wrote in message
oups.com...
Does anyone know if it is true that the present VHF TV band will be
disbanded when HDTV finally takes over? What will then occupy those low
band frequencies? And what will be the new fequency allocations? Also
is there any hope for those of us who would like to keep our existing
NTSC equipment? There was talk of converter boxes being made available.
Will this be the case and will they be reasonably priced? Or are they
perhaps a home brew project that we might be able to build ourselves?
Thanks for any information. Lenny Stein, Barlen Electronics.


Converters probably aren't going to be priced to the delight of most
consumers.
The major players are far more interested in moving new tech products than
supporting old standards. Which means converters may be offered by smaller
brands most aren't familiar with. Can they keep up with what could be a
high demand for these things? If not, low supply + high demand = high
street prices. Stay tuned...

At any rate, you'll still have many years of future use with your NTSC
TV(s), for as long as you remain content watching video tapes and NTSC
discs -- better build a huge library while you can if you plan to swear off
broadcast.

I hate that the plasma, DLP and LCD techs have so many disadvantages.
Nevertheless, I'll probably break down and purchase some kind of HDTV set.
My Sony WEGA is a little over 5 years old, so if 2009 turns out to be the
transition date, this set will be pushing 10 years (and it's on most of the
time).
It MAY continue to display a decent pix by then, but I'm ready for a bigger,
higher-res screen and I could also use the space which would be saved with a
thin, lightweight screen. The only reason I haven't purchased one yet is
price, price, price. Soon -- certainly by 2009 -- these things will be
priced down to what a 32" WEGA sells for now, which is less than what I paid
for this 27" WEGA 5 years ago.