Television's Digital Conversion a Sucksess?!

So, after a week or so of  infrequently, and I do mean infrequently, viewing a television with the RAD new digital signal, I have to say how completely underwhelmed I am! I've never really been a big fan of television. Even my earliest memories are of the nice little 13" job my parents got, which my step-father, almost immediately de-soldered all of the channels on the manual channel changer, so we only received PBS. (For all you young pups out there, YES! One had to get up off one's ass to change the channel!). My step-father was an electrician by trade, and pretty intelligent at that! He also made it possible to turn the volume up and down, in addition to being able to turn the sound off completely with the use of a 1/4"  jack, some cable and what looked like to me some odds and ends from his shop. This, of course, made it very difficult to stare at the One-Eyed-BrainSucker for hours on end, and not get fucking bored as Hell! I used to complain about it, not having a big t.v., not having cable, not having a remote, etc. I believe today, WHOLE-HEARTEDLY, that my parents did me a big favor by doing these things! I probably ought to tell them both that one of these days.

Anyway, enough about that you say! Get to the point! Fair enough. So, the little experience I have had with the digital switch, makes me scratch my head until I reach brain matter! Weird audio glitches, out of sync audio, digitized blocking of the picture, tearing, stretched oblong pictures, (I'm assuming due to the program not being made for high Def), I mean the list could go on and on! WHAT IS ALL THIS SHIT ABOUT? Was this really necessary?! What was wrong with good 'ole analogue? I know, I know... You may be saying to yourself, " Brady must be a fucking Luddite! " No! I like technology as much as the next cyborg! My problem with this television switch stems from a much deeper root. I shall explain.....

In the early 80's, 1982 to be exact; the compact disc was released to the mainstream public. With much fanfare, generated mostly by Sony. People were told of the level of sound quality of CD's. They were informed that one may never have to worry about loosing their music collection to age, being it that CD's would last for thousands of years! Well..... After 27 years on the general market, any audiophile worth their weight in vinyl, will tell you that CD's actually have piss poor quality! And those thousands of years? Ask any technophile about degradation of CD/DVD's information storage capabilities over the long haul!

Then came all of the new audio and video gadgets made to utilize all of this new media technology. Things like, solid state receivers instead of tubes, digital tuners for stereos, or how about the Laser Disc player? A fucking movie on a disc the size of an LP, but looks like a CD! The VHS or Betatmax war's. ( Sorta reminiscent of Blueray or HD DVD of today. ) Again, any audiophile will tell you, tubed is better that solid state! Of course nowadays, I think there's been research stating that younger listeners think older audio sources sound bad, because they've gotten used to the ultra compressed and ducked sound of mp3's!! And all of this for what we are told is the ability to have our audio and video in new and exciting, and BETTER ways. 

Does anyone really think this is the case? Do you even think about it? Do you even think? Or is this the tried and true 'Snake Oil' routine? I do know that technology has brought us some amazing and useful things. Hell, the computer I'm pecking away at right now is probably Goddamn reversed engineered alien technology! 'Cause I can hardly believe something so useful could have been devised by the likes of a highly polished equivalent of a used car salesman. Which is what the major electronics companies really are! I know, I'm guilty of hipocracy! Why is he bitching about all of this shit as he admits to watching a t.v. and using a computer? Yes, I even own an mp3 player... Well, I am a part of the society in which I dwell. And as most people, I am partially a product of the larger environment  in that I exist. This doesn't mean that I don't have a brain and, that part of my psyche doesn't scream at me, telling me to ask these questions! Large parts of me loathe the desire to acquire the newest, shiniest, dog turd on the block!

Still, this begs the question. What makes the digital so much better?! I just see glitches and poorer service. Or is it that the powers that be just want us to incrementally lower our standards in preparation for better assimilation into our McLive's, and not analyze things as diligently as we might, provided we really had choice in the matter at all.

Happy Krampus kiddies....   Angry Brady