OTA Digital TV
I have to agree, I'm underwhelmed by the transition. Especially since Comcast requires those damn converter boxes on every TV.
The conversion from analog TV to digital TV over-the-air has virtually NOTHING to do with ComCast. Unfortunately cable companies decided they could use the 'confusion' of this transition to further confuse their customers and get more $$$ from them.
As far the story goes; it is a little unfair to compare thinking back in the early 1990s with now. Back then custom newscasts on TV sounded like a good idea. That was BEFORE the Internet became public.
Additionally; there have been two different mindsets with how (broadcasters) to use the digital TV bandwidth. Some would like to produce ONE single stream that is the highest quality possible (highest resolution) while others want to cram as many channels into the space as they can regardless of quality. Since cable companies typically reduce the (maximum) bit-rate of HD pictures, many OTA broadcasters have opted for a mixture of the two.
