"Dial into"
03-19-21, 02:58 PM
#1
New Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2021
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
"Dial into"
I mention I wanted to "Dial into" a tv show I had on disc. The younger person had no idea what I meant.
I grew up that era where TVs had 2 dials: One for the major stations (ABC, CBS, NBC), and the UHF dial.. for those crappy stations full of noise that no amount of adjusting the rabbit ears could completely get rid of.. and that was on a good UHF station.
At some point, cable rolled into town, and you could get a cable box you hooked up to you television. It was three or four years before my parents got a cable box.
I grew up that era where TVs had 2 dials: One for the major stations (ABC, CBS, NBC), and the UHF dial.. for those crappy stations full of noise that no amount of adjusting the rabbit ears could completely get rid of.. and that was on a good UHF station.
At some point, cable rolled into town, and you could get a cable box you hooked up to you television. It was three or four years before my parents got a cable box.
03-19-21, 03:33 PM
#3
Premium Member
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: Grazing in a field somewhere...
Posts: 23,821
Received 759 Likes
on
501 Posts
Re: "Dial into"
UHF was not for "crappy" stations only. Our ABC channel was on UHF-22, and it came in fine (PBS came in fine too on UHF-16).
It was dependent on your distance from the signal (and the strength of the signal).
It was dependent on your distance from the signal (and the strength of the signal).
03-19-21, 03:37 PM
#4
Re: "Dial into"
I too grew up when TV's had dials but I've never heard the expression that someone dials into a show on disc.
I find it interesting that people still use phrases like hanging up the phone & rolling down a car window long after those aren't really what we're doing anymore.
I find it interesting that people still use phrases like hanging up the phone & rolling down a car window long after those aren't really what we're doing anymore.
03-19-21, 04:33 PM
#5
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: "Dial into"
not heard this turn of phrase myself and I had plenty of TVs that I was the remote for growing up. Did you try and explain the A/B switch as well? 
03-25-21, 12:40 PM
#6
DVD Talk Reviewer & TOAT Winner
Re: "Dial into"
Ironically most digital stations are on UHF frequencies now, even if they're in the lower numbers. I always liked the independent stations more than the network affiliates, they would show the more off-beat stuff and take more chances, like showing R-rated movies uncut and uncensored. Sadly those have all been consumed by the Fox and CW networks now.
DVD will be 25 years old next year, personally I think it's long past time to retire it for anything other than stuff shot on standard-def video.
DVD will be 25 years old next year, personally I think it's long past time to retire it for anything other than stuff shot on standard-def video.
The following users liked this post:
PhantomStranger (03-26-21)
04-02-21, 08:21 PM
#7
DVD Talk Legend
Re: "Dial into"
Hey, the first wireless TV remote controls came out way back in 1956... And I do remember having TVs with two dials, UDF (channels 2 through 13) and UHF (channels 14 through 83). And our beloved Atari 2600 and Colecovision consoles working through RF outputs tuned into channel 3. Who can forget POLTERGEIST with our young protagonist staring into the mesmerizing static of an old-style CRT set, or VIDEODROME where watching and becoming addicted to UHF Channel 83 was giving people brain tumors!!
