In this era of ever expanding complex technology it sometimes feels like the world is getting really mixed up big time. It was not too long ago that most phones had to be hard wired into the wall and most TV’s could get all the programming over the air. Today more and more of us are jettisoning our wired Ma Bell phones and using our wireless mobile phones almost exclusively. Many “twenty-somethings” are shocked to hear that a TV can actually work without being connected to the cable or satellite dish. It is in this vein that I share the following true story.
A colleague of mine told me that over the Super Bowl weekend she received a call from her brother in Connecticut. He had recently purchased a new HD TV set but he had yet to decide if he was going to sign up for a high definition service with his cable provider or go with one of the satellite services. Well to make a long story short, he was very disappointed because his procrastination had resulted in not being able to watch the Super Bowl in High Definition on his brand new HD set.
“Why don’t you just pick it up over the air from Channel 3, the CBS station in Hartford,” my colleague inquired of her brother. A long pause ensued.
“You mean that I can get High Definition programming over the air …Channel 3 broadcasts in HD?” he asked incredulously.”
As it turned out she walked him through the rather simple process of attaching a regular “rabbit ears” antenna to the new TV set and, voila, it worked. He was nothing short of amazed.
I don’t think that my colleague’s brother is the exception as evidenced by the sheer wonder found in the eyes of many when they see TV actually coming to their mobile phone, Palm Pilot™ or video iPod™ through the air. Marconi got a Nobel Prize for developing this process in 1909.
Who knows, over –the-air TV broadcasting may have a second life with HDTV.
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