Date:         Thu, 28 Dec 2006 09:00:40 -0500
Reply-To:     Mike Collum <collum@VERIZON.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Mike Collum <collum@VERIZON.NET>
Subject:      Re: TV antenna recommendation for Westy WAS: Re: So What Cool VW
              Stuff did Santa Bring you ??(LVC)
Comments: To: Mike S <mikes@FLATSURFACE.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <20061228132113.533271165CB@hamburg.alientech.net>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

It sounds to me like the jury is still out on that one, Mike.  Read the
following:

In December 2005, the Senate passed a budget bill that calls for
over-the-air television stations to cease their analog broadcasts by
February 17, 2009. After that date, TVs and other gear with old-style
NTSC tuners would be unable to receive over-the-air broadcasts. Part of
the government's quandary is that the switch-off would cause thousands
of TVs to go dark and would deprive many lower-income viewers of their
only source of television. To address this issue, lawmakers propose to
subsidize converter boxes that would allow people to watch the new
digital broadcasts on their old analog TVs. Further details on the
transition to digital and the converter box subsidy are still being
worked out, and given the slow progress over the last 9 years since the
introduction of digital and HDTV, we wouldn't be surprised to hear of
more changes before 2009.

The FCC's plans for ATSC tuners have nothing to do with HDTV over cable
and satellite. Subscribers to pay TV services can simply get a set-top
box that tunes HDTV channels, plug it into their HDTV-ready sets, and
watch HDTV.

Mike S wrote:

> I wouldn't put too much time, money or effort into it. It very likely
> does not have a digital (ATSC) tuner, so won't be any good for
> broadcast reception after 17Feb2009.
>