got a question about a digital tv bill for 2006
 

my mom wants to know:
what is the real purpose of a digital teleivision bill and will you be allowed to tape tv programs to a vhs tape or will it be required to get a tivo or a personal recorder

and if it is possible, can you try to mention these in easy to understand english insted of using tech talk

thanks

Boy, is that a loaded question or what? I'll try to make this as simple as possible - the whole issue is a big mess right now.

The 2006 date you refer to is supposed to be the date when all analog television as we know it is supposed to be shut down, and everything will be only digital. The big upset about this is that everyone would have to, at a minimum, purchase some sort of digital decoder box, which currently cost a few hundred bucks.

The big controversy right now centers around the question "Will we be able to record our shows?". Some regulators want to put electronic 'locks' not allowing you to record some shows, but permitting you to record others. And consumer activists believe we should be able to record anything we want, just like you can now with a VCR.

There's a lot more to these issues, but I believe that covers the basics.

so does that mean sometime in the next few years, i would have to buy 7 decoders (7 tvs), or would it just be for big screens or what.

Potentially, yes.
Don't get too worked up about it yet. A lot can change over the next few years.

my guess is the cable companies might even provide some kind of digital to analog converter box. they could just swap out the box you have now with a new downrezzing box and you can continue to get service on the same old set. they may do this at no cost to keep you as a customer...or they might charge you an additional monthly fee. either way, it's way to early to worry about it. on the other hand i tell everyone i know not to buy any more analog sets. if you can't afford to go digital right now than just hold off on purchasing a new set for a year or so until prices come down and HD broadcasts become more prevalent. in my opinion the fall of 2003 will be the turning point to the mainstream adoption of HDTV.

but according to the hdtv beginers thread, it says in bold that if you have cable (i do) or satilite, the bill will not affect you, true??