Has anyone ever demanded, or known someone who has demanded, digital television? It seems to me that digital TV is just another case of a few people with influence over politicians standing to make money out of just another unnecessary product: multinational manufacturers who make big donations to politicians and supply a few jobs in Australia where we no longer have a television manufacturing industry, along with monopolist, donating retailers who do supply more than a few jobs.

I remember the main political villain who pushed digital TV on Australians – Senator Coonan – ignoring my question as to who actually wanted digital TV in the first place.

I currently have a $149 Dick Smith ‘special’ with a 51cm screen which supplies a perfectly good, sharp picture, even to my old eyes. I have stood in front of what must be now hundreds of digital TV’s (tuned to the few digital programmes so far available) and have not been able to tell the difference between them and my old box. And, the bigger the screen, the worse the picture.

As for high definition, I read a few days ago that it is no better than ordinary definition unless you have a huge, wall sized TV. This is probably because the bigger the screen, the worse the grain is.

Viewers will still be stuck with the same old inane and inferior programmes whether they are free to air or pay. There are so many people around these days who won’t or can’t read that there will be plenty of takers.

For mine, I think television watching will come to an end.

Digital TV technology allows for many more channels. However, our commercial media bosses lobbied hard to protect their oligopoly by succeeding in their push for government to restrict any new entrants, instead we have them doing HD and multichanneling so we just get more crap all so they can hang onto their ad revenue, mostly from peddling rubbish that most of us either don't need, is no good for us or can't afford anyway.

Then we had one of the valuable channels handed over on a silver platter to a consortium of holy roller quasi-businessmen to show 2nd or 3rd rate dubious programs from dodgy American faith preachers and faith healers selling overpriced dubious books or media and soliciting donations to pay for their corporate jets and mansions.

Estella, I have found that in the odd emergency, on the road, [the most likely place for them] cars stop to help, & almost all of these drivers have a mobile, they are hapy to use to help. I may be imposing on peoples good nature, but what is the point of them having such good nature if someone does not allow them to demstontrate the fact.

On the TV front, you made just one mistake. You did not call the grand kids. It appears to me that they absorb, from the air, by some form of osmosis, all the secrets of all this stuff.

Once they can talk, they are capable of sorting all the mysteries of the digital age, when asked. In fact, you don't even have to ask. Just start trying to sort the thing, in their presence, & they will come & take the thing off you, & with a slightly condescending smile, sort the problem in seconds.

I thought you may enjoy this, sent to me by my father. http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=xy-pD-M0rY4.
Susan Prior - ed

I have considerable sympathy with Estella . As a partly reformed technophobe almost 64 , I dread being informed of the latest innovation or " reform " which is being introduced , allegedly in response to popular demand ,which really means that some big business , usually unAustralian , has decided to force the general population to buy something from them , which will not make life any better for the general population . Although I did not wish to have digital TV , I have recently bought a set top box and paid a technician to install it . So far it works well , and I enjoy seeing the old movies on ABC 2 . As further channels are introduced , some of the new material will be worth watching , while most of it will consist of sport [ chiefly " footy " ] , cooking shows and reality TV . I decided to act now , in reluctant acceptance of the inevitable and have obtained high definition TV , which looks a bit brighter , but apart from the old movies , no better in content .