HDTV Woes

Well, as our government officials have shown over and over, we have acquiesced to a position that does not benefit a majority of Americans. HDTV was supposed to happen by 2006, and although it was a bold deadline to be set, it was set and regulations were setup to ensure that HDTV could happen within that timeframe. As we are aware, though, HDTV has been slow to adopt because the technology is confusing, expensive, and there is not even that much HD content to justify the costs. Still, as old television sets are replaced, HD-capable boxes are entering homes.

The FCC has put off handing over of old spectrum currently used for analog broadcasts indefinitely. These valuable and sought-after frequencies instead will remain in the hands of a government-sanctioned monopoly that is the local media stations. The New Yorker discusses this in The Talk of the Town. Spectrum really is a public resource, and the government regulates it in order that it best be put to its best use for the sake of public interest. This last point is seemingly lost by both the FCC and many in Congress, as they provide handouts and freebies that ultimately are paid for by the American public. Doesn’t this seem wrong?

In other news, our new flat LCD TV should come on Monday as soon as I figure out which model to buy. Manufacturers have created a wonderful gimmick so as to ensure maximum profit a the expense of consumer pocketbooks and patience. If you look at the market for LCD TVs, there is an interesting anomaly in all lineups (with the exception of Sharp): the absence of any 37” models. The sizes go from 32” directly to 42”, a screen that is 72% larger by area. I’m not an expert, but I imagine that this gap has more to do with money than anything else. By creating a gap, manufacturers are enticing users with larger screens, hoping to sway new owners to see the small versus large and go with the large, albeit at a considerably higher price tag. This is extremely annoying because a 37” model would be perfect for the space we have for the TV. How frustrating!

Oh, and did I mention how all salesmen at Circuit City, Best Buy and The Good Guys should cower in shame for their thinly-veiled attempts to give “good advice” on buying new TVs? This dumb ass tried to pawn this $125 monstrosity of a Monster Surge Protector that we had to have because “well, its the last one, so you had better take it.” I wonder what the margins are on that ugly piece of crap. The thing looked to be nearly 2 feet long and certainly would not be discreet behind a glass TV stand. Then he started spewing all this crap like “level 2 protection for surround sound” and “independent power draws” and “joule ratings”. That’s all well and good, but a surge protector does not have to cost $125 damn dollars. Going to these places is always a personal test in an ability to Just Say No.

I will keep you updated on the progress of the TV situation. I am somewhat torn because spending $3000+, although not my money but my mom’s, on a dumb box is a bit ridiculous.