We threw out cassette tapes and accepted the CDs, and now digital music players (MP3/AAC/WMA/etc). We semi moved from video tapes (MiniDVs do use tape, so it’s not gone, but I see it will be eventually as Hard Drive and DVD camcorders sell). For those of us with broadband options in our areas, we moved to those. WE rarely set VCR’s now to record shows, thanks to TIVO and other DVR systems. Hell, with popularity of Amazon’s Kindle, and even Sony’s E-Reader, or buying Audiobooks online, soon, maybe we wouldn’t need paper books anymore (someday, still pretty far off). Recently, PC Magazine has released their last physical magazine, being complete available to subscribers in PDF format (less trees cut, unless the consumer prints it, but not all will, so it still counts). Then there’s Digital Cameras, (do they even have film ones made anymore?…Probably professional photographers still prefer film), which are very popular with everyday consumers now. And after all this, why is it so damn hard for people to accept the digital transition.

It’s not rocket science. The shit has been advertised for over a year, and the date was put in effect about a year or two before that, so a few years now, we knew THIS WAS GONNA HAPPEN!. I say that out loud because it’s true. Especially with popularity of HDTV increasing, we knew this was gonna happen. I remember the mandates that TVs in a certain year (I think models in 2007 were required to have a digital tuner, so for TWO years new TV’s had digital tuners already). Actually, I just check Wikipedia and found my answers:

* By July 1, 2005 all televisions with screen sizes over 36″ must include a built-in ATSC DTV tuner

* By March 1, 2006 all televisions with screen sizes over 25″ must include a built-in ATSC DTV tuner

* By March 1, 2007 all televisions regardless of screen size, and all interface devices which include a tuner (VCR, DVD player/recorder, DVR) must include a built-in ATSC DTV tuner.

It should be noted that devices manufactured before these dates can still be sold without a built-in ATSC DTV tuner; the lack of digital tuners legally must be disclosed to consumers and most name-brand retailers have incurred onerous FCC penalties for non-compliance with these requirements.[4].

Yep, this is FOUR freakin’ years, and it was nicely spread, starting with bigger screens, and working down to all TVs required to provide a digital tuner, for TWO years ALL *NEW* TVs were required. We knew this was coming.

So this whole trying to extend it to June, is pure bullshit. This “about 6 million people aren’t ready” and “they’re poor or the coupons expired,” and “blah, blah, blah.” Hey, I understand, especially in these times, that money could be an issue. But here’s the kicker. It’s not really. The coupon program has been in going for about a year now, and like I said, this has been known for years (plural) now. And as for expired coupons, well, that’s their faults.

Billions more in taxpayer money shouldn’t be spent for re-re-educating people and continuing the coupon program because of stupid people who don’t know what the word “expires ##-##-##” mean. And here’s another kicker. I really think that when applying, people like me shouldn’t have been allowed two coupons since I (at the time) had cable (now satellite). I only need DTV as backup, especially since cable has shitty video quality (NOT ALL digital, BTW). This backlog could’ve been prevented by regulating priorities, as in those strictly over-the-air viewers, get two first, and anyone else limited to one. And now, they could just go with one for the procrastinators, and then always send the other later.

Or how about this. Why was the coupon really a pre-paid card? Couldn’t it have been, for those that did it online, a printable document emailed to them upon acceptance. Of course, there’s always ability to send through mail for those that still afraid of getting something faster. Saves postage, saves envelopes, saves the plastic the cards are made of, hell, saves the world (a little, not much, but still).

So to end this out, remember the list I went through at the beginning, so that when the time comes, there would be no reason to whine. Film huggers, the day will come when film will be obsolete. Learn your SD cards now, so you’re not caught off-guard if it’s transitioned out completely in your lifetime. For you books lovers, maybe find a Kindle to borrow to check out, maybe add to your savings, and be prepared in case there would be no more books to burn in your lifetime (BTW, I find this will probably not be outdated in my lifetime, then again, if Kindle and Kindle-look-a-likes get cheaper, it wouldn’t be too far off). For music lovers that don’t have an MP3 player, you may want to get a little cheap one to try (not the cheapest, beware of crappy imitators, they could be difficult), but just something to get used to, get a couple of CDs and rip them on your computer and transfer over, and give it a try, ’cause it may be non-profitable for record companies to make CDs in your lifetime (I know CDs are digital, but there are still people living that complain about the absence of vinyl [very few albums get vinyl releases, BTW].)

Let me add to the list, forget regular landline phones and try the new digital phone services, or if your family have cell phones, then why even have a landline phone? (that one I never got, and yet, there are people that have a cell phone as well as a landline phone). And why still set a VCR, when there are DVRs. If DVRs are still in the pricey, then might I suggest a DVD-Recorder at least. DVDs take up less space than VHS, there’s no risk of stretching anything that can warp videos after every viewing, and the discs are cheaper than blank VHS tapes. And those are relatively cheap and are programmed pretty much the same way as VCRs were (and BTW, if you get a Toshiba brand, just like with their VCRs, you’ll need to press a Timer Record button to set it, while other recorders get set by just turning them off). And another great thing about checking out DVD-Recorders, they can come with digital tuners, so you can kill two birds with one stone (like I did, I gave my converter box away to my dad because he used both of his, and both were crap of a certain store that starts with a ‘W’ (big retail giant, incredibly evil annoying, you know the one).

Okay, I’m at over 1111 words, so to not go on any longer, let me end with one last note: Please, let analog TV die in February.