[LINK] digital TV conversion - psychology of the consumer

Craig Sanders cas at taz.net.au
Wed Aug 8 10:45:29 AEST 2007


On Wed, Aug 08, 2007 at 08:08:15AM +1000, Richard Chirgwin wrote:
> The problem is that some people just don't care. I don't like to argue 
> solely from myself as the example, but I don't watch that much TV; 
> reception is good enough on analogue with a standard antenna for the amount 
> of TV I watch. 

which begs the question: why should the analog TV spectrum be wasted on
people who just don't care?

> Since I catch news and weather, a little sport, Dr Who and 
> not-much-else, there's nothing that I want that digital can pitch to.

i don't watch or care about that much on TV either, mostly ABC,
sometimes SBS, rarely something on one of the commercial channels (with
a book in hand for the ads).  However, i do prefer watching the stuff
that i want to watch WITHOUT ghosting or interference (before i got
the SD box, reception of ABC TV was dreadful, possibly due to the huge
electricity pylons running along the creek a few hundred meters away).

i tried a new antenna (about $130 incl. installation about 5 years ago),
it made no difference. the problem only went away - completely vanished
- when i bought an SD box about 3 years ago (for about $100 IIRC). it
died about six months ago after a lightning storm, i replaced it for
about $50.


> So the price is immaterial. I don't see the STB as too expensive, it's just 
> that there's other stuff to do; so why bother? Why would I give money to 
> someone for a product I don't want?

because you want to be able to continue using the TV set you bought after the
analog signal is discontinued?




technology moves on and scarce resources are reallocated. that's why,
for example, town planners don't waste much public space in roads and
towns on drinking troughs for horses and camels any more.


craig

-- 
craig sanders <cas at taz.net.au>



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