Dealing with Digital TV Woes: The Challenges of Converting and Taping Shows

[raebates]

I realize that The Furry Guy and I are among the last holdouts. We have an antenna. We've always gotten a really good selection of channels because we live high on a hill. We're about 60 miles from Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, and South Bend and get channels from all three cities. (Seriously, we're equidistant from all three.) We also get a couple of Lafayette stations.

A little over a year ago we had to replace our TV. Knowing the whole digital changeover thing was coming, we bought one with a digital tuner. We were ready.

Yeah, right.

Two of the stations we get have changed over. We can tune them in with the TV. However, we can't tape those shows on the VCR. (The Furry Guy works second shift. I tape prime-time shows for him.)

We went out and bought one of the converter boxes for the VCR. Surprise. If the converter box is on, you can't watch anything through the TV. The only signal is the one that comes through the box. That means that I cannot tape one show while watching another.

We found a splitter. (The Furry Guy has a little of everything stored here and there. I love that guy.) So, now we have a line coming straight into the TV and another going to the VCR via the converter box.

New problem. If I want to tape a digital channel, I can only program the VCR to tape one particular channel. In order to receive the signal, the VCR has to be tuned to channel 4, with the converter box tuned to whatever digital channel we want to tape. That means we have to choose whether we want to watch the CBS shows, the NBC shows, or the ABC shows. So, on, say, Monday night, if we tape Chuck and Heroes, we can't set the VCR to switch over to catch CSI:Miami.

This won't be a problem if I'm home. I can manually switch the converter box. However, we have to do some negotiating on those nights when I'm gone.

I'm so glad the government is watching out for all of us with this whole mandatory digital thing.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. The Government is not your friend.

 

[itsjustCarla]

I can honestly say that I hate digital TV. We are only 20 minutes from South Bend. We have to get an outside antenna, because even with a digital TV, if the wind is blowing or the dog is standing in the wrong spot..NO SIGNAL! ugh.......I hope this gets better. All the stations in our area have gone all digital.

 

[raebates]

Yeah, Carla, but you don't have that annoying snow.

 

[baychef]

When I was a child (before dirt was discovered!!!) my young father would have to occassionally have to go on the roof of our 2 story house to fix the antenna for one reason or another. We received 1 American channel 2 Canadian channels and public tv (which was far before Sesame Street times).

My brother bought them a digital ready tv 2 years ago and they have Direct tv, but for local channels, they could get away with analog reception. Nowthey have switched to digital and they have to have rabbit ears near the window to intermittently receive the local signal. Here he is 75 years old, riddled with arthritis and we are now talking about them having to put an antenna on the roof again!!!!!!!!! We've come a long way, Baby!!! They live at the highest point in the area with no trees or other interference nearby too. We have yet to solve this mystery, but I am so miffed about the LACK OF EASE this "wonderful new technology" has on tv.

Ok...done with rant, but still miffed!:grumpy:

 

[nikked]

I read an article about the reception issue. It basically said that the analog signal "traveled" uphill easier than the digital one. The analog signals also have a longer distance they can travel before beginning to break down. So, those who live on a hill and have always had decent reception, are finding themselves out of luck. And those who live aways away from the core signals used to get decent reception, but now they live too far.

Personally, I believe this is a conspiracy with the cable and satillite companies...they're all going to see an increase in customers!

 

[baychef]

I read an article about the reception issue. It basically said that the analog signal "traveled" uphill easier than the digital one. The analog signals also have a longer distance they can travel before beginning to break down. So, those who live on a hill and have always had decent reception, are finding themselves out of luck. And those who live aways away from the core signals used to get decent reception, but now they live too far.

Personally, I believe this is a conspiracy with the cable and satillite companies...they're all going to see an increase in customers!

But the sad thing is, they already have satallite and the supposed "stronger signal" doesn't come in! They tick me off!!

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

We have two PBS stations here, one on Channel 10 and the other on Channel 36. Channel 36.1, along with 36.2 through 36.7 come in just fine. Channel 10.1 and all the sub channels, nada, nothing, gnorscht. They transmit from the same tower. ARRRRGH!

 

[Crystal Patton]

You guys are crackin' me up. I haven't had network braodcasting, in any form, since 1997. I can't stand the cable company and the satalite people, there is always a catch. That said, we do have a TV and several movies (cough, like 500 +), as well as our favorite shows on DVD.

However I applaud the folks who aren't paying for it.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

My only regret of not having cable is Discovery (I love Mike Rowe in Dirty Jobs) and History Channel. Well, and ESPN of course, but I can get enough sports news on the local ESPN radio station and the Internet.

 

[Crystal Patton]

My only regret of not having cable is Discovery (I love Mike Rowe in Dirty Jobs) and History Channel. Well, and ESPN of course, but I can get enough sports news on the local ESPN radio station and the Internet.

We agree, I wish we could pay by the channel. We would like to get The History Channel, Discovery, Animal Planet, and I wouldn't mind seeing a few country music videos. (I haven't the slightest idea what most of my favorite singer look like. LOL) As for all the rest, we don't miss it a bit.

 

[raebates]

We're way too cheap to pay for TV.

 

[esavvymom]

Man....I wonder how many people went out and bought new TVs and now they aren't even going to work! My folks are like yours- sort of in between cities. The weather will determine which city they get the best signal from usually. I wonder if they'll even get anything after the switch!

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

We're way too cheap to pay for TV.

It's not just a matter of being too cheap for us. (We are.) The other component of the decision is that we spend too much time watching the (*&%#! idiot box as it is. If we were laying out that much money for pay TV, we'd feel that we have to watch even more to get out money's worth.

 

[Crystal Patton]

We're way too cheap to pay for TV.

Your not cheap, your thrifty!

 

[vwpamperedchef]

Its a sign of the times. IMHO I was like who still uses an antenna? Of course, I live in NJ where I dont think anyone still uses antenna. However, I realize different parts of the USA may still use it.

Its weird to think that such a modern commodity (tv, cable, internet, dvd's, etc) and people are living as if it were the 1950-60s.

I am just in amazement...not trying to post an argue point, I am just amazed.

 

[Jessie Jolly]

We stopped paying for cable TV a few months ago...and we do not miss it. We have a digital converter box and we love it. Our 3 year old has lots of movies and Nick Jr shows on DVD so she does not miss the cable at all. It saves us $55 per month!!!

 

[pampchefrhondab]

Well I am guilty of paying for cable. Comcast loves my family. We started w/basic cable, then went to digital cable when we lost our local video store, we then upgraded to add internet (so much better then dial-up and worth it!), and now we got another digital box w/a DVR. We did have HBO, Starz and the NFL network, but they just increased the price for HBO/Starz and we don't need NFL now so I cancelled those.

I could get DSL now from Verizon, but they won't install a phone line down my inside wall so too bad for them!

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

We're way too cheap to pay for TV.

Your not cheap, your thrifty!

Nah. She's cheap.

 

[chefann]

DH has been talking about installing our antenna. We brought it with us from our previous house, but we have cable here. Then we'd at least be able to get the additional local digital channels (the .1s, .2s, etc.) that our cable won't have.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

It's great that our local PBS outlets have all the dot sub-channels except for right now - it's whine week - so now I have an additional 7 channels to put up with them begging for money. (Luckily, I can't get 10.1 and all it's dot subs.)

 

[raebates]

We're way too cheap to pay for TV.

Your not cheap, your thrifty!

Nah. She's cheap.

Yeah, we're cheap. It's nice to be known and loved for exactly who I am. And, like you, KG, I'd feel obligated to get my money's worth if I were paying for TV.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

"Thrifty" isn't really the right term for folks like us. I like "frugal" better. Someone who is frugal will buy the item that is most economical in the long run. Like my father before me and his father before him, I always buy the best tool I can afford. With care, it will last. I still have some of my father's tools (he died in 1976) and a few of my grandfather's tools. Of course, if I bought a suit with two pair of pants, I'd rip a hole in the coat.

 

[raebates]

Yeah, I really consider myself frugal. Though, cheap works. Our money philosophy is this: we don't like to pay more than we have to. Sometimes that means paying a higher price now for something that will last longer, which is why I pick PC products over cheap Walmart stuff. Sometimes that means buying the less expensive thing because longevity isn't an issue. So, we bought a really good antenna, but we don't want to pay a monthly fee.However, we are very generous when it comes to giving when we feel a nudge from God. We give away a lot. BTW, The Furry Guy would probably love your tools. He's a craftsman of sorts.