TV sets go dark across the US
p2pnet news view | TV:- Alarm and confusion continues to spread across America as television sets go dark, depriving millions of people of their only source of communication with the outside world.
That’s because yesterday was the official termination day for Americans with unauthorised TV sets which, without special gear, were doomed to crash, their signals vanishing down the analog hole.
Originally, all US stations were to cut their analog signals yesterday, “but at the urging of the Obama administration, Congress voted this month to give broadcasters more time,” says the Associated Press, adding:“Most stations, particularly those in big cities, accepted the offer to wait until June 12. Others wanted to stick to Feb. 17, a date they had spent much airtime advertising. Many of them had also booked engineering work on their antennas for that day.”
The US experience, “highlights what should be a major concern for Canada,” sais Ottawa law profession Michael Geist.
The transition from analog to digital broadcasts is years behind that of the United States, “with virtually no industry or government support,” he stated.
“This sounds like a purely technical issue, yet the policy implications of that transition will have a profound effect on the national broadcast and telecom landscape.”
But all is not lost. Potentially.
Couch potatoes might want to think about following the example of Wendy Seltzer, now a professor at Harvard University.
Make Your Very Own Personal Video Recorder
“Broadcast Flag which, among other things, stops you from making perfectly legitimate personal copies of broadcasts, is nigh,” said p2pnet many moons ago, continuing »»»
Thanks to the entertainment industry`s relentless pressure on the Federal Communications Commission, the Flag is scheduled to go into effect on July 1 after which, all personal video recorder (PVR) technologies must be Broadcast Flag-compliant and `robust` against user modification, as the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) points out.
It`ll, outlaw the manufacture and import of a whole host of TiVo-like devices that send DTV signals into a computer for backup, editing, and playback, says the EFF
and that means, once again, that the entertainment industry is trying to tell you what you can do with your own machines.
But, receivers built before the deadline will be useable under the FCC`s Flag regime and devices made now can be re-sold in the future.
Enter the WSS the Wendy Seltzer Solution, namely, Make Your Very Own Personal Video Recorder (PVR) with KnoppMyth r5a5 and pcHDTV.
Nah, you say? Too complicated?
Seltzer, [then] an EFF lawyer, built one last year to prove it could be done, and now she`s running two home-made PVRs – one in her office and one at home. Cost? About $880.
We`re not saying this is the answer to the problem, because clearly not everyone is going to be able to build their own PVR before July 1, Seltzer says.
But, she told p2pnet, we`re very serious about demonstrating what it`s possible to do now that won`t be possible after the flag takes effect. If even a few people who are building their own machines go off and do interesting things with them and describe them to their friends and start to educate more of the public and, ultimately, more of congress and regulators about what`s being cut off by this kind of rule, it will count.
Everything that`s legally made before July 1 is grandfathered. You can continue to sell it and if you stock-pile TV tuner cards, you can see what kinds of premiums they get on eBay afterwards.
But nobody will be able to manufacture new equipment after July 1.
Stay tuned.
But not on an anolog set.
Associated Press – Hundreds of television stations cut analog signals today, February 17, 2009
major concern for Canada – Digital TV transition major concern for Canada, February 17, 2009
many moons ago – EFF Broadcast Flag challenge,February 22, 2005
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February 18th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
you are just the typo king today Jon
analog
stw
February 18th, 2009 at 4:58 pm
At present, I have no plans to convert to digital. I have an analog tv but don’t watch it enough to justify buying another just to have digital. The only input to that tv is a dvd player. Nothing more. I see dang few ads. I want to keep it that way. Advertising is a pest industry. One that I did not realize just how irritating it was till I got off the tv. Now it just bugs the crap out of me to hear a public tv and what passes for programming on it.
Before I dropped out of tv, I already had no interest in soap operas, no interest in reality shows that were anything but reality, no interest in sitcoms, and that is predominately what passes for programming because they are cheaper to do than any other sort of item. I often looked at others watching tv and wondered just what they found amusing in a sitcom. You know it is bad when they got to throw canned laughter in to tell you where the punch line is on a joke. I mean come on here. It’s either funny or it ain’t. Canned laughter won’t suddenly make it funny because it was used.
Couple this with the industry’s standard of running replays and there is near nothing on tv worth spending time on. If you are paying for cable, replays are even worse. Why do I want to see yet again the same show I saw two days ago? Yet you are paying for year round programming and only getting 1/2 or less original shows. The rest are replays till it bores you to death. How can you have umpteen channels with nothing on? Its very easy when they are all doing the same thing of the constant replay.
February 18th, 2009 at 7:46 pm
This is a case where people ought to go and make their own equipment AFTER the deadline, just to tell the lawmakers that the law is wrong and should be abolished. There is no reason the Flag should exist.
February 19th, 2009 at 8:24 am
I agree with you, the law is wrong, it no longer represents protecting the people, it represents the giant corporations, I think there should be a “No obeying law day” where everybody gives the stupid congressmen the finger by not obeying the law for one day because what will the cops do, Arrest Everybody! lolololol
) The law is so stupid.
The law was first made to protect Americans.
The law was suppose to regulate corporations but they overturned it by using racism, yes racism to give them control over us all.
The law should be abolished and we should form a anti-law coalition.
The law no longer works anymore, thats why so many break laws and it’s getting even more larger.
I bet practially every American has broken a law, I bet my library collection on it!
April 30th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
Wasn’t it the corporations that just started breaking the laws first? The attitude was “we’ll just change them” while they did what they wanted anyway. I think “Nova” talked about it in the episode about the telecom industry back when the first dot com bubble burst. I think the word used to describe their behaviour was “an act of ultimate hubris” or something? and now the other shoe falls.
There has been a very disturbing trend towards the laws being used against the people instead of for them. Think about the last time you were glad to see a police car on the road… I think I might have to buy a black hat.
April 30th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
@David:
What would we call it? And By Anarchy Denounce the Devils!
A BADD Day!!
LOL