Archive for the ‘CES’ Category

Look Out Below! Americans Toss Analog TVs

April 9, 2008

The Consumer Electronics Association claims that only 15 million televisions will be ‘removed’ from the homes of people who get their TV signals over the air, and of those, 95% will be “sold, donated or recycled.” 

But who would buy an analog television when what the CEA likes to call the “digital television transition,” (a process now approaching the length of the 100 Years War) is complete? 

As for donations, tried to donate a monitor or computer lately?  Many people end up doing nocturnal dumpster dumps in frustration.  And the last thing charitable organizations want is a haul of unsellable obsolete televisions.

That leaves recycling.  How it will be done isn’t so clear; Sony will take back their own aging TVs, but other owners are out of luck.   While Erin Monaghan suggests making your TV into a planter or fish tank, you still need to get rid of the TV tube, which Earth 911 suggests can contain 4 to 8 pounds of lead.

I say bring back the halcyon days of Led Zeppelin at the LA Hyatt, the notorious “Riot House” on the Sunset Strip, and launch the old TVs from the balcony to an empty swimming pool.

Look out below!

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The Analog TV Set That Won’t Go Away

December 5, 2007

The Consumer Electronics Association has been saying the US is in the midst of the ‘digital transition’ for years.  If so, it’s one of the longest on record.  With less than a year and a half to go before analog programming is cut off, less than 15% of Americans have digital sets.  Worse, less than half of those actually watch high definition programming according to Nielsen Research.  (Hat tip to www.nikkifinke.com).

It’s no surpise: analog televison sets are persistent in your house–they just work. Unlike computers, they don’t get obsolete every two years.   And although prices on plasma, DLP and LCD TVs have been dropping, so have real estate values–it’s harder to get a home equity loans to make your house pay for its home theatre.

The CEA’s sales numbers  look good; sales of digital TVs rose from 12.5 million in 2005 to 18.5 million or so in 2006, or 50%.  But there’s probably close to 300 million TVs (one for every American at home, in the bars, hotels, etc.) meaning 250 million CRT analog sets are still humming contentedly.  Only a fraction will be replaced by 2009; prepare for lots of ‘fixes’ using set-top box analog to digital converters. 

I’m bracing for another massive Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas.  And this year, with high gas prices, foreclosures up and a recession coming, the sunny view always portrayed by Gary Shapiro of the CEA (home of the ‘biggest and best CES ever’, every year) looks gloomier.

Posted in 2007 Consumer Electronics Show, CES, Consumer Electronics, analog-to-digital-TV | 1 Comment »