TVSquad

The big digital television crossover came and went. So what do I do with my spare set? Sure, I subscribe to cable so my wired televisions should have no problem with the conversion (most of mine are recent purchases anyway and are prepared for the conversion), but that's not what I'm referring to. I'm asking what exactly I could now do with the Sony Watchman Model FD-2A that I purchased in 1985 and remains in my closet to this day.

It was intended as a way of being able to watch television during high school (and to show how dated the set is, the screen is black and white). It does actually still work, if the purpose of the set is to produce a screen of snow.

Here are some ideas that I could now use the set for:

• As a TV (all I need to do is crack it open and hook up a digital converter, which kind of ruins the portability aspect of the device)
• Target practice
• Paperweight
• Handy object to throw at my oppressors (if I ever have any oppressors)
• Tree ornament
• Abstract art
• Flashlight (if I turn off the sound)
• Fencing practice (the antenna is pretty long)
• Prop replica of a Sony Watchman
• Brick replacement

Any other ideas?

Yesterday, the U.S. Senate followed President Obama's recommendation and approved a delay in the digital TV transition date from February 17 to to June 12. If a similar measure passes in the House, then we all know what that means: four more months of DTV transition ads! Woo hoo!

Seriously, though, will it matter if the transition date is February, June, or sometime in Obama's second administration? At this point, even the most casual observer has figured out that the transition hasn't been communicated very well to the American public. People who have cable or satellite still think that they need to buy a new HDTV or upgrade to digital cable in order to be compliant with the conversion, people who got discount coupons for converters early on have found that the coupons have expired and they can't get more, and the people who have converted are being surprised that some weak stations won't come in due to the "digital cliff effect."

Folks, I hope that you're working on either buying a new digital television or are at least considering purchasing a box to convert your TV signals to digital, because the deadline for transitioning to this new technology is nearing and Congress isn't changing its mind. According to lawmakers in the House of Representatives, February 19, 2009 is still the deadline for the complete transition to digital TV. And, since it's coming from the United States government you know that it's for real!