baineschile
2600
Premium
join:2008-05-10
Sterling Heights, MI
 ·Comcast
 ·magicjack.com
 ·Verizon Wireless B..
1 edit | They will be aware...
When the 3-4pm MATLOCK is a blank screen!!! Hopefully, the eyesight is still good enough where they notice.
Sorry, a bit insensitive. But...how many people that eat the bob evans early bird special come to this site...lets just all remind our grandparents. |
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kljflower
Premium
join:2001-03-19
Tipp City, OH
clubs: | In our area they are running banner ads nearly every evening
Last night it was on during "Millionaire", so I can't imagine that in the Dayton, Ohio area that people aren't informed. |
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Austinloop
join:2001-08-19
Austin, TX
| Unaware
Here, at least on the stations that we watch, there are "crawls" about the change, one of the stations gave away a wide screen a day for the month of July. I hear it mentioned periodically during early morning news programs and sometimes on the evening news shows.
Exactly what more can be done? It is being announced. I do not see how a large number can be unaware, unless they just pay no attention as to what is being said on the air. |
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Camelot One
Premium,MVM
join:2001-11-21
Sarasota, FL
clubs:
| I am not seeing this problem
Maybe Texans just pay more attention to the news. I haven't encountered a single Senior who wasn't aware of the transition. What I HAVE encountered is almost 100% misinformation about it, people who are convinced their TVs won't be able to pick up their cable and DirecTV/Dish programming when the transition occurs.
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Intel Q6600 @3400Mhz/GA-EP35-DS3P/2x 2048Mb G.Skill/Seagate 750.10/EVGA 8800GT's SLI/Silverstone 850W/Custom water cooler |
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en102
Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA
·RoadRunner Cable
 ·DSL EXTREME
1 edit | My inlaws (almost 80 years old)
Have been thinking the sky is falling after messages came out, worried that they'd have to pay for cable, and buy an HD TV. 
I went and got them signed up for the cable box coupons.
They never bought them (too expensive)... didn't want to pay ~$19 from Radio Shack after rebate 
I took my coupon, went to Wal-Mart, bought a box, brought it over and hooked it up. Instantly, they had 58 OTA channels, including the subs (Los Angeles area).
Then they went and bought their own OTA boxes
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Canada = Hollywood North |
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chucky5150
Divers do it Deeper
join:2001-11-03
New Iberia, LA
clubs:
| Do more?
Other than going door to door what more will they do?
I'm sure my grandma (with no formal college education) had no idea what is going on or even why. The thing is she has her son that knows all about it.
I would bet that most of this Seniors have a family member or at least maybe a friend at the coffee shop that will know what happens when their TVs don't work.
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Member of the US Air Force since May 7th, 2002 To March 29th, 2005
"You sneak up behind yourself and remove your pants before you realize what's going on." KOL |
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antwanp
Beyond FM, Beyond AM, XM Satellite Radio
Premium
join:2002-05-14
Cedar Hill, TX
clubs:
·T-Mobile US
·RoadRunner Cable
1 edit | Seniors are afraid of new technology...
From my experience as an IT consultant, and based on a little bit of opinion, that older people tend to simply ignore impending technological changes. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule, but more often than not, older people are scared of new tech/innovations.
-Antwan L.
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The Perils of Living in 3-D: »www.antwanpayne.com |
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insomniac84
join:2002-01-03
Schererville, IN | Impossible
Those commercials have been spamming tv. If they actually use their tv, they know about the switch. If they don't watch tv, then it doesn't really matter if they know or not. |
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dadkins
Can you do Blu?
Premium,MVM
join:2003-09-26
Hercules, CA
·Comcast
1 edit | How can you/they miss it?
Every few hours, on nearly all channels, there are those commercials for DTV.gov and Comcast(probably other cable/sat service) commercials telling *us* that they have us covered.
»www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DApYeDOez4
Guess Moms is above the curve... she's asked me about it.
Moms is 83.
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Think outside the Fox... Opera |
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BillRoland
Premium
join:2001-01-21
Ocala, FL
clubs:
·Cox HSI
| Who cares?
At this point, who cares? You have to be living under a rock or completely oblivious to life at this point NOT to know its coming. If they haven't bothered to be proactive and do anything about it, I'm not going to bother to feel sorry for them, simple as that.
Besides, why does this site act like the few dinosaurs still happy with OTA analog TV are some kind of huge majority and that the world is going to end when the signal goes off the air. When the cut off comes and their TV's go blank, they can either a) get a converter, b) just get used to not watching TV anymore. Either way the sun is still going to come up in the east.
Whats the big deal?
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"Don't steal. The government hates competition." |
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hamburglar_
join:2002-04-29
Powell, OH
·WOW Internet and C..
·VOIPo
| reply to chucky5150
Re: Do more?
said by chucky5150  :I would bet that most of this Seniors have a family member or at least maybe a friend at the coffee shop that will know what happens when their TVs don't work. Got my grandparents set up with a converter seeing they've never had cable or digital satellite (They did have C-Band before it was all scrambled back in the 80s). Being between markets with a modest 84" outside antenna, they get over 20 channels. They couldn't be happier, "no more snow". |
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IanR
join:2001-03-22
Madison, NJ
1 edit | reply to BillRoland
We should care
Who cares?
Good neighbors should care.
Of course many seniors, at least those who have not embraced the digital revolution, will be caught by surprise and no amount of ads will help.
What to do?
We should start a neighbor care project.
Those of us with elderly neighbors, whom we know rely upon OTA for TV reception, should make a point of asking them if they have both a converter box AND have got their Coupon to pay for it. If the answer to eitrher is NO the WE should step in and assist our elderly neighbor.
Don't expect anyone to close the gap here, unless it is a caring neighbor. |
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Austinloop
join:2001-08-19
Austin, TX | reply to BillRoland
Re: Who cares?
Really compassionate, aren't you? |
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meh37
@verizon.net
| Perhaps they don't watch TV...
I just spent some time setting up a converter box for my sister (DTVPal, for its programming guide--which she needs); as part of that, and for fun, I set one up for myself (Zenith DTT901)--both of which work very well. And as part of testing and playing around with them, I had to actually watch some TV... I couldn't make it through the typical half-hour without seeing at least 2 PSA's for the digital transition. I think that if anyone is unaware of the "impending doom" of DTV, then they don't actually watch OTA TV... so they aren't really losing anything (as if TV were worth keeping; well, PBS is OK). |
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Jwobot
join:2002-08-14
Sterling Heights, MI
2 edits | Old Antenna's don't work.
People are also not aware that you need a new antenna to watch digital. They hook up their box with the old rabbit airs and don't get the channels. I have heard of people having this problem. |
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hamburglar_
join:2002-04-29
Powell, OH
·WOW Internet and C..
·VOIPo
| said by Jwobot :People are also not aware that you need a new antenna to watch digital. Incorrect. They may need an outdoor, or better antenna, but digital channels are both VHF and UHF. Most are UHF now, but many will go back to their old VHF channel after February. I installed a common outdoor antenna for my grandparents and pick up over 20 digital channels. »www.radioshack.com/product/index···=2103085 |
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Pashune
Inhaling at 675 KB per sec.
Premium
join:2006-04-14
Gautier, MS
1 edit | reply to Jwobot
Ignore this post |
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digitalfreak
join:2005-12-09
49533
| reply to Jwobot
said by Jwobot :People are also not aware that you need a new antenna to watch digital. They hook up their box with the old rabbit airs and don't get the channels. I have heard of people having this problem. ROFLMAO! Speaking of those who spread incorrect information.... |
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Pashune
Inhaling at 675 KB per sec.
Premium
join:2006-04-14
Gautier, MS
·CableOne
·AT&T Southeast
1 edit | reply to hamburglar_
20?
Wow, that's amazing. Even with an outdoor antenna at a few places I've lived we only got 5-6 channels (analog). Must be different for more rural areas I guess.
I don't watch enough TV to purchase an OTA setup (I have cable anyway)...but it would be an interesting experiment. |
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Jwobot
join:2002-08-14
Sterling Heights, MI
·WOW Internet and C..
4 edits | reply to hamburglar_
said by hamburglar_ :said by Jwobot :People are also not aware that you need a new antenna to watch digital. Incorrect. They may need an outdoor, or better antenna, but digital channels are both VHF and UHF. Most are UHF now, but many will go back to their old VHF channel after February. I installed a common outdoor antenna for my grandparents and pick up over 20 digital channels. » www.radioshack.com/product/index···=2103085 Well the news did a report on it and the guy got a digital antenna and it worked all fine. Plus not everyone can have outdoor antenna in the community they live in. I know I can't as I would be taken to court by my Apartment complex for distruction of their property.
Also it is not incorrect as they need a better antenna like you said and that would mean they need to buy one like I said. Plus the guy could not get digital tv using his old rabbit ears. There is nothing incorrect about this as people are having problems picking up the VHF and UHF channels with old rabbit ears. |
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