Which came first the Programming or the Set?

[Gregg Lengling]

Okay so I bought a 61" High Definition TV last year with Over the Air (OTA) receiver and Directv Receiver.  Why did I do this when nobody is really on the air.  Sure a couple channels on HBO the ocassional HighDef loops on PBS.  I bought it because I feel in love with the technology, after seeing numerous demos I said "Oh MY God" this is great.  Now I'm pretty much a technology nut, have been since Boy Scouts in 1963 when I got Amateur Radio License.  In fact so much a of "Techno-Nerd" am I that I have remotes for the lights in my house.  Just about every room has a TV, and being in a 150 year old house it's hard to run cables so I have a "Wireless TV Lan"....yep that's right I have the feed from my satellite dish feeding a 2.4 GHz transmitter to little receivers on every TV in the house, the garage, and even by the Hot Tub just so I can watch anyplace.

At least I know why I made the purchase, I was hooked from the first time I saw the crystal clear picture.  I figured I'd watch Sports and Movies in High Definition.  Since then, it has been a great adventure learning the ins and outs of Digital TV.  The major networks continue to increase the amount of HighDef programming, but local broadcasters have been less than quick to pass it through to me.  In fact, the real problem with Digital TV is the local broadcaster.

Even when they do get a digital signal on the air, the just transmit 480 interlaced.  Management of these stations say that they can't justify investing the monies to pass through the HD from the networks until there are more digital sets out there.  They want to wait until the market is penetrated with Integrated Sets or "Set Top Boxes" (STB's).  However this type of thinking is not going to work, as why would anyone (other than me) go out and invest in HDTV just to have it collecting dust.  This is comparable to the retailers saying were not going to advertise and sell the sets  until there is enough programming in our area to warrant it.  The fastest way to get the DTV tuners ect. Into the homes is for the broadcast stations to take advantage of the technology and lead the way.  If this doesn't happen, Digital TV is doomed in the near future.


Most people aren't going to buy a Digital TV for it technology or because the screen is bigger, they are going to buy it for the "Content" and the local broadcasters aren't delivering.  I know this is like which can first the chicken or the egg, but if has to be Content before the set.

I realize we are lucky to have at least a couple stations that have made the leap full force and are running decent power and passing through all the HDTV they can...but until the Milwaukee Broadcast market matures HDTV will be a dismal failure for the consumer and the broadcaster.


------------------
Gregg R. Lengling
RCA P61310 61" 16x9
HiDTV Pro 2 computer reciever card
glengling@ameritech.net

[Tom Snyder]

 

"Wireless TV Lan"....yep that's right I have the feed from my satellite dish feeding a 2.4 GHz transmitter to little receivers on every TV in the house, the garage, and even by the Hot Tub just so I can watch anyplace.

Off topic, but where you get those and what do they cost? I gotta get one of those!

[Gregg Lengling]

Here you get a 1 transmitter and 1 receiver with a camera (I've got the camera someplace actually pretty good one...just don't use it).
 http://www.x10.com/products/cameras.htm

If you want more receivers here they are:
 http://www.x10.com/products/cameras_accessories.htm

[Todd Wiedemann]

I use 'em too ...

Radio Shack carries them as well.

[ReesR]

Gregg:

 

We are so much alike.

Techno thing     Gregg   Rees
Wireless TV lan   yup     yup
remotes on lights yup     yup
TV in each room   yup     yup
Ham radio         yup     yup
satellite dish    yup     yup
HDTV              yup     yup
chicken & egg?    nope    nope
Hot tub           yup     nope (taking donations)   
etc etc etc       yup     more than likely

And we both agree that content must be there prior to any successful buy in from the typical consumer.  Any chicken and egg argument is but a ploy.  If there is no high definition to look at who is going to buy it?  Simply said......no one! except us of course.   with halo

Rees

[This message has been edited by ReesR (edited 11-20-2002).]

[Mike H]

I had to look twice at this post...  yup dated well after almost all the locals are on air.  

Considering most have met the *first* DTV broadcast deadline I'd say they're not doing too bad.

If you are relying on cable I can however see your beef.