It seems like nowadays every household has cable or satellite service. I remember when cable was a very exciting thing to have, while we had the bunny ears. Now the technology rush makes it sound as if were behind if we have an HDTV, but in another five years or so, thall be obsolete.
2007-09-04 16:06:51 · 11 answers · asked by martialartsman 2 in Consumer Electronics ➔ TVs
In February 2008, all the old familiar analog broadcast channels will disappear. The only over the air signals will be digital. With a digital TV and an ATSC tuner, you can, right now pick-up many digital channelsfrom an antenna including HDTV versions of the network stations.
2007-09-05 02:44:53 · answer #1 · answered by jjki_11738 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I do, and according to the government "19 percent, roughly 21 million U.S. households rely exclusively on free over-the-air television"
21,000,000 households, that would be perhaps 70 million Americans.
Some people do it because they are very poor, but most do it because:
They already waste too much time watching OTA channels.
Most TV is mind rotting drivel anyway.
Studies show that TV is bad for the development of young children.
Reduces the amount of exercise and person to person interaction in peoples lives.
There is a lot more to life than sitting in a semi-hypnotic state in front of "boob tube", being brainwashed into buying overpriced products while learning that living a morally dubious life is the norm.
PS
There is nothing wrong with 1980's TV technology that a cheap ( about $20 as of Jan 2008) CECB (digital converter box) will not fix.
HDTV will not be obsolete in 5 years because:
A. It takes a lot longer than 5 years for the government to chose a new TV technology. Good grief, the old NTSC technology was finalized in 1947!
B. The next major change in TV technology will be 3 dimensional TV, and that technology is nowhere near ready for universal service.
2007-09-05 01:25:31 · answer #2 · answered by Stephen P 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Even people with cable or satellite have more than one tv and often that other tv is with an antenna.
Calls to the station I work for indicate that plently of people still use an antenna. Prices for basic cable vary a lot. Up North in Wisconsin my sister gets basic cable for about $25 a month or less. Here in Central Florida it is about $55 or more for Basic and Standard.
2007-09-06 09:05:59 · answer #3 · answered by Broadcast Engineer 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
A higher percentage of people are moving back to the old outdoor antennas since they have discovered their NEW HDTV sets have ATSC Hi Def tuners in them.....
But they still keep their old cable or satellite boxes for the Networks that are solely designed to be part of a cable/satellite package.
And who doesn't watch Spike TV or TNT or Food Network, or MTV or MSNBC or ......
So the newer ATSC tuners are bringing in Hi Def without having to buy the HD packages that cost $20 more....
But who doesn't WANT to watch Discovery HD Theater? They keep adding more and more shows each year that are HD.
2007-09-04 23:44:45 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
i watch tv with my antenna up in the attic. get two channels most of the time(4 and 5), and three on a good day (9). but see I have it good, because i just have an antenna, and I don't have to worry about wheather im getting hdtv or the best sattelite or if it's obsolite because I know it is anyway.
2007-09-04 23:12:36 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I do, I have to.
I pay $80 a month for satellite and don't get any of the network stations (Fox, ABC, NBC, or CBS). OK I do get one of the networks, but it out of Atlanta, so it doesn't get local news or weather. It also doesn't carry anything I watch.
On my antenna I get all my channels in HD, but I cant get TLC, Discovery, History, Fox News ETC.
It drives me insane. there is no cable in my area. I would pay $200 a month to have cable.
2007-09-04 23:26:43 · answer #6 · answered by Jon 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I do, i resuse to pay 50dollars a month for cable. I live in an apt, have bunny ears and get 4 channels on a sunny day.
2007-09-04 23:10:15 · answer #7 · answered by ihrtshchr 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yeah everyone has either cable or satellite but not my sister she is so cheap that she will not pay to get cable or anything to have more channels. Gosh she don't even take her kids to get a hair cut she does it herself, I really feel sorry for them but then again they must like it because her kids don't complain and two are in their teenage years......Bummer!
2007-09-04 23:14:33 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
yes they do....but all those people will have to switch to a digital type antenna and a digital reciever to get the same free over the air signal, in a few years
2007-09-04 23:25:20 · answer #9 · answered by Cyber 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
i do... rent in San Francisco is just too much to get extras such as cable/satellite...
2007-09-04 23:12:45 · answer #10 · answered by Melanie L 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋