The Digital TV Transition Fiasco

On August 31st 2011, nearly all Canadian television broadcasters were required to shut down their old analog television transmitters, and permanently switch over to their new digital transmitters, bringing Canada into a new era of high definition digital television broadcasts.

The Canadian news media however did such a horrendous job of reporting the upcoming Digital TV Transition, presenting it more as an upcoming television broadcast apocalypse, I felt the need to produce a series of public service announcements to counteract what I now consider as a deliberate campaign of misinformation led by the Canadian television broadcast industry.

This video includes all the individual videos previously released on our YouTube channel during the week of the Digital TV Transition, repackaged in a convenient and entertaining two minute presentation featuring:

  • How to get the best possible digital television experience at minimal or no cost,
  • The truth about old rabbit ears and new “digital” antennas,
  • What to expect from a very basic home-built television antenna.

This information should help alleviate people’s fears over the digital transition, and show the benefits one can expect in this new era of free, crystal-clear high definition television. Unfortunately, the video could also reveal how some people might have been led down the wrong path to digital television in the form of unnecessary equipment purchases and monthly fees.

The fact that much of the misinformation about the Digital TV Transition was propagated by television news reporters has left me wondering if these reporters had any malicious intent over the subject matter, or were simply incompetent. They work in the television industry. How could their information possibly be so wrong?

Regardless of the reasons, I now know I can no longer trust these reporters and their employers to present the facts in an unbiased and reasonably accurate manner, not only on the Digital TV Transition, but also on other subjects.

If you know a Canadian print, radio or television reporter who you believe presented the Digital TV Transition in a false and misleading fashion, please send us a link to a Web page that demonstrates how the reporter has allegedly misrepresented the facts. We’re currently preparing a “Worst Of” list.

“Off to Osaka” and “Fluffing a Duck” by Kevin MacLeod.

Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike Canada 2.5 License.

Download the video!

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