I know that soon we will all be forced to buy a convertor or else a
new tv, or we wont get anything on the older sets. I am not ready to
buy a new tv. My older one (which is only 2 years old) is still in
good shape. On the other hand, I am considering buying a new DVD/VCR
combo. Do those have the digital tv capabilities in their tuners? I
(Think) I could use the tuner on that DVD/VCR to get the digital
signal into my standard tv. Is this possible?

Thanks

Alvin

wrote:
I know that soon we will all be forced to buy a convertor or else a
new tv, or we wont get anything on the older sets. I am not ready to
buy a new tv. My older one (which is only 2 years old) is still in
good shape. On the other hand, I am considering buying a new DVD/VCR
combo. Do those have the digital tv capabilities in their tuners? I
(Think) I could use the tuner on that DVD/VCR to get the digital
signal into my standard tv. Is this possible?

Thanks

Alvin
Hi,
Simply you need a cable box with PVR. I don't think they'll have VCR
with digital tuner. VCRs are way out. Even DVD is moving to HD such as
Blue ray. Right now all this TV business is in transit. It'll take
little more time to settle down with better price. In the mean time
we have 1080P Plasma set with PVR cable box and 7.1 surrounds sound
home thater. Our regular DVD/VCR deck is fed thru A/V receiver up converted.

In article ,
wrote:

I know that soon we will all be forced to buy a convertor or else a
new tv, or we wont get anything on the older sets.

Really? How do you know that?

Because he read it at http://www.dtv.gov/consumercorner.html?


"Smitty Two" wrote in message
news
In article ,
wrote:

I know that soon we will all be forced to buy a convertor or else a
new tv, or we wont get anything on the older sets.

Really? How do you know that?

In article om,
"Eric" wrote:

Because he read it at http://www.dtv.gov/consumercorner.html?


"Smitty Two" wrote in message
news
In article ,
wrote:

I know that soon we will all be forced to buy a convertor or else a
new tv, or we wont get anything on the older sets.

Really? How do you know that?

I see. So the OP is using a television antenna to receive his TV
programming?

On Mon, 15 Oct 2007 07:31:56 -0700, Smitty Two wrote:


In article ,
wrote:

I know that soon we will all be forced to buy a convertor or else a
new tv, or we wont get anything on the older sets.

Really? How do you know that?

Not everybody has had their head in the sand for the last 5 years.

google for "fcc switch digital tv"
http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/12/f...tv-transition/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_television
* In the United States, all U.S. television broadcasts will be
exclusively digital as of February 17, 2009, by order of the Federal
Communications Commission. This deadline was signed into law in early
2006.[11] Furthermore, as of March 1, 2007, all new television sets that can
receive signals over-the-air, including pocket-sized portable televisions,
must include digital or HDTV tuners so they can receive digital
broadcasts.[12] Currently, most U.S. broadcasters are transmitting their
signals in both analog and digital formats; a few are digital-only. Citing
the bandwidth efficiency of digital TV, after the analog switch-off, the FCC
will auction off channels 52.59 (the lower half of the 700 MHz band) for
other communications traffic,[13] completing the reallocation of broadcast
channels 52.69 that began in the late 1990s.

The analog switch-off ruling, which so far has met with little
opposition from consumers or manufacturers, would render all non-digital
televisions dark and obsolete on the switch-off date, unless connected to an
external off-the-air tuner, analog or digital cable, or a satellite system.
The FCC has determined that an external tuning device can simply be added to
non-digital televisions to lengthen their useful lifespan. Several of these
devices have already been shown, and it is expected that low-cost units will
be available in January 2008.[14] At that same time, the U.S. government
will take requests from households for up to two coupons to reduce the price
of some converter boxes by $40.[15] Currently, even the earliest televisions
continue to work with present broadcast standards. This mandate was designed
to help provide a painless transition to the new standard.

Do you have any reason to believe he's not?

"Smitty Two" wrote in message
news
In article om,
"Eric" wrote:

Because he read it at http://www.dtv.gov/consumercorner.html?


"Smitty Two" wrote in message
news
In article ,
wrote:

I know that soon we will all be forced to buy a convertor or else a
new tv, or we wont get anything on the older sets.

Really? How do you know that?

I see. So the OP is using a television antenna to receive his TV
programming?

In article ,
AZ Nomad wrote:

On Mon, 15 Oct 2007 07:31:56 -0700, Smitty Two
wrote:


In article ,
wrote:

I know that soon we will all be forced to buy a convertor or else a
new tv, or we wont get anything on the older sets.

Really? How do you know that?

Not everybody has had their head in the sand for the last 5 years.



I haven't had my head in the sand, either. And I don't get my television
signal direct from the airwaves.

In article om,
"Eric" wrote:

Do you have any reason to believe he's not?

"Smitty Two" wrote in message
news
In article om,
"Eric" wrote:

Because he read it at http://www.dtv.gov/consumercorner.html?


"Smitty Two" wrote in message
news In article ,
wrote:

I know that soon we will all be forced to buy a convertor or else a
new tv, or we wont get anything on the older sets.

Really? How do you know that?

I see. So the OP is using a television antenna to receive his TV
programming?

No. But if so, he might have said that *he* would have to buy a
converter or new TV, not that "we all" would. I think the vast majority
of us have cable.

On Mon, 15 Oct 2007 08:46:46 -0500, wrote:

I know that soon we will all be forced to buy a convertor or else a
new tv, or we wont get anything on the older sets.

Supposedly you realize that this is true only if your ONLY source of
TV is antenna. Cable and satellite systems, VCRs, DVD players, etc...
won't be affected.

I am not ready to
buy a new tv. My older one (which is only 2 years old) is still in
good shape. On the other hand, I am considering buying a new DVD/VCR
combo. Do those have the digital tv capabilities in their tuners?

Some do, although many don't yet. If a digital tuner is important to
you, be sure to check before buying.

I
(Think) I could use the tuner on that DVD/VCR to get the digital
signal into my standard tv. Is this possible?


It should be. I'd expect any non-TV device with a digital tuner to
have one or more suitable (non-NTSC outputs). Make sure they're the
same type as your TV (converters for those are expensive).

YUV (YPbPr, component video) still seems to be the most common. This
is analog, but is still much better than NTSC.

Thanks

Alvin
--
71 days until the winter solstice celebration

Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"God was invented by man for a reason, that
reason is no longer applicable."

On Oct 15, 11:19 am, Mark Lloyd wrote:
On Mon, 15 Oct 2007 08:46:46 -0500, wrote:
I know that soon we will all be forced to buy a convertor or else a
new tv, or we wont get anything on the older sets.

Supposedly you realize that this is true only if your ONLY source of
TV is antenna. Cable and satellite systems, VCRs, DVD players, etc...
won't be affected.

I am not ready to
buy a new tv. My older one (which is only 2 years old) is still in
good shape. On the other hand, I am considering buying a new DVD/VCR
combo. Do those have the digital tv capabilities in their tuners?

Some do, although many don't yet. If a digital tuner is important to
you, be sure to check before buying.

I
(Think) I could use the tuner on that DVD/VCR to get the digital
signal into my standard tv. Is this possible?

It should be. I'd expect any non-TV device with a digital tuner to
have one or more suitable (non-NTSC outputs). Make sure they're the
same type as your TV (converters for those are expensive).

YUV (YPbPr, component video) still seems to be the most common. This
is analog, but is still much better than NTSC.

Thanks

Alvin

--
71 days until the winter solstice celebration

Mark Lloydhttp://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"God was invented by man for a reason, that
reason is no longer applicable."




The direct answer to the question is yes:

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-12760_7-9675202-5.html


Whether you need one, of course, depends on if you're receiving over
the air and want to use that as the ATSC digital tuner. Also, you
may want to check into the govt rebates that are coming and wait a
bit. They will be giving 2 $40 coupons to any household that
receives only via OTA, ie doesn't have cable/sat. The coupons can be
used toward an atsc tuner. It definitely covers a stand alone
tuner. Not sure if it will cover the dvd/vcr widget, though it seems
it may.

wrote:
On Oct 15, 11:19 am, Mark Lloyd wrote:
On Mon, 15 Oct 2007 08:46:46 -0500, wrote:
I know that soon we will all be forced to buy a convertor or else a
new tv, or we wont get anything on the older sets.

Supposedly you realize that this is true only if your ONLY source of
TV is antenna. Cable and satellite systems, VCRs, DVD players, etc...
won't be affected.

I am not ready to
buy a new tv. My older one (which is only 2 years old) is still in
good shape. On the other hand, I am considering buying a new
DVD/VCR combo. Do those have the digital tv capabilities in their
tuners?

Some do, although many don't yet. If a digital tuner is important to
you, be sure to check before buying.

I
(Think) I could use the tuner on that DVD/VCR to get the digital
signal into my standard tv. Is this possible?

It should be. I'd expect any non-TV device with a digital tuner to
have one or more suitable (non-NTSC outputs). Make sure they're the
same type as your TV (converters for those are expensive).

YUV (YPbPr, component video) still seems to be the most common. This
is analog, but is still much better than NTSC.

Thanks

Alvin

--
71 days until the winter solstice celebration

Mark Lloydhttp://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"God was invented by man for a reason, that
reason is no longer applicable."




The direct answer to the question is yes:

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-12760_7-9675202-5.html


Whether you need one, of course, depends on if you're receiving over
the air and want to use that as the ATSC digital tuner. Also, you
may want to check into the govt rebates that are coming and wait a
bit. They will be giving 2 $40 coupons to any household that
receives only via OTA, ie doesn't have cable/sat. The coupons can be
used toward an atsc tuner. It definitely covers a stand alone
tuner. Not sure if it will cover the dvd/vcr widget, though it seems
it may.

I receive my signals from the air and they're digital. Works really well
too. We're recieving some 70 channels all off the air. Free!

--
Zyp

"Smitty Two" wrote in message
news
In article om,
"Eric" wrote:

Do you have any reason to believe he's not?

"Smitty Two" wrote in message
news
In article om,
"Eric" wrote:

Because he read it at http://www.dtv.gov/consumercorner.html?


"Smitty Two" wrote in message
news In article ,
wrote:

I know that soon we will all be forced to buy a convertor or else a
new tv, or we wont get anything on the older sets.

Really? How do you know that?

I see. So the OP is using a television antenna to receive his TV
programming?

No. But if so, he might have said that *he* would have to buy a
converter or new TV, not that "we all" would. I think the vast majority
of us have cable.
Well that's true. He presumably meant "we all" to mean everyone who has the same provider as he does? Too bad we don't know
what provider that is, or we might be able to help! ;^)

On Oct 15, 9:46 am, wrote:
I know that soon we will all be forced to buy a convertor or else a
new tv, or we wont get anything on the older sets. I am not ready to
buy a new tv. My older one (which is only 2 years old) is still in
good shape. On the other hand, I am considering buying a new DVD/VCR
combo. Do those have the digital tv capabilities in their tuners? I
(Think) I could use the tuner on that DVD/VCR to get the digital
signal into my standard tv. Is this possible?

You ONLY have to buy a converter if you get your TV from over the
air... i.e. through an antenna.

"Zyp" wrote in message
news:-qGdncjGANTvFo7anZ2dnUVZ_rqlnZ2d@championbroadband. com...
wrote:
On Oct 15, 11:19 am, Mark Lloyd wrote:
On Mon, 15 Oct 2007 08:46:46 -0500, wrote:
I know that soon we will all be forced to buy a convertor or else a
new tv, or we wont get anything on the older sets.

Supposedly you realize that this is true only if your ONLY source of
TV is antenna. Cable and satellite systems, VCRs, DVD players, etc...
won't be affected.

I am not ready to
buy a new tv. My older one (which is only 2 years old) is still in
good shape. On the other hand, I am considering buying a new
DVD/VCR combo. Do those have the digital tv capabilities in their
tuners?

Some do, although many don't yet. If a digital tuner is important to
you, be sure to check before buying.

I
(Think) I could use the tuner on that DVD/VCR to get the digital
signal into my standard tv. Is this possible?

It should be. I'd expect any non-TV device with a digital tuner to
have one or more suitable (non-NTSC outputs). Make sure they're the
same type as your TV (converters for those are expensive).

YUV (YPbPr, component video) still seems to be the most common. This
is analog, but is still much better than NTSC.

Thanks

Alvin

--
71 days until the winter solstice celebration

Mark Lloydhttp://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"God was invented by man for a reason, that
reason is no longer applicable."




The direct answer to the question is yes:

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-12760_7-9675202-5.html


Whether you need one, of course, depends on if you're receiving over
the air and want to use that as the ATSC digital tuner. Also, you
may want to check into the govt rebates that are coming and wait a
bit. They will be giving 2 $40 coupons to any household that
receives only via OTA, ie doesn't have cable/sat. The coupons can be
used toward an atsc tuner. It definitely covers a stand alone
tuner. Not sure if it will cover the dvd/vcr widget, though it seems
it may.

I receive my signals from the air and they're digital. Works really well
too. We're recieving some 70 channels all off the air. Free!

--
Zyp

70 channels OTA???? You lucky dog : ) I can get about 6 + 6 subchannels
and half of those are junk (the sub channel). Where are you located?

On Mon, 15 Oct 2007 11:07:26 -0400, "Eric"
wrote:

Do you have any reason to believe he's not?


Didn't someone say he has a cable box?

"Smitty Two" wrote in message
news
In article om,
"Eric" wrote:

Because he read it at http://www.dtv.gov/consumercorner.html?


"Smitty Two" wrote in message
news In article ,
wrote:

I know that soon we will all be forced to buy a convertor or else a
new tv, or we wont get anything on the older sets.

Really? How do you know that?

I see. So the OP is using a television antenna to receive his TV
programming?

--
71 days until the winter solstice celebration

Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"God was invented by man for a reason, that
reason is no longer applicable."

On Mon, 15 Oct 2007 12:30:40 -0400, wrote:

On Mon, 15 Oct 2007 08:13:51 -0700, Smitty Two
wrote:

I haven't had my head in the sand, either. And I don't get my television
signal direct from the airwaves.

Your cable company is in as big a hurry to turn off analog as the
networks.

But way would they HAVE to make the change at the at the time
specified by that broadcast law?

BTW, the cable company here shows no sign of discontinuing analog
service. I know several people who have it.

Certainly they will be happy to rent you a box to output
NTSC but your "cable ready" stuff won't be "ready".
I understand Comcast has already done this in some places.
--
71 days until the winter solstice celebration

Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"God was invented by man for a reason, that
reason is no longer applicable."

In article ,
wrote:

On Mon, 15 Oct 2007 08:13:51 -0700, Smitty Two
wrote:

I haven't had my head in the sand, either. And I don't get my television
signal direct from the airwaves.

Your cable company is in as big a hurry to turn off analog as the
networks. Certainly they will be happy to rent you a box to output
NTSC but your "cable ready" stuff won't be "ready".
I understand Comcast has already done this in some places.

Yeah, maybe. The "sky is falling" crowd wears on me sometimes. So far I
haven't heard a peep from my cable company telling me they're about to
cut my luddite ass off. Why would they want to alienate their customer
base any more than they already do?

n Mon, 15 Oct 2007 14:16:29 -0500, Mark Lloyd
wrote:

On Mon, 15 Oct 2007 11:07:26 -0400, "Eric"
wrote:

Do you have any reason to believe he's not?


Didn't someone say he has a cable box?


Guys....
I have an ANTENNA. Out here on the farm, there are no cables !!!!
I wont even consider satellite tv for what it costs.
I just want to get some of the digital signals they are now sending.

To sort of answer my own question, I was at Walmart today and while
the wife was looking at clothes, I went back to the electronics dept.
They have several DVR/VCR combo units that say they are capable of
receiving digital tv. So, I guess that answers that. However, they
are quite pricey. The standard ones cost $50 to $100, while the
digital ones are just under $200 and up. Of course that's just
Walmart. I'll have to shop around.

One other thing I noticed, they now sell DVD/VCR combo units that are
PLAY ONLY. They do not have a tuner at all. I have never seen such a
thing (not with the vcr).

Ya, everyone keeps saying vcrs are obsolete, but everyone still has
lots of tapes. I think the vcr will be used for many more years yet.
I no longer buy movies on tapes, but for a quick recording of
something off the air, a tape still seems the easiest. Then again, I
never have owned a DVR.

Thanks

"Smitty Two" wrote in message
news
In article om,
"Eric" wrote:

Because he read it at http://www.dtv.gov/consumercorner.html?


"Smitty Two" wrote in message
news In article ,
wrote:

I know that soon we will all be forced to buy a convertor or else a
new tv, or we wont get anything on the older sets.

Really? How do you know that?

I see. So the OP is using a television antenna to receive his TV
programming?

On Oct 16, 5:33 am, wrote:
Mon, 15 Oct 2007 14:16:29 -0500, Mark Lloyd

wrote:
On Mon, 15 Oct 2007 11:07:26 -0400, "Eric"
wrote:

Do you have any reason to believe he's not?

Didn't someone say he has a cable box?

Guys....
I have an ANTENNA. Out here on the farm, there are no cables !!!!
I wont even consider satellite tv for what it costs.
I just want to get some of the digital signals they are now sending.

To sort of answer my own question, I was at Walmart today and while
the wife was looking at clothes, I went back to the electronics dept.
They have several DVR/VCR combo units that say they are capable of
receiving digital tv. So, I guess that answers that. However, they
are quite pricey. The standard ones cost $50 to $100, while the
digital ones are just under $200 and up. Of course that's just
Walmart. I'll have to shop around.

One other thing I noticed, they now sell DVD/VCR combo units that are
PLAY ONLY. They do not have a tuner at all. I have never seen such a
thing (not with the vcr).

Ya, everyone keeps saying vcrs are obsolete, but everyone still has
lots of tapes. I think the vcr will be used for many more years yet.
I no longer buy movies on tapes, but for a quick recording of
something off the air, a tape still seems the easiest. Then again, I
never have owned a DVR.

Thanks


For your application, I would strongly suggest looking at Tivo. They
have the ATSC tuner now. Once you've used one of these or a similar
unit, you'll never want to watch TV any other way. Among the great
features:

If you want to go to the bathroom, get a beer, or answer the phone,
you can just hit pause, and pause a show that your are watching
realtime for up to 30 mins (on my original Tivo, its, 30, may be
longer on new units). You can also back up and replay something you
missed or back up and play it in slow motion.

While watching something real-time, if a commercial starts, you can
hit pause, then go watch some other program that you have recorded for
awhile, then come back to real-time show, use fast forward to blow
through commercials and then resume watching.

You select a program you want to record and you can then get a seasons
pass. It will record all episodes of that program, even if the
program happens to move in time slot or is having an episode that runs
an extra hour. It can do that because it downloads a daily TV
channel schedule. It won;t fix the problem where something runs out
of whack because of a football game running over, because there is no
forecast of that. The recorded programs are displayed on a list to
select from on the screen.

You can record one program, while watching another previously
recorded, or even another real time one. (new ones have multiple
tuners)

You can set up a list of favorite actors, movies, or key words.
Whenever a show that matches is on, it will automatically record it.


For folks with cable, similar functionality is available from most
cable companies now in their PVR products and may be a better choice
based on pricing. But since you don't have cable, Tivo would be for
you. And from the functionality I've seen, Tivo I think has the best
user interface/feature set.

The only thing it can't do is record the material to a tape or DVD.
You can however use it in conjuction with another recording device.
You then play the program on Tivo and the other device records it to
tape or DVD. So, you could use an existing VCR in conjunction with
it. Basicly, the VCR is inserted between the Tivo and the TV.
Meaning you can still play tapes in the VCR and if you want to
transfer a Tivo program to tape, just pop a blank tape it, start the
program playing on Tivo and record.

Of course the other factor in all this is how much you want to invest
in more std def ATSC eqpt before moving to HD.

On Tue, 16 Oct 2007 04:33:47 -0500, wrote:

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 14:16:29 -0500, Mark Lloyd
wrote:

On Mon, 15 Oct 2007 11:07:26 -0400, "Eric"
wrote:

Do you have any reason to believe he's not?


Didn't someone say he has a cable box?


Guys....
I have an ANTENNA. Out here on the farm, there are no cables !!!!
I wont even consider satellite tv for what it costs.
I just want to get some of the digital signals they are now sending.

To sort of answer my own question, I was at Walmart today and while
the wife was looking at clothes, I went back to the electronics dept.
They have several DVR/VCR combo units that say they are capable of
receiving digital tv. So, I guess that answers that. However, they
are quite pricey. The standard ones cost $50 to $100, while the
digital ones are just under $200 and up. Of course that's just
Walmart. I'll have to shop around.

One other thing I noticed, they now sell DVD/VCR combo units that are
PLAY ONLY. They do not have a tuner at all.

"no tuner" does not equate to "play only". Don't forget about the
baseband input (or 2 inputs, many models have inputs on the front and
the back).

I have never seen such a
thing (not with the vcr).


I think there's some law involved there. Anything with a tuner is
supposed to include ATSC. So they're saving money by not including a
tuner.

Ya, everyone keeps saying vcrs are obsolete, but everyone still has
lots of tapes.

Maybe those who say that use the VCR ONLY for playing rented tapes.

One reason I still need a VCR if making copies of DVDs for people who
don't have (and can't afford) DVD. One use of a VCR is as a TV tuner
(a VCR costs a lot less than a dedicated tuner). Of course you can do
the same thing with a DVD recorder (with a tuner), but you can use
VCRs you already have (even if the tape part no longer works).

I think the vcr will be used for many more years yet.
I no longer buy movies on tapes, but for a quick recording of
something off the air, a tape still seems the easiest.

It often is. You press record and it records. No dealing with things
like formatting, menus, and finalization. If I was designing a DVD
recorder, I'd include a RECORD NOW! button that starts recording right
now no matter what. NO additional prompts.

Then again, I
never have owned a DVR.


DVRs are useful things, but not as a substitute for a VCR in all
cases.

Thanks

"Smitty Two" wrote in message
news In article om,
"Eric" wrote:

Because he read it at http://www.dtv.gov/consumercorner.html?


"Smitty Two" wrote in message
news In article ,
wrote:

I know that soon we will all be forced to buy a convertor or else a
new tv, or we wont get anything on the older sets.

Really? How do you know that?

I see. So the OP is using a television antenna to receive his TV
programming?

--
70 days until the winter solstice celebration

Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"God was invented by man for a reason, that
reason is no longer applicable."

On Mon, 15 Oct 2007 18:00:29 -0700, Smitty Two
wrote:

In article ,
wrote:

On Mon, 15 Oct 2007 08:13:51 -0700, Smitty Two
wrote:

I haven't had my head in the sand, either. And I don't get my television
signal direct from the airwaves.

Your cable company is in as big a hurry to turn off analog as the
networks. Certainly they will be happy to rent you a box to output
NTSC but your "cable ready" stuff won't be "ready".
I understand Comcast has already done this in some places.

Yeah, maybe. The "sky is falling" crowd wears on me sometimes. So far I
haven't heard a peep from my cable company telling me they're about to
cut my luddite ass off. Why would they want to alienate their customer
base any more than they already do?

The cable company here hasn't changed what they make available on
analog (other than moving all the premium/PPV to digital).
--
70 days until the winter solstice celebration

Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"God was invented by man for a reason, that
reason is no longer applicable."

On Oct 16, 11:31 am, Mark Lloyd wrote:
On Mon, 15 Oct 2007 18:00:29 -0700, Smitty Two





wrote:
In article ,
wrote:

On Mon, 15 Oct 2007 08:13:51 -0700, Smitty Two
wrote:

I haven't had my head in the sand, either. And I don't get my television
signal direct from the airwaves.

Your cable company is in as big a hurry to turn off analog as the
networks. Certainly they will be happy to rent you a box to output
NTSC but your "cable ready" stuff won't be "ready".
I understand Comcast has already done this in some places.

Yeah, maybe. The "sky is falling" crowd wears on me sometimes. So far I
haven't heard a peep from my cable company telling me they're about to
cut my luddite ass off. Why would they want to alienate their customer
base any more than they already do?

The cable company here hasn't changed what they make available on
analog (other than moving all the premium/PPV to digital).
--
70 days until the winter solstice celebration

Mark Lloydhttp://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"God was invented by man for a reason, that
reason is no longer applicable."- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

The basic local channels here with Cablevision in NYC area that have
been analog and that you can receive without a cable box haven't
changed in a long time. It's probably about 12 stations. That only
affects a small percentage of customers, because the vast majority
have a cable box so they can get the extra channels, premium channels,
ppv, etc. instead of just a dozen that come through without the box.
I think really, the only thing most use sets without a box here for is
to hook up an extra set somewhere, like by an excercise station, or
kitchen to watch the news.

When NTSC OTA air goes away, not sure what will happen with those
handful of basic analog cable channels that come in unencoded. The
cable company could still provide them or they could discontinue them,
which would force customers to get some kind of cable device, usually
a set top box from the cable company. But, I already have 2 of
those, so it;'s a non-issue for me.

wrote:

SNIP HAPPENS:
Guys....
I have an ANTENNA. Out here on the farm, there are no cables !!!!
I wont even consider satellite tv for what it costs.
I just want to get some of the digital signals they are now sending.

To sort of answer my own question, I was at Walmart today and while
the wife was looking at clothes, I went back to the electronics dept.
They have several DVR/VCR combo units that say they are capable of
receiving digital tv. So, I guess that answers that. However, they
are quite pricey. The standard ones cost $50 to $100, while the
digital ones are just under $200 and up. Of course that's just
Walmart. I'll have to shop around.


Price will come down. Its a waiting and balancing game: How badly do you
want digital and / or HD RIGHT NOW vs. current price and how long are you
willing to go without digital and / or HD to get a lower price.

Remember what analog VHS VCRs cost when they first came out in
the (?) 70s - 80s?

Remember what video cameras used to cost?

Plain old DVD players used to be real expensive, too, now
you can get one or $50.00

Electronics prices always fall precipitously.

One other thing I noticed, they now sell DVD/VCR combo units that are
PLAY ONLY. They do not have a tuner at all. I have never seen such a
thing (not with the vcr).

Ya, everyone keeps saying vcrs are obsolete, but everyone still has
lots of tapes. I think the vcr will be used for many more years yet.
I no longer buy movies on tapes, but for a quick recording of
something off the air, a tape still seems the easiest. Then again, I
never have owned a DVR.

Thanks


"Smitty Two" wrote in message
news
In article om,
"Eric" wrote:


Because he read it at http://www.dtv.gov/consumercorner.html?


"Smitty Two" wrote in message
news
In article ,
wrote:


I know that soon we will all be forced to buy a convertor or else a
new tv, or we wont get anything on the older sets.

Really? How do you know that?

I see. So the OP is using a television antenna to receive his TV
programming?

On Tue, 16 Oct 2007 11:03:54 -0700, jJim McLaughlin
wrote:

wrote:

SNIP HAPPENS:
Guys....
I have an ANTENNA. Out here on the farm, there are no cables !!!!
I wont even consider satellite tv for what it costs.
I just want to get some of the digital signals they are now sending.

To sort of answer my own question, I was at Walmart today and while
the wife was looking at clothes, I went back to the electronics dept.
They have several DVR/VCR combo units that say they are capable of
receiving digital tv. So, I guess that answers that. However, they
are quite pricey. The standard ones cost $50 to $100, while the
digital ones are just under $200 and up. Of course that's just
Walmart. I'll have to shop around.


Price will come down. Its a waiting and balancing game: How badly do you
want digital and / or HD RIGHT NOW vs. current price and how long are you
willing to go without digital and / or HD to get a lower price.

Remember what analog VHS VCRs cost when they first came out in
the (?) 70s - 80s?

Remember what video cameras used to cost?


And I remember $1200 for a plain (1x) read-only CDROM drive.

Plain old DVD players used to be real expensive, too, now
you can get one or $50.00


Around here, it's usually $30.

Electronics prices always fall precipitously.

One other thing I noticed, they now sell DVD/VCR combo units that are
PLAY ONLY. They do not have a tuner at all. I have never seen such a
thing (not with the vcr).

Ya, everyone keeps saying vcrs are obsolete, but everyone still has
lots of tapes. I think the vcr will be used for many more years yet.
I no longer buy movies on tapes, but for a quick recording of
something off the air, a tape still seems the easiest. Then again, I
never have owned a DVR.

Thanks

[snip]
--
70 days until the winter solstice celebration

Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"God was invented by man for a reason, that
reason is no longer applicable."

On Tue, 16 Oct 2007 16:00:31 -0400, wrote:

On Tue, 16 Oct 2007 11:03:54 -0700, jJim McLaughlin
wrote:

Price will come down. Its a waiting and balancing game: How badly do you
want digital and / or HD RIGHT NOW vs. current price and how long are you
willing to go without digital and / or HD to get a lower price.

Remember what analog VHS VCRs cost when they first came out in
the (?) 70s - 80s?

Actually the first VCRs were not VHS, they were Beta and it was about
2 grand for a Sony SL7200 that gave you one hour. I bought one in 75

My real question is whether "cable" is even going to be the 21st
century way to get your shows. I still believe producers are going to
figure out they can distribute their product on the internet and cut
the "network" out completely. Cable companies will mostly just be
selling bandwidth and competing with the Telcos and maybe even the
power company.

I notice that more and more of what I watch comes over the internet,
rather than conventional channels. Of course, not everybody has
broadband internet.

I'm sure there will still be a market for some "time slot" oriented
programming but that is really obsolete thinking in a digital age.
I bet DVR technology will be built into the next generation of TVs
along with an ethernet port.
I bought a $2k Beta machine and I had a $200 digital watch and a $100
calculator.

My parents had Beta because of the better sound quality (beta hifi).
It wasn't easy trying to sell that beta VCR and about 400 tapes in
2000.

I am smarter now and I am going to let this business shake out before
I jump in. If I have to I will rent a couple cable boxes for a while.


This does seem to be one of those situations where renting makes
sense.

BTW as for analog on cable, so far I have heard New York and Chicago
are cutting back to virtually nothing analog so I bet it is the wave
of the future.

Probably, although it could be 10 years or more for some systems.
--
69 days until the winter solstice celebration

Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"God was invented by man for a reason, that
reason is no longer applicable."

ebay

search hdtv tuner.

50 bucks






wrote:
n Mon, 15 Oct 2007 14:16:29 -0500, Mark Lloyd
wrote:

On Mon, 15 Oct 2007 11:07:26 -0400, "Eric"
wrote:

Do you have any reason to believe he's not?

Didn't someone say he has a cable box?


Guys....
I have an ANTENNA. Out here on the farm, there are no cables !!!!
I wont even consider satellite tv for what it costs.
I just want to get some of the digital signals they are now sending.

To sort of answer my own question, I was at Walmart today and while
the wife was looking at clothes, I went back to the electronics dept.
They have several DVR/VCR combo units that say they are capable of
receiving digital tv. So, I guess that answers that. However, they
are quite pricey. The standard ones cost $50 to $100, while the
digital ones are just under $200 and up. Of course that's just
Walmart. I'll have to shop around.

One other thing I noticed, they now sell DVD/VCR combo units that are
PLAY ONLY. They do not have a tuner at all. I have never seen such a
thing (not with the vcr).

Ya, everyone keeps saying vcrs are obsolete, but everyone still has
lots of tapes. I think the vcr will be used for many more years yet.
I no longer buy movies on tapes, but for a quick recording of
something off the air, a tape still seems the easiest. Then again, I
never have owned a DVR.

Thanks

"Smitty Two" wrote in message
news In article om,
"Eric" wrote:

Because he read it at http://www.dtv.gov/consumercorner.html?


"Smitty Two" wrote in message
news In article ,
wrote:

I know that soon we will all be forced to buy a convertor or else a
new tv, or we wont get anything on the older sets.
Really? How do you know that?
I see. So the OP is using a television antenna to receive his TV
programming?

wrote:

SNIP HAPPENS


That may be right. I know Comcast keeps one HBO down on a low analog
channel and the only reason that makes sense is they are desparately
holding on to all those people with a chipped box. Without that one
channel satellite really starts to look attractive to a lot of people.
The phone company has a satellite/DSL bundle than kicks Comcast's ass
and it is more reliable.

Where are ou located? Which phone company?

I finally had to get rid of Comcast because
the cable modem was down several times a week and it was screwing up
my web site. I also get a lot of shows on my RTV that are missing
parts or simply stop because of signal dropout.

wrote:
On Wed, 17 Oct 2007 07:57:09 -0500, Mark Lloyd
wrote:

BTW as for analog on cable, so far I have heard New York and Chicago
are cutting back to virtually nothing analog so I bet it is the wave
of the future.
Probably, although it could be 10 years or more for some systems.

That may be right. I know Comcast keeps one HBO down on a low analog
channel and the only reason that makes sense is they are desparately
holding on to all those people with a chipped box. Without that one
channel satellite really starts to look attractive to a lot of people.
The phone company has a satellite/DSL bundle than kicks Comcast's ass
and it is more reliable. I finally had to get rid of Comcast because
the cable modem was down several times a week and it was screwing up
my web site. I also get a lot of shows on my RTV that are missing
parts or simply stop because of signal dropout.

They is no premium programming on Comcast analog in my market. They
pulled that solo HBO channel sometime last year.

Mark Lloyd wrote:

But would they HAVE to make the change at the at the time
specified by that broadcast law?

No, but they are taking advantage of the confusion over the OTA transition to
get people to move to a digital (usually more expensive ) tier.

--
"Tell me what I should do, Annie."
"Stay. Here. Forever." - Life On Mars

Rick Blaine wrote:

Mark Lloyd wrote:

But would they HAVE to make the change at the at the time
specified by that broadcast law?

No, but they are taking advantage of the confusion over the OTA transition to
get people to move to a digital (usually more expensive ) tier.

They also want the bandwidth back. They can carry about 6 digital or
2 HD channels for every analog channel.
--
Jim Rusling
More or Less Retired
Mustang, OK
http://www.rusling.org