The End of Free Television

You know what I hate? Cable/satellite TV.

Why? I can't really afford it, and it's pretty much devoured the content of broadcast television that interested me.

You know what I really hate? Digital TV.

Why? Suddenly, the diversity of programs available was cut in half. I do not exaggerate.

How was something that was supposed to improve television delivery so bad for it? Well, the effective range for a digital television signal is maybe half what it was for the old analog broadcasts. Guess how far away some of the stations I used to watch (when I watched more TV) were?

I mean, sure, there have been some minor additions of good content. If you want weather coverage at any time, most news stations will now deliver it; if you want to put a show on for a little kid, PBS now airs children's programming nearly 24/7; and one relatively nearby station has a retro channel that airs stuff from several decades ago. (Even the commercials are more old-fashioned [though they still mention the websites]-let me tell you, that's a breath of fresh air. The main problem is that the content seems to be rather unpredictable. Of course, our local TV schedules don't cover it...)

What makes it worse is that digital fidelity and reliability is, while quite good most of the time, much more likely to suffer flagrant failure. Sure, analog signals would sometimes be a bit fuzzy, but if there were signal problems, usually it was just a flash or so of static and then it was done. If DTV goes out, it goes down.

It sure doesn't help that most network television is trying to copy most other network television. Bland/grim shows are on every channel, and what's worse, they compete at being bland/grim.

No thanks. No wonder cable/satellite is so popular.

-Signing off.