magikal04: Speaking of cable providers, recently, I've seen some Cablevision TV ads that seem to be aimed at old people who only get OTA TV and are unsure of what's going on with this transition to digital. Goddamn parasites.

Hyman Decent

@magikal04: Kiss my analog, OTA ass.

Hyman Decent

@spectralveil: The week two weeks before last, Rite Aid (in my neck of the woods, at least), offered the Access HD DTA1050D for $40 before coupon.

Hyman Decent

@dondgc: You're saying that every station that will be prohibited from broadcasting analog signals come February is already broadcasting in digital. Is that really the case?

Hyman Decent

nascar is the worst racing division in the history of the world.

swoyekr

In my language, nas roughly translates to "a bag of hurt". It's true!

No, really, I'm serious!

...stop laughing!

Hologram

It's all gas'n'goes for DIGITAL TV. No tires for him today!
Now, normally I'd say that's a short term gain... long term loss... but it looks like it's workin' out for the rookie, he obviously knows somethin' we dont.
DIGITAL TV: Piston Cup, here I come!
***POP***
**CRASH**
ANALOG TV: Hey DIGITAL TV, that must be really embarassing. But I wouldn't worry about... because I didn't do it! Ha hah hahahah.

scarbrtj

@FuturePastNow:

That's progress, comrade!

farker

Why is our government pissing money on this? I have Tivo and still have seen the ads plenty of times. It's everywhere. Anyone clueless enough to miss out on what they need to do to make the transition deserves to not have TV.

usa1

@Hyman Decent: Yes.

ezman

@usa1: agreed. its pretty much impossible to get a tv these days without getting digital support

5000punchestotheface

@FuturePastNow:

He really didn't need all those extra channels anyway :D

dOk

@5000punchestotheface: The point is, among other things, informing people who have analog-only TVs and get TV programming OTA only that they don't have to buy new TV sets. Your observation is irrelevant.

Hyman Decent

@usa1: I completely agree. For the cost of production and broadcast of these ads they could have purchased new TV's for the 3 million people using analog TV.
More interesting is this article, [news.cnet.com] which basically says 20% of those 3 million won't upgrade at all.

kaylix

@geiko: I didn't even know compusa still existed.
@Hyman Decent: Thanks for the tip.

spectralveil

@usa1: I agree in many ways but I think that they're putting money in the wrong places. A lot of people went out an bought TVs last black friday thinking then they would be set for the switch-over but they got shammed because the manufacturers devised a complicated set of standards. People bought HDTV-ready thinking it would be set and now they have to get a box.
True it's usually like 1 cent for one but then you got two devices and lots of people get confused when there's two. They want to use their TV remote for everything in one keypress and put it to channel 4 to play a tape, you know?

Anyway, I've got two of those boxes and my experience has been the same as @FuturePassNow in that even though there's more digital channels broadcast than analog, even with power amplified rabbit ears I could only get about 1/6th of the digital channels. We live 2 miles from Downtown Tampa. People are really going to need to invest in outdoor antennae to get all the channels they are used to from analog.

JeffEd

Best. Photo. Ever.

I freebase cocaine for a living

@spectralveil: Tigerdirect had one for $40.01.

StarChaser Tyger

Digital TV is total bullshit. Not only are there less channels, it's a black and white issue of reception now. You get a perfect picture with perfect sound, OR you get a black screen and a "No Signal" banner.

I grew up in the middle of nowhere, no cable, no broadband. A lot of the shows I watched growing up i did so through a screen of static. And, so, static on the picture doesn't bother me to this day. As long as I can make out whats going on, I really don't care about counting the pores and exposed nosehairs of the people on tv.

That said, when the fog rolls through the valley, our analog gets a little staticy on the FM side - the audio stays pristine, and that's the important part. Same channel on digital? Black, "No Signal".

Yeah, digital is sooooo much better, it doesn't work 1/10th as reliably as analog.

WTF is so wrong with analog? i LIKE analog. It keeps chugging along, regardless.

And really, this is our priority? a huge issue in our country is that our TVs aren't good enough, so our government is spending money to force us to switch to something better? wait, what?

If it were better, wouldn't we all eventually switch in accordance with the laws of a free market?

OH i almost forgot, there is no more free market. Just suits on a hill pulling all the levers, deciding which companies live and which products we are allowed to have. wait, i'm sorry, deciding which products are better and deciding we're too stupid to recognize that they are better.

They're right, i dont recognize the advantage of digital at all. It's a good thing my government is looking out for me, or i'd be swearing I was qualified to decide for myself which is better! how funny!

nutbastard

@Hyman Decent: Seattle's in the middle of a Comcast media blitz right now.

I'm going to build a Comcast Scare-Tastic Fort out of all the crap pouring out of my mailbox from them.

Futrell

@spectralveil: How do you know what they're worth if you haven't yet bought one?

(The Insignia one we got is pretty nice.)

Futrell

@FuturePastNow: I get more channels with ours and they all look freaking great.

I get two channels from NBC; the regular one and a 24hr weather one. I get two channels from CBS; the regular one and some sort of "classic" one: A-Team, Knight Rider, Magnum PI, etc. Two channels of PBS; normal and PBS Create. This is in addition to the church channels, Spanish language, and Dr. Phil channels I don't watch.

Our picture beats our friends with DirctTV hands down. I wished I'd have "broken down" sooner than I did.

And any shows we don't get and want to watch? Download via torrents and stream wirelessly to the XBOX Media Center.

How much is your cable/satellite bill a month?!?

Thanks FCC!

Futrell

@KSPRAYDAD (TAWKN.com):
Not even a good attempt at being funny.

kaiesis

I get like 6 channels HD the rest analog and awful. Waiting for ABC to switch in my area because LOST is FEB next year and I don't want to pay for cable again.

Shnyzx

@EnochLight: Seconded.

Razza

@fredygamer: On top of a Toyota!

DirtyDogg

$350,000 of our tax dollar up in flames.

DirtyDogg