Post by TomLine on Sept 13, 2017 15:21:05 GMT -5
THE FUTURE OF TV
by Tom Lineaweaver
by Tom Lineaweaver
Maybe we are fortunate Last Man Standing went away when it did. In the not too distant future, television as we known it is going away completely. Some channels we have are just simply going away.
Why? It's called ATSC 3.0. The article here explains it... www.atsc.org/newsletter/atsc-3-0-where-we-stand/
Go and read it for all the good it will do you. I don't understand it and my chosen career has been in communication. As such I try to keep up with what is going on.
Recently, I was watching Last Man Standing on channel 21.2 in Harrisburg, PA. The audio and video portions of the program were way out of sync. It was actually quite funny. Mike would say something, and it would come out of Eve's mouth, or someone else. It was like those old Japanese movies that were translated into English. The mouth was moving, but it didn't seem to say what the translator was saying.
Well, I called the TV station, and I do feel sorry to the lady that first encountered me. The more we talked, the more frustrated I got till finally I said, "Are you really that stupid?" Not long after she finally left me talk to an engineer. He went to check the signal and came back and said I was right. Then he talked about the coding. He explained that in digital the video and the audio are delivered in two different streams. If the the codes are not proper, the audio and the video will be out of sync.
Then he told me about the future of television. Locally we have channel 15, and it's a power house signal in South Central Pennsylvania. The digital frequency is 23. Digital frequencies are in groupings called spectrums. And there are a handful of companies that are going around the Country buying these spectrums. Then they will determine what stations we'll be able to watch. The engineer explained that by the end of the year, or early next year, channel 15 will be going away. He also explained that channel 43 will piggy-back on digital channel 36, which is the digital channel for WITF 33. Because the digital channel that 43 is currently on, 47, has been bought, just like digital channel 23. So when these spectrums are all bought, TV as we know it will end.
Then when this ATSC 3.0 kicks in you will need a new decoder box that will cost $500 and up. People with low incomes won't be able to afford it unless they stop living otherwise.
This isn't just happening in Pennsylvania. It's happening throughout the entire Country. So, who knows, the station you currently watch Last Man Standing on might not exist a year from now. And you might not be able to afford to watch it anyway.
So, who do we complain to? ABC? FOX? No. Congress. This is all happening because of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 that forced digital TV on us to begin with. These bastards in Washington DC don't give a damn about us little people. All they care about is big business and benefiting those that gives them re-election donations.
Every member of Congress should be in prison because of their quid pro quo. They get campaign donations from big business, then they pass laws to benefit big business. And that is against the law. And we the people are held hostage. If you or I would do what Congress does, we'd be put in jail, and the key would be thrown away. Well, that's exactly what should happen to Congress.
If we want this fixed, I have to be the next President. I'm the only one that cares about things like this because I care about the little guy. So, come join me here... line2016.freeforums.net