Politico wants to move up DTV deadline

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Cable or Satellite Subsidies?

I think the $50 converter box will ultimately be less than half that price--a box about the size of two stacked videocassettes with coax and 300-ohm inputs, coax/composite/S-video and L/R audio outputs, cheap remote, solid state with no adjustments, and a guaranteed market of more than 100 million units.

But how many TVs are sitting in bedrooms and workshops with nothing but rabbit ears? There's no guarantee that these TVs can get digital reception. People are willing to put up with some pretty bad analog reception to see their local NFL team play on Sunday. Digital means you get a good picture or you don't get it at all. My bet is that many, maybe MOST of these TVs will not get reception on the full complement of over-the-air stations. This is not a small number of TVs, easily in the tens of millions. Will subsidies extend to covering basic cable or satellite services to connect these TVs to free over-the-air signals for their local markets? Maybe buy everyone an indoor Terk HD antenna?

Posted by: Rodney Davis   Posted on: 10/18/05 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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