Digital Transition

[Anriana]

No, you are not missing HBO because of the digital transition.

No, your on demand did not stop working because of the digital transition.

No, the entire state of GA did not go down because of the digital transition.

No, your TV with identical equipment to your other TV did not stop working because of the digital transition.

No, your DVR did not stop working because of the digital transition.

No, you do not need to pwc your box because of the digital transition.

No, the internet has NOTHING to do with the digital transition.

Yes, HGTV and CSPAN did swap because of the digital transition. I don't know why, but congrats, you are the only person who asked a correct question about the digital transition! Congrats, you don't get put in time-out.

Uggggg.

[Food Lady]

What did all these people do during Y2K? Seriously, there have been TV programs, commercials, & website tutorials about this for a year. Why don't people get it?

[JLRodgers]

15% of the people taking a poll on my local paper said they aren't ready, or aren't sure if they're ready or not.

Sad thing? if you have a TV that's receiving a picture you are (at least very, very likely) because we don't get any stations without a box (whether it be cable or satellite). Not to mention all the commercials on tv -- that if someone missed it, they don't have a TV... or radio (as it's on the radio too).

[bean]

I bought the cheapest 20 inch TV Walmart had 2 years ago for my bedroom.

Even with no equipment, even that no-name ("Emerson") TV, which is so cheap it doesn't even have a degass circuit built in and has to be taken to a shop for a degauss every time lightning strikes nearby.... has a built in digital tuner. It actually picks up some channels my digital cable box on my living room TV says are subscription only.

The TV was under $100, and as long as lightning doesn't strike nearby (and nothing with a magnetic field happens to wander within several feet of it), it has an awesome picture. FAR better than the 8 year old RCA TV it replaced. Unfortunately, it's off to the shop again for another $20 or so professional degauss since lightning struck the carport outside the other day - half the picture is green again. At least the RCA had a built in degauss.

The living room TV also has a cable box even though it has a digital tuner - can't get HBO without the box yet, and can't get HDTV signals over a cable line without a cable box (you can, however, get them over the air).

[Jack T. Chance]

I bought the cheapest 20 inch TV Walmart had 2 years ago for my bedroom.

Even with no equipment, even that no-name ("Emerson") TV, which is so cheap it doesn't even have a degass circuit built in and has to be taken to a shop for a degauss every time lightning strikes nearby.... has a built in digital tuner. It actually picks up some channels my digital cable box on my living room TV says are subscription only.

The TV was under $100, and as long as lightning doesn't strike nearby (and nothing with a magnetic field happens to wander within several feet of it), it has an awesome picture. FAR better than the 8 year old RCA TV it replaced. Unfortunately, it's off to the shop again for another $20 or so professional degauss since lightning struck the carport outside the other day - half the picture is green again. At least the RCA had a built in degauss.

The living room TV also has a cable box even though it has a digital tuner - can't get HBO without the box yet, and can't get HDTV signals over a cable line without a cable box (you can, however, get them over the air).

It used to be possible to buy the magnetic wand thingy to degauss it yourself.... I seem to remember my dad having one of those years ago. Might be something you might be able to find still, maybe... although it's getting harder to find the kind of GOOD electronics store that would carry something like that. You might have to look around online.

[infinitemonkies]

This is like when they stopped releasing movies on VHS around the end of 2004.

I was working at blockbuster at the time, and the first 3 months were SC hell, having to explain to every other customer that the movie is only available on DVD.

Some of the most memorable moments:

SC: This is just a scam to make us pay more.
(Note: Rental cost is the same whether DVD or VHS)

SC: I can't afford to go out and get a DVD player
(Note: at the time you could get a new DVD player at Walmart for $40. This particular SC was renting 3 new release VHS films [$18] and buying $35 worth of candy, and did so every single week)

SC: Why didn't they say they were gonna do this? [Stop making VHS]
Me: Actually, the offical public announcement was widely made in 1999. They said as of 2002 movies would be released only on dvd. They actually gave an extra 2 years lee-way for people to get ready.

SC: This is bullshit!
Me: I agree! let's boycott DVDs! We'll put together a protest group and picket out front, listening to our 8-tracks [Yes, I actually said this to a customer. Oddly enough, instead of complaining, it calmed him down. He bought a DVD player the following week after asking my advice about what features to look for.]

SC: But I just spent $400 on a new VCR!
Me: Wow, you got ripped off. I bought my first DVD player in 1997 and I paid $180. [Yup, I said that too, and the SC did complain. Management didn't care though, because we were getting about 80 complaints a week from SCs pissed off about DVDs]

And my personal favorite, repeated a minimum of 30 times per shift for the first month:

Me: I'm sorry, that film isn't available on VHS, the studios are making them any more. You can only get it on DVD.
SC: I'M NEVER RENTING HERE AGAIN!!!!

[infinitemonkies]

Even with no equipment, even that no-name ("Emerson") TV, which is so cheap it doesn't even have a degass circuit built in and has to be taken to a shop for a degauss every time lightning strikes nearby....

There's a few things you can do about that:

First, make sure it's grounded properly. Get a semi-decent power bar with surge protection and an indicator light that shows if it's grounded.

Try unplugging it, plugging it back in. Turn it on for a minute, turn it off, unplug. Repeat half a dozen times or so, usually works wonders.

If that fails, try turning it on, tilting the screen upwards (not sure if thats actually important, but it's how I was taught to do it) and hold a big speaker 8 inches to a foot from the screen. Move the speaker around in slow circles, across the entire surface of the screen. Then do the plug/unplug step.

If you still have problems after that, take it to a pro, but this should work 90% of the time

[draco664]

Me: I'm sorry, that film isn't available on VHS, the studios are making them any more. You can only get it on DVD.
SC: I'M NEVER RENTING HERE AGAIN!!!!

Well, since you don't have a DVD player, you don't really have a choice...

[bean]

There's a few things you can do about that:

First, make sure it's grounded properly. Get a semi-decent power bar with surge protection and an indicator light that shows if it's grounded.

Try unplugging it, plugging it back in. Turn it on for a minute, turn it off, unplug. Repeat half a dozen times or so, usually works wonders.

If that fails, try turning it on, tilting the screen upwards (not sure if thats actually important, but it's how I was taught to do it) and hold a big speaker 8 inches to a foot from the screen. Move the speaker around in slow circles, across the entire surface of the screen. Then do the plug/unplug step.

If you still have problems after that, take it to a pro, but this should work 90% of the time

It doesn't have a 3 wire cord, so grounding is a non-issue. Turning it off and on several times won't do shit, since like I said, there's no built in degauss (confirmed by the last shop that degaussed it for me).

It's on a cheap surge protector. Everything else in the apt is on a decent surge protector. It's on the same surge protector my nearly decade old RCA TV was on and it never had problems (but did have a built in degauss).

I don't have anything with big magnets handy except a subwoofer - and I'm not about to disconnect/disassemble it/drag it out from behind my entertainment center.

Lightning struck EXTREMELY close both times it got magnetized - I'm talking 50 feet or so outside of my apartment. Close enough that my home theater receiver shut itself off and wouldn't turn back on until I'd unplugged/replugged it both times, and fried a few things that were on decent surge protectors. The first time my PC rebooted (it's on a high end APC battery backup with a good surge protector, about $200 or so for that alone), the second time it just locked up. Both times I had several light bulbs burn out too, and there was a very strong "static" feeling in the air. Bad enough that the hair on my arms stood on end.

[infinitemonkies]

It doesn't have a 3 wire cord, so grounding is a non-issue. Turning it off and on several times won't do shit, since like I said, there's no built in degauss (confirmed by the last shop that degaussed it for me).

Wow. I don't know that I've even seen a tv without a ground wire.

If you lived in my area I'd give you a better TV I've got filling up closet space right now, but that fact that you get lightning strikes at all means you don't.

Y'know, I think overall the best TV I ever owned in terms of picture quality was a 13" color commodore 64 monitor. Top of the line in 1985, I still used it up until 2003, when I gave it to a friend and moved out to the west coast.

[JLRodgers]

Wow. I don't know that I've even seen a tv without a ground wire.

My older (like 5-8 years, so "obsolete") LCD sony I think has a ground (there's like 5 things plugged in, only one has a ground wire so I'm assuming it's it) -- before that I've never seen a TV that even had a ground.

[MadMike]

What did all these people do during Y2K?

I know at least one of them took a shitload of money out at the ATM. On the day of 12/31/1999 I stopped by one of the machines so I could take out some money to get some lunch, and I was stuck behind some idiot who drew larges amounts of money from three different cards. Didn't she realize that the money was a lot safer in the bank than on her person?

[LadyAndreca]

Y'know, I think overall the best TV I ever owned in terms of picture quality was a 13" color commodore 64 monitor. Top of the line in 1985, I still used it up until 2003, when I gave it to a friend and moved out to the west coast.

We hooked ours up to our PS1 and it got better picture quality than hooking it up to the TV did...

[TheSHAD0W]

There is one thing about the DTV transition that I didn't know, and if I'd been in my old house it would've bitten me.

Anyone who's using analog cable without a converter box lost their service. I should've expected it, since the channels were largely just gated onto the cable. But yeah, you need a converter box now. And not one of the DTV boxes, but a cable company box that'll cost you a monthly fee.

[VComps]

My older (like 5-8 years, so "obsolete") LCD sony I think has a ground (there's like 5 things plugged in, only one has a ground wire so I'm assuming it's it) -- before that I've never seen a TV that even had a ground.

Most large flat panels do. Small ones and CRTs not so much.