Maybe this national interruption to our television viewing was necessary, however I am not in a position to know or care why it was done. I only know that there are still close to three million families who cannot receive their local channels. The government ran out of coupons (I believe we all know there is no one up there that can count) and because of that, the manufacturer quit production on the converters. I’m sure for the half of the population who either has already bought the latest Hi-definition television, subscribe to cable or have satellite service, it was a no brainer; no change in your viewing pleasure. If you were on an antenna and had upgraded your TV’s, you all of a sudden got a lot more channels to pick from. Cable and satellite subscribers never knew the difference.
On the other hand, there were people like me. This FCC mandated nightmare was just one more headache I didn’t need. I live in a semi-rural area, just maybe a thousand feet from the end of the cable service. For many years I have been receiving my television from a roof antenna. I got maybe 12 channels, anywhere from excellent to viewable. I have three televisions, good ones, but not digital ready or hi-definition. Since I didn’t see myself jumping into a payment schedule to do my viewing, I opted for the government offer of an almost-free converter box. The trouble is, they only offer coupons for two boxes – I have three televisions. Now let me tell you about my next hard decision. I decided to upgrade the set in my recreation room (media room for all of you up on buzz words). Wally-world, $799 on a payment plan.
Sounds like solution found doesn’t it? Not so fast. Just about one week into this transition, watching the only series I am willing to follow week in and week out (Lost), my picture pixilates. Not just once but about every few minutes. Next it did a freeze frame, that’s where it freezes on one image and stays there like a still photograph. You will be happy to know that with digital, this happens frequently during any foul weather. Now I’m just as unhappy as I was to begin with, and probably as fed up with the FCC as the three million families who haven’t been able to do anything yet.
Well, here I am with a brand new 37” hi-definition digital TV in the media room that goes freaky every time there is a storm, and two TV’s in the bedrooms on converter boxes that do the same. I was not a happy camper.
I’m sure by now you see the solution coming – I’m a slow learner, but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express once. I now have a digital HD TV and no HD, and my digital sucks – yeah really sucks. So what to do – remember, I don’t even have a choice between cable and satellite. I won’t bore you with the details of my decision process of which satellite company to go with, but it was made easier by two things. First, I have friends that have DirecTV, and I have relatives who have Dish Network, so I got a chance to see both in action. Second, the offer on the HD package finally convinced me. If I am going to have a HD TV, I really should have the best HD package available.
I am not happy with the path I had to follow to get here, nor am a very fond of the government intervention and disruption in my life, but I am sure happy with the end result. I got all three rooms hooked up for free, and my HD package only costs me $9.00 for the next 6 months. I guess I can live with that!
Oh, and just in case you were wondering, I went with Dish Network. They do have the best HD package available – you can trust me on that.
Click Here for more information on Dish Network service.
Carl is a software developer and author. In 2005 he published his first book, McLaughlin. Carl has been programming computers since computers could be programmed. In 2000 he released the best-selling software application for satellite retailers on the market. He currently developes software and websites and enjoys writing in his spare time.
Click the XML Icon Above to Receive Satellite TV Articles Via RSS!
. Carl has been programming computers since computers could be programmed. In 2000 he released the best-selling software application for satellite retailers on the market. He currently developes software and websites and enjoys writing in his spare time.