 D:478 | Bob ( 2253.6577 points)
|
Tue, August 16, 2011 06:35:26 AM UTC0:00
|
Well, I can only speak for New York's experience although I'm sure events played out similarly in other urban areas. The conversion was untenable for those living in buildings sharing a master antenna, and it effectively deprived scores of people the ability to watch broadcast television without having to pay for it. Time Warner had a nice payday:
In New York City, where many apartment buildings share a common master antenna on the roof, viewers discovered that only VHF antennas could receive channels 2 through 13. Before the transition, this didn’t mean much. On June 12, however, that changed when tenants could not pick up UHF stations.
The problem was compounded when most stores in New York City sold out of antennas quickly, leaving the city’s first shortage of TV antennas in decades.
A Time Warner cable technician, several hours late for an appointment last week, told one New York City apartment dweller that the cable provider has been swamped with new subscribers in the days since June 12. He said cable installers were working overtime to accommodate the influx of new cable subscribers.
http://broadcastengineering.com/news/dtv-transition-not-smooth-markets-0622/
And of course there was the nationwide phenomenon of people simply losing channels after the transition, which prompted the failed Digital TV Transition Fairness Act. When you lose a handful of the already limited number of broadcast channels available it could prompt you to just give in and buy cable.
Well, I can only speak for New York's experience although I'm sure events played out similarly in other urban areas. The conversion was untenable for those living in buildings sharing a master antenna, and it effectively deprived scores of people the ability to watch broadcast television without having to pay for it. Time Warner had a nice payday:
In New York City, where many apartment buildings share a common master antenna on the roof, viewers discovered that only VHF antennas could receive channels 2 through 13. Before the transition, this didn’t mean much. On June 12, however, that changed when tenants could not pick up UHF stations.
The problem was compounded when most stores in New York City sold out of antennas quickly, leaving the city’s first shortage of TV antennas in decades.
A Time Warner cable technician, several hours late for an appointment last week, told one New York City apartment dweller that the cable provider has been swamped with new subscribers in the days since June 12. He said cable installers were working overtime to accommodate the influx of new cable subscribers.
[Link]
And of course there was the nationwide phenomenon of people simply losing channels after the transition, which prompted the failed Digital TV Transition Fairness Act. When you lose a handful of the already limited number of broadcast channels available it could prompt you to just give in and buy cable.
| 
x2
