Digital TV sabotaged by opposition, says Conroy

Stephen Withers
Wednesday, 03 December 2008 08:40

Opinion and Analysis

And one thing we've all learned is that when it comes to electronics, you can almost always buy the same or better next year at a lower price - massive currency fluctuations excepted.

So any attempt to delay the analogue switchoff because of a perceived lack of digital penetration will only slow the adoption, as it will result in people further postponing the purchase of a set-top box.

Is the plan is to wait until everyone's old CRT sets have worn out before getting rid of analogue?

With SD set-top boxes selling for less than $40 and HD models going for under $100, it's obviously not cost that's holding people back.

It's also possible that digital penetration is being underestimated if all that's being counted are sales of stet-top boxes and TVs with built-in digital tuners.

TV tuners for use with personal computers are widely available at reasonable prices, and when combined with a recent display such as a 21 or 24 in LCD monitor they give a superior viewing experience to many TVs.

Anyway, let's end the procrastination and renew efforts to complete the switchover by 2013 at the latest.