Blog: Cable TV is So 20th Century

[VectorGamer]

http://tomwrotethis.blogspot.com/2010/01/cable-tv-is-so-20th-century.html

[fiddlepaddle]

A refreshingly pure-consumer evaluation of TV technology. Boils it down to the essential "I want my internet TV". Thanks for sharing.

[Lemmi]

nice read

but thanks for the pic in the article of the jerrold channel changer (which was our first box back in 1978ish)

the only problem is our first box only had like 26 channels tho not the 37 shown

ive been looking for a pic of that for weeks now (i couldnt remember the jerrold name)

[Pixelboy]

Very nice read. I took my right back to my youth! Thanks!

 

Would you believe we never had cable at our house? Still today, we rely on good ol' rabbit ears plugged directly on the TV sets. The cable companies never made any money with us, and perhaps they never will, considering I watch about 4 hours of "live" TV each week, and that's mostly on Sunday evenings on a local channel. Of course, I do watch a lot of TV on DVD, so I'm definately not glued to the internet all the time.

 

My mom is perfectly happy with local channels, and she's worried about the switch away from analog signals which will make our TVs obsolete, but that's going to happen in Quebec only in 2012 (probably later). I'm worried too, but for a different reason: They say digital signal provides a clearer picture, which is probably true, but one thing I didn't fail to notice (when watching TV at a friend's house on his big screen TV) is the blue screen we get when the signal is lost. If you live in a location with bad reception, you'll be seing more blue screen than anything else. With analog, the picture gets ugly, but you see something at least. If all we see is a blue screen at my house after the switch to digital, we'll have to get cable... finally!

[Mirage]

The TV's don't become obsolete, you just need the digital to analog converter box. I would think Canada would be the same as the US for that (?). We only use the rabbit ears with digital cable as well, and do occasionally get the jittery signal (not blue screen, it just jumps or stutters like a stutter on your computer video playback... I think the blue screen would be their TV blocking out anything below a certain quality level of signal). You're right though, rural viewers will have issues. But you can get or make high-strength antenna to pull it in. My father in law lives out in the middle of nowhere, and can get Milwaukee stations about 1.5 hours away from here with an antenna he made out of plywood, aluminum foil, and clothes hangers. I was shocked how well it worked.

[Pixelboy]

The TV's don't become obsolete, you just need the digital to analog converter box.

Yeah, I should have mentionned that I knew that, but my mother keeps asking me about it every two months or so because she doesn't understand the technology.

 

I would think Canada would be the same as the US for that (?).

The switch to digital was scheduled for 2009 in the US (has it actually happened?) but it will officially happen in Canada in 2012, from what I know.

 

We only use the rabbit ears with digital cable as well, and do occasionally get the jittery signal (not blue screen, it just jumps or stutters like a stutter on your computer video playback... I think the blue screen would be their TV blocking out anything below a certain quality level of signal). You're right though, rural viewers will have issues. But you can get or make high-strength antenna to pull it in. My father in law lives out in the middle of nowhere, and can get Milwaukee stations about 1.5 hours away from here with an antenna he made out of plywood, aluminum foil, and clothes hangers. I was shocked how well it worked.

Do you call him MacGyver to his face, or just when he's not around?

[Mirage]

The TV's don't become obsolete, you just need the digital to analog converter box.

Yeah, I should have mentionned that I knew that, but my mother keeps asking me about it every two months or so because she doesn't understand the technology.

 

I would think Canada would be the same as the US for that (?).

The switch to digital was scheduled for 2009 in the US (has it actually happened?) but it will officially happen in Canada in 2012, from what I know.

 

We only use the rabbit ears with digital cable as well, and do occasionally get the jittery signal (not blue screen, it just jumps or stutters like a stutter on your computer video playback... I think the blue screen would be their TV blocking out anything below a certain quality level of signal). You're right though, rural viewers will have issues. But you can get or make high-strength antenna to pull it in. My father in law lives out in the middle of nowhere, and can get Milwaukee stations about 1.5 hours away from here with an antenna he made out of plywood, aluminum foil, and clothes hangers. I was shocked how well it worked.

Do you call him MacGyver to his face, or just when he's not around?

 

Yes, the changeover happened here in 2009. I meant that I figure the need for the digital converter box is the same in CA as in the US. Sounds like that's the case.

 

He is sort of like MacGyver, good call. Being out in the country, I guess it's okay to have a contraption like that on your roof.

[in the dark]

I dropped cable back in Sept. of 2008. Locally stations began to broadcast in digital. I stuck an antenna on the corner of my house and started receiving beautiful digital signals. Right now I receive around 20 channels and could receive more if I had a rotor. The signals are much better than the cable signals mainly because the cable company uses compression in the signals they send to your house. Even the HD signals are better and free. locally people are paying at least $140.00 a month for the HD TV. And some of the channels are the same as what I am picking up for free.

[doubleminor]

The only reason I have cable is to watch hockey and baseball. Nothing more, nothing less. I've tried, but can't get into any tv shows. Can't get satellite since too many trees and a large concrete wall block the line of view.

 

I would subscribe to the NHL and MLB online services (I'd much rather my money go straight to the leagues than through a 3rd party), but since I live in the local Dallas/Fort Worth market, the Stars/Rangers games would be blacked out (most games are shown on FSSW, which is on cable; very few come on local). I could go to a streaming site, but the quality isn't all that good. Plus, I have an HDTV that would just be collecting dust. *moan complain moan complain moan complain*

 

Guess I'll have to kick it old school and use the good old radio.

[MagitekAngel]

A really interesting read; I haven't bothered with TV since I moved out from my parents' house when I started university. What little television programming I miss is scarcely a click away. Hell, even when I still lived at home, we didn't pay for our T.V.: we pirated DirecTV and Dish Network.