[Ffmpeg-devel] [ bug ] converting png to dv gives solid black

[Mike Melanson]

Gary Corcoran wrote:
> It was supposed to happen when at least 85% of the people had HDTV tuners.
> But not any more.  Congress recently passed a bill fixing the date at 
> sometime
> in early 2009 (February,March,April, I don't recall what they finally 
> agreed
> on).

	According to Wikipedia, the "drop-dead" date is Februry 17, 2009:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-definition_television_in_the_United_States

> Yeah, we darn consumers taking our time to upgrade are the reason Congress
> decided to put a hard deadline.  They want the billions of dollars they 

	IIRC, they've been setting hard deadlines since the 1990s. Keeps 
slipping for some reason.

> think
> they're gonna get by auctioning the freed-up frequencies of analog 
> broadcasting.
> What bugs me is that even if they get the billions of dollars, you 
> _know_ who
> will be paying those billions in the end.  Yep, all us consumers.  Plus if
> you depend on over-the-air broadcasts for your TV, as a lot of poorer 
> people do,

	I often wonder why it's a forgone conclusion that television access is 
a fundamental human right. Don't weep, though-- I've heard of some 
government initiatives to help subsidize HDTV upgrades for the 
economically disadvantaged. Seriously (and guess who gets to pay for that?).

> you'll be forced to buy an HDTV tuner.  I can't wait to hear the reactions
> when millions of people's TV sets suddenly stop working.  (of course if 
> you're
> on a cable or satellite system you won't notice)

	Maybe this will finally happen (advisory: joke newspaper):

   TELEVISION ENDS
   http://www.theonion.com/content/node/30278

-- 
	-Mike Melanson