DTV Is Coming and I'm Not Ready 376
(arg!)Styopa writes "As an early adopter, I have an HDTV-ready set without an integrated tuner. Analog television ends next February. My suspicion is that the $40 set-top box at Walmart has the minimum functionality to get by — i.e. simply a D-to-A converter and not an HDTV receiver. Three years ago I bought a UHF super-antenna (I'm about 40 mi. from the towers: borderline fringe reception) and searched for an HDTV converter to pull down HDTV OTA broadcasts. These were extremely hard to find — none at Radio Shack, Best Buy, Circuit City, or Ultimate Electronics (all the local bigboxen). I ended up buying a SIRT150 from eBay, which never found a signal, despite confirmed reception (on the set's normal tuner) of both VHF and UHF channels. So — any advice on what to look for in a set-top box? Is it going to cost me an arm and a leg, or is it not too far from the $40 Walmart special? Can I use Uncle Sam's $40 coupon towards it? I'd like very much to be able to find a physical store where I could go see the signal, before I decide if HD is worth the up-charge (if any) over simple DTV."
Do what millions of others will do: (Score:1, Insightful)
turn your back on the box. Liberate yourself from the culture machine. You will discover things about life that are so much more enriching.
RS
TV? (Score:3, Insightful)
I personally have no plans to upgrade any of my TV's. Call me whatever you please, but I simply do not find anything worth watching on TV anymore. Sure, I will miss my football games, but really, it just isn't worth it anymore. I can still watch my movies on my DVD player, and I get all of my news from the Internet or my local radio station (for severe weather alerts).
So, why do we need to upgrade again? Without content that is actually worth watching, I see no reason to waste the money.
Re:Do what millions of others will do: (Score:5, Insightful)
What you need... (Score:5, Insightful)
The difference is noticeable, but it's largely individual taste whether it's really worth it. Some people like to see fine details in the wide shots in football, and they'll like it more than people who are only interested in the plot of a drama. AV gear forums will be a better place if you're interested in the details. If you just want to see them in action, wander into anywhere that sells TVs, and they'll have a whole bunch of HD sets next to SD sets, and you can see if it matters to you.
If you've had an HD set this long but haven't bothered to pick up an ATSC tuner before now, why do you suddenly care? It seems odd that you plopped down that much cash for a TV but then never bothered to buy the extra accessory to actually use it.
Parent may be harsh, but it's not a troll (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:What you need... (Score:3, Insightful)
Why would HDTV become mandatory? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Parent may be harsh, but it's not a troll (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Do what millions of others will do: (Score:1, Insightful)
tv is suicide.
perhaps you should fill your posts with less drama and more thought.
Re:CRT HDTV is Great (Score:4, Insightful)
Those are the problems with CRT HDTVs.
Re:Do what millions of others will do: (Score:3, Insightful)
Did you even consider that maybe there are people in the world capable of owning a TV and not watching Britney's every move? Who might just watch it for the weather and news? You know, maybe like the OP, who probably only gets broadcast TV because this entire thread would otherwise be pointless?
Maybe you need to avoid TV like and alcoholic avoids booze, but that doesn't mean others can't keep their TV and still "discover things about life that are so much more enriching".
Re:Do what millions of others will do: (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:What you need... (Score:4, Insightful)
Where would the "cheap coverters" get the signal from if they DIDN'T have ATSC tuners?
Re:Just replace it. (Score:3, Insightful)
The only really serious problem with one of those would be trying to actually move it to make way for a new one...
Re:After paying for an early HDTV... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:CRT HDTV is Great (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:I don't care (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Not real HD (Score:2, Insightful)
Slashdot has some posts a while back with links to content comparisons you could see yourself.
Re:What is up with "boxen"? (Score:2, Insightful)
Here's a tip people: The Almighty Firefox says "boxen" should be "boxes"! Stop making up words!
Not only... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Parent may be harsh, but it's not a troll (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Ignorance of what... Politics? (Score:3, Insightful)
but it is more taxes than we would be paying without the coupon program.
If you think the amount of money the government receives has anything to do with your tax rate, you might want to pay a bit more attention to political science rather economics. We're currently in serious deficit spending mode, and yet the tax rates have gone DOWN. (Yes, it's dumb, but that's politics for you). Tax rates are determined by politicians, not any kind of sane relationship between incomeexpenses.
Re:Do what millions of others will do: (Score:3, Insightful)