I told you about the ordeal of BUYING the converter box, but not how I feel about the addition to my home.
All I want to know is: How did the government know I needed yet another remote control? I now have a grand total of FOUR, and that’s because the $100 one is lost.
Hooking it up was no problem. I even did a happy dance because we get EXTRA channels! Kid channels, no less, like Qubo 24 hours a day! It’s like getting more free babysitting! Then you realize that if a channel doesn’t come in PERFECTLY, the whole screen freezes. Not like the old days, when if the rabbit ears weren’t positioned well you could still kind of see your program.
“Why don’t you just get cable, you cheap [fill in the blank]?!” you may ask. Well, first of all, I AM CHEAP. Have you not met me? Are ya new to this blog? (If you ARE new to this blog, I apologize for yelling at you, but you may as well get used to it.)
Plus if I had cable I wouldn’t have time to entertain YOU with this blog because I’d be watching TV about 10 hours a day … cooking shows, news shows, etc. I don’t need all that extra crap in my poor small brain! My mom tapes a very elite group of shows for me, which I can take or leave depending on how much time I have.
Which brings me to taping shows using a converter box. Yes, you read that right. I typed the word TAPING. Anyway, I can’t set up to tape anything anymore because:
1. The converter box automatically shuts off after a few hours.
2. How does my old VCR know WHICH Channel 19 to tape (there are 4, named 19-1, 19-2, etc.)? It is confused.
Y'all yell at me for being stuck in the ‘90s, but I’m telling you I like being different. Mark Twain said that whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.
Ooh! Ooh! I know!
ReplyDeleteThere is a setting on your converter box that makes it stay on all the time. Its default setting has it shutting off after 4 hours. But I don't know why...it's not like it's saving energy or anything, the light just changes from one color to another when it's off.
THEN! You leave your converter box on the channel you want it to tape on, like 9.3, because ABC has the best shows. Then you set your VCR to tape on the channel your television is set on to run the converter box, like ours is set to 3. So you program the VCR to tape channel 3 at 9pm on Sunday, for Brothers and Sisters, but leave your digital converter box on channel 9.3 the time you turn the tv off before that program plays...like after you turn off Sunday Morning on channel 5.1, or whatever.
Then you get really pissed when someone doesn't leave your tv on the channel you want it on and you end up taping some stupid detective show instead of your good, red-blooded American drama series...and start to believe that this is a big conspiracy to get us to all buy cable or satellite.
We got directtv for less than 2 years when we pulled the plug. It wasn't the money. It was the waste of time. I don't tape anything (don't own a VCR) because I can watch my favorite shows online.
ReplyDeleteFortunately, we have a fairly new TV so I didn't need to get a converter box. We also have a cable modem and if we really, really want to watch something (like the presidential election coverage) we just unplug the modem and stick the cable in the TV. Awesome!
I agree with Tresa. Totally a conspiracy to get us to buy a 100 channel package with 4 movie channels, high speed internet and a free puppy.
One more comment about taping-I feel your pain with it shutting off, etc. Tresa is right about setting it correctly to tape-HOWEVER you also need to keep in mind that NOBODY can watch another channel while you are taping something-like you can't let your kid watch QUBO while you are taping Desperate housewives-it has to be ON THAT channel that you want to tape. GRRRRR-some days I wonder if they are more trouble then they are worth. (the converter boxes I mean)
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