Broadcast television

[Windy in Kansas]

Never mind whether you have a digital converter box or not there is some movements underway to do away with free broadcast television all together.
Heard the story on the news last night.

http://foxyurl.com/NDD

It's only a matter of time before there is no difference between television and broadband because they will have merged into one and the same thing.

Televisions are already being produced that can be hooked directly into the Internet. This is a trend that will only continue. Telephone party lines went the way of the dodo. Eventually broadcast television will too. The programming you watch for free now will be viewed over a wireless broadband connection. Some of that may be free just as broadcast TV is now. Of course you'll have to watch the paid ads to get it, but then everyone watching broadcast television has been doing that all along. It never was really free.

.....Alan.

[simplegirl]

Hmm... then I certainly hope they can make broadband available for us who live in rural areas. Been waiting a long time for that. Most towns near me have some access to it but since I live about 15 miles from any surrounding town, I am in a black hole. No access at all. But of course I am apparently in the minority so sounds like before long I can forget about TV at all. Not a huge loss I suppose.

[Windy in Kansas]

I really doubt broadband will ever be available to everyone nationwide.

As stated in the article about 20 to 30% of Kansans will be left without television.

Without broadband available to many they will simply have to rely once again on radio for weather information during stormy weather when dial up is clogged and slowed to a crawl with many many users.

My old home county covers an area roughly 33 miles X 33 miles and with a total population of under 3,000 I seriously doubt any Internet provider will see that broadband is available to them and with Kansas having lower incomes than much of the nation retires and many other will not be buying satellite service.

I simply can't imagine there being no more broadcast television, but then again I though that there would be some workable solution for the analog to digital switch instead of many simply not being able to receive signal and hence no television at all.

Maybe the big boys should simply back off of HD television, 3D television, and go back to high quality monaural rather than tweak the picture and sound so much. That ought to free up a little something.

[Wayne02]

Good heads-up, Windy.

This is about the long and the short of it...

"The matter is do you want to pay or not,” Buch said. “If you don't want to pay for it say something. Now is the time."

[Wisconsin Ann]

They've been talking for the last couple of years about the simple fact that the free overtheair broadcast networks can not make a profit on just advertising. Too many internet and cable/satellite options competing for the money. What with multimillion dollar er, "talent" in front of the cameras...from news anchors to high paid actors (yes, yes, some might say the anchors ARE actors....) and the cost of producing shows now....it's only a matter of time.

Broadband for the nation....I'm guessing it's closer than you might think. If a digital signal can reach you from a tower, or there is cell phone coverage...they'll have a way to get broadband to you soon. It'll be pricey tho. Like satellite internet is now. Hughesnet charges an arm and half a leg.

On the bright side, tho...with TNT, USA, SyFy, Bravo, HBO, SHOWtime, Hallmark, and others producing their OWN shows, and doing a bang-up job of it mostly....

At least we don't have to pay a licensing fee in the US just to OWN a tv....yet.

[Windy in Kansas]

You would think that the FCC would have a heads up about the number of people depending upon broadcast television from the number of converter boxes they helped buy and the total number of them sold.

Ask the people around Whitewater & Potwin, Kansas about cell service, cable television, and broadband. At least you can get DSL in Whitewater in part of the town. Don't know about all of it. No cable, and only one company has cell signal----the company few have phones for since they need it in other areas too. I sort of consider it a black hole.

[Big Dave]

Ok so the only free tv we get is TBN. That said it will not air unless people send money to them to pay their bills. Some ones paying somewhere is what I am saying.

[Tim1257]

They've been talking for the last couple of years about the simple fact that the free overtheair broadcast networks can not make a profit on just advertising. Too many internet and cable/satellite options competing for the money. What with multimillion dollar er, "talent" in front of the cameras...from news anchors to high paid actors (yes, yes, some might say the anchors ARE actors....) and the cost of producing shows now....it's only a matter of time.

True, the reason for so many reality shows. Cheap to produce. Look what's happened to daytime. Isn't Price is Right the only daytime game show left? Guiding Light and As The World Turns both got cancelled. Staples of daytime TV since the 50's.

[ErinP]

Originally Posted by Windy in Kansas

Never mind whether you have a digital converter box or not there is some movements underway to do away with free broadcast television all together.

It's been years since I've lived close enough to a city to even get broadcast TV.
Unless you count PBS, that is.

But really, the only way to get the networks is via cable for folks in town, or satellite for folks out of town...

[Cheryl in SD]

We are also in a hole. We get two local channels, ecept on windy days, then we can get a couple more. Part of the reason broadcast tv is doing so poorly is their crumby programing. The two stations we get have nothing fit to watch. The ABC station put on This Tv and Retro TV and that's what we watch if we turn it on.

My question is, if they knew this was coming, why did they push for the HD conversion?

Now that part of the electro-magnetic spectrum that broadcast television is currently using is valuable. Very valuable. It may be the corporations doing broadcast television right now may be the ones who end up providing the broadband wireless Internet access. Broadcasting is broadcasting. Or it may be entirely new companies.

Electric power was at one time pretty much restricted only to the cities and towns. Then the government came up with the Rural Electrification Administration to get grid power out to the rural areas. I can forsee that in order to buy that valuable spectrum the companies that want it may have to agree to subsidize wireless Internet for rural areas that could not otherwise afford it.

.....Alan.

[arabian knight]

Originally Posted by Cheryl in SD

My question is, if they knew this was coming, why did they push for the HD conversion?

Cause HD is where it is at. All HD programming is in HD but not all digital programs are in HD.
And now with 3D TV's coming out this year, HD TV's are even more important as ESPN and a couple others with start 3D Programs, and that then is HD Programming for sure.
And if free TV goes by the way side it will just boost Satellite services even more so for those that can get cable, or broadband.
And even if broadband gets into more areas the speed of HD Programming coming over the phone lines is not as fast as that received from Satellite Services.
And Yes I have had "Cable" TV over my DSL Phone Lines a year ago. Dropped that as soon as my contract was up and went back to Satellite to get my Programming.
And now BluRay DVD's will be coming out with more and more 3D Movies and so will TV programs. YEAH.

[Peace n Quiet]

Fine with me. When it happens I'll shut off the tv permanently! Can get the weather and news from the internet.