Digital television is coming. That's good.
The FCC wants to discontinue analog broadcasts. That's bad.
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Here's what you should know, and what you should do about it.
The kind of television sets that you now have in your home receive analog broadcasts. Analog (NTSC) television pictures contain 480 horizontal lines. Each line contains 340 dots. The resolution is excellent.
Digital television (DTV) or "High Definition Television" (HDTV) pictures contain 1080 horizontal lines. Each line contains 1920 dots. The resolution is superb, like looking out a window.
The FCC requires that all television stations begin broadcasting a digital signal in the next few years. That's good.
The FCC, however, also requires that all television stations stop broadcasting their analog signals by December 31, 2006. That's bad. Really bad. The reason that it is so bad is that ending analog broadcasting will make analog televisions obsolete.
Why do that? Analog is good enough for most applications. What's the urgency of making analog televisions obsolete? There isn't any.
America has a huge installed base of analog television sets. Americans own approximately two hundred million television sets. In addition to that, there are tens of millions of video cassette recorders (VCR's) and camcorders. What are we supposed to do? Throw them all away because of some bureaucratic decision? Nuts to that idea!
Converter boxes will probably be available at substantial cost, but why impose on people a requirement that they incur the cost of that? Also, what does that do for the owners of portable, hand held televisions, like the ones that you take to the beach or the ballgame? Are those owners supposed to carry a converter box and power supply with them when they go to a Cubs game or the Oak Street Beach?
I'm a gadget freak. I love to have all the new toys and the best, newest and most innovative technology. However, not everybody is like me. (Alright, who's the smart aleck that said, "Thank God for that!") Most people feel that simple, basic products are perfectly adequate for them. They don't need or even want the fancy stuff. That doesn't make them or me superior to the other. It's a matter of taste, and whether a product meets a user's particular needs. Does the TV in the kids' room, or in the kitchen, or in the bathroom, really need to be so crystal clear that you must pay extra for digital? Do I really need a fancy digital model if I'm using a particular TV for just short periods of time to get essential information, such as weather reports or news updates? So, why force the additional expense of the fancy stuff on those who don't want it or even need it for particular applications?
There's also the matter of money. Americans have tens of billions of dollars invested in their video equipment. Why throw that away?
Then there are the environmental considerations. The premature disposal of hundreds of millions of video products will create an enormous, unnecessary addition to our landfills. For what?
If that's not enough, what about all the videos that are sitting in homes, rental stores and public libraries? Are we supposed to throw those tapes away, too? How about those cute videos of our children? What are we supposed to watch those on?
When compact discs were introduced in the Eighties, the FCC didn't ban the production of audio tapes or phonograph records. In fact, I know some guy who still prefers to buy his music on vinyl! (That's the kind that spins on a turntable at 33, 45 or 78 RPM.) So, why make analog TV obsolete just six years from now?
Televisions have a customary life span of ten to fifteen years, but many last much longer than that. I bought my "new" TV eleven years ago, in 1990, and I still feel like I just got it. I bought the other one, and my like-new VCR, seventeen years ago, in 1984. They work fine. Why does the government want to take them away from me?
There's no reason to do it. So, I plan to do something about it, but I need your help.
I'm going to contact the new federal government and put heat on them to postpone the discontinuance of analog broadcasting until at least 25 years after analog television sets, analog VCRs and analog camcorders are no longer being sold. As long as they're still selling analog equipment, it's crazy to make those new ones obsolete in five years or even less.
I'm going to contact Duh-bya's office, as well as my congressman and both senators. In addition, I'm going to contact my state and municipal officials to ask them to echo my concerns to the national government. I've already contacted one radio talk show to ask that they raise public consciousness about the issue by addressing the issue on an upcoming show, and I'll be contacting newspapers and publishers of news on the internet.
Here's the problem for which I need your help. I can't get this accomplished on my own. If I'm the only one who puts effort into this, the government will respond, as it has before, "Rob Sherman, you're the only one who feels that way. Don't be obstreperous!" Usually, after many years, the government follows up with, "I guess Rob Sherman was right about everything, after all, as usual. However, it's too late now to do anything about it."
Get involved. This time, it's not just my wallet. It's your wallet, too.
Rob Sherman P. O. Box
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Telephone: (847) 870-0700
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E-mail: rob followed by the at symbol followed by robsherman dot com