DTV transition "Soft test" on 11-20-08 in Chicago

[Carmine]

I think that to label people who favor a free-market solution as "nit-pickers" is pretty shallow. ATSC and NTSC have been broadcasting side-by-side for years now. When free NTSC is no longer worth the extra work of conversion from digital, or the electricity to run the transmitter (vs. advertising revenue), broadcasters will shut-off the power. That simple.

What we now have is a cluster-F courtesy of corporate lobbyists who purchased the required votes to force the FCC into setting a date. Imagine if politicians were this openly owned by corporate interests in 1950? We'd all have motorized spinning discs on our 10" color TVs! I suppose they know that circa 2008, we're all too addicted to "digital quality" to give a damn about things like a free-market.

Having experienced the same thunderstorm digital shutdown, while NTSC continued without any failure, this digital broadcast system is obviously not ready for prime-time. (LOL, I kill me )