So, the Ad Council has been letting us know that all broadcast television is switching from Analog to Digital as of February, 2009. So if you don’t have cable/satellite or a new TV, you’ll be getting zilcho as of then. Everyone with an analog TV can get $40 coupons from the FCC to purchase ‘convertor boxes’, which make old TVs able to get the new signal. My mom falls into this category, as she doesn’t have cable. Back when I lived at home, I won a digital TV at a school raffle. This past weekend I went home for semester break and discovered by accident that a little button labeled ’select’ on my remote switches the reception from analog to digital. This allows for the viewing of oodles of new sub-channels, including FIVE PBS STATIONS!!! Now anyone who knows me knows my affinity for all things public broadcasting. I spent the better part of saturday evening glued to PBS World and the BBC America substations, with a ridiculously wonderful line-up of “Are You Being Served?”, “Keeping Up Appearances”, “As Time Goes On”, “A Fine Romance”, “To the Manor Born”, “Waiting for God”, “SuperNova” and “Dr. Who”. After each show would end and another even better one would come in its place I simply stood there, kicking myself for not discovering this a year ago. Waking up to a Deutsche Welle “European Journal” op-ed piece didn’t help the matter. So basically yes, digital broadcast TV is fantastic. 
For anyone interested in the best of BBC Comedy; click here.
Filed under: Television | Tagged: BBC, Deutsche Welle, Digital, PBS
