Petition: Attach Warning Labels to Analogue-Only TVs

"Dave Farrance" wrote in message
...
I think that the idea of attaching warning labels to analogue-only units
has a fair amount of approval in this group, unlike the prospect of
outlawing such units. So if you want to show support for this, please go
to this e-petition to the Prime Minister:

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/analogue-warn/

Dave,

I've sent the following to 200 people:

Greetings all!

There's something bad happening in this country that could be put right very
easily.

Many of the new TV sets that people are buying now do not have a digital
tuner. This means that after analogue switch-off these sets will need an
add-on box. The use of this box and its remote handset (as well as the TV
set's own handset) is a complication that many people, especially the
elderly, can well do without.

The fact is that many people do not understand that any TV set they buy now
should have a digital tuner fitted if it is to continue to be simple and
convenient to use after analogue switch-off. A simple warning label on all
analogue-only sets is all that's needed. At least then people can make an
informed decision.

As you might know my work causes me to deal with TV reception issues in the
homes of a lot of elderly people, and I can tell you that many of them are
coming home from the shops with new TV sets that are going to cause them a
lot of inconvenience in a few years. Some of them actually think that the
set they've bought is 'digital ready'. How many of them have been
deliberately misled I don't know.

If they do buy a digital set now, the whole business of analogue switch-off
will happen without them having to do anything and they won't even need to
know that it's happening.

As we approach analogue switch-off there is the danger that manufacturers
and retailers will offload analogue-only sets onto less well clued-up
customers, using various tempting offers.

Please sign the petition at the link below. The legislation needed has the
unusual merit of having absolutely no downside but a significant upside. All
we want is a simple warning label on all analogue-only TV sets.

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/analogue-warn/

Bill

Bill

"Dave Farrance" wrote in message
...
I think that the idea of attaching warning labels to analogue-only units
has a fair amount of approval in this group, unlike the prospect of
outlawing such units. So if you want to show support for this, please go
to this e-petition to the Prime Minister:

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/analogue-warn/

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Attach warning labels
to analogue-only (non-digital) TVs and video recorders.

Analogue TV broadcasts will cease over the next few years, so that all
analogue-only TVs and video recorders will require external digital
"set-top-boxes". Many people, especially the elderly, find set-top-boxes
difficult to use, and the complexity of video recording from a
set-top-box will often defeat the technically competent too.
Analogue-only equipment is still widely available and is commonly bought
by people without knowledge of these problems. Warning labels on such
units stating "WARNING: ANALOGUE TUNER ONLY" would alert people to the
problem and discourage their sale. This would save vulnerable people
from losing money, protect the environment by reducing the vast amount
of equipment that will be dumped, and reduce the resources required to
aid the conversion to digital reception.

--
Dave Farrance

I have signed this. I am not in favour of the "nanny state" telling us
what to buy, but it doesn't seem unreasonable to require retailers,
especially supermarkets to put a warning on an item that will soon
lose some of its functionality.

As for the rest of us who know what we are buying, such a requirement
is likley to reduce the price of these already cheap items even more.

--
Graham.
%Profound_observation%

"Bill Wright" wrote:

Dave,

I've sent the following to 200 people:

Greetings all!

There's something bad happening in this country that could be put right very
easily.

Many of the new TV sets that people are buying now do not have a digital
tuner. This means that after analogue switch-off these sets will need an
add-on box. The use of this box and its remote handset (as well as the TV
set's own handset) is a complication that many people, especially the
elderly, can well do without.

The fact is that many people do not understand that any TV set they buy now
should have a digital tuner fitted if it is to continue to be simple and
convenient to use after analogue switch-off. A simple warning label on all
analogue-only sets is all that's needed. At least then people can make an
informed decision.

As you might know my work causes me to deal with TV reception issues in the
homes of a lot of elderly people, and I can tell you that many of them are
coming home from the shops with new TV sets that are going to cause them a
lot of inconvenience in a few years. Some of them actually think that the
set they've bought is 'digital ready'. How many of them have been
deliberately misled I don't know.

If they do buy a digital set now, the whole business of analogue switch-off
will happen without them having to do anything and they won't even need to
know that it's happening.

As we approach analogue switch-off there is the danger that manufacturers
and retailers will offload analogue-only sets onto less well clued-up
customers, using various tempting offers.

Please sign the petition at the link below. The legislation needed has the
unusual merit of having absolutely no downside but a significant upside. All
we want is a simple warning label on all analogue-only TV sets.

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/analogue-warn/

Bill

Nice. Can I adapt your wording to publicise this elsewhere?

--
Dave Farrance

On Sun, 8 Jul 2007 22:11:02 +0100, Bill Wright wrote:

The fact is that many people do not understand that any TV set they buy
now should have a digital tuner fitted if it is to continue to be simple
and convenient to use after analogue switch-off.

But practically unless it has analogue tuner as well. Just checked with
www.freeview.co.uk and they indicate BBCs 1, 2, 3, CBBC, News24 and BBCi
as the only channels available. We are high up compared to the town down
there they nothing. ASO is currently scheduled for 2011/2012.

Not everywhere has digital coverage. There are huge areas of the country
that are analogue only and only 4 channels at that. A national labeling
scheme, though a nice idea, may well not be practical due to the regional
variations as when DSO is happening and the patchy coverage of DTTV, here
to town is only 2.5 miles...

--
Cheers
Dave. pam is missing e-mail

"Dave Farrance" wrote in message
...
Nice. Can I adapt your wording to publicise this elsewhere?

Of course. 10p a word, or a cup of tea and a bun.

Bill

"Dave Liquorice" wrote in message
ll.net...

Not everywhere has digital coverage. There are huge areas of the country
that are analogue only and only 4 channels at that. A national labeling
scheme, though a nice idea, may well not be practical due to the regional
variations as when DSO is happening and the patchy coverage of DTTV, here
to town is only 2.5 miles...


These areas will loose analog by 2012 anyway.
A digital TV will receive analog as well, so even aras that currently
cannot get digital are better of getting a future proof tv.

In article ,
buddenbrooks wrote:

"Dave Liquorice" wrote in message
ll.net...

Not everywhere has digital coverage. There are huge areas of the
country that are analogue only and only 4 channels at that. A national
labeling scheme, though a nice idea, may well not be practical due to
the regional variations as when DSO is happening and the patchy
coverage of DTTV, here to town is only 2.5 miles...


These areas will loose analog by 2012 anyway.
A digital TV will receive analog as well,

not all, some have only digital tuners

--
From KT24 - in "Leafy Surrey"

Using a RISC OS computer running v5.11

On Mon, 9 Jul 2007 06:58:14 +0100, buddenbrooks wrote:

A digital TV will receive analog as well,

*All* digital TVs from now until the last ASO? Think through the
practical implications, this labeling is not as simple as it first
appears.

Look that confusion the "HD Ready" stickers has produced, many people have
bought "HD Ready" sets an believe they are now watching HD when they have
no HD source at all or expect the set to receive HD with no further kit
required once HD becomes available.

--
Cheers
Dave. pam is missing e-mail

buddenbrooks wrote:
"Mortimer" wrote in message
...
such as tape/disc library including programme name; subtitles
which can be recorded invisibly (as for closed-caption VHS or DVD) rather
than being permanently burnt in to the recorded programme; video recorder
that can change channels rather than requiring a separate tuner that needs
to be programmed separately.



A good idea. One should remember that there is a duty to consider the needs
of the disabled, and these sort of features
can add a lot while costing little.


While we are considering the disabled, how about manufacturers having
available for ordering, a larger and clearer remote control. Philips in
particular has been quite good at making very small remote controls.

Regards
Glenn...

"charles" wrote in message
...
In article ,
These areas will loose analog by 2012 anyway.
A digital TV will receive analog as well,

not all, some have only digital tuners

Blimey. Which sets?

Bill