The irony of over-the-air HD

High definition television is a marvel of modern technology. The picture is so sharp and clear, it makes regular television look old, outdated and downright ugly.

But.

If you can’t get your HD fix through cable or satellite, you have to get it through over-the-air broadcast signal. That means you need an antenna, and if something interferes with the signal from the station to your house, you’re back in the 60s — adjusting your rabbit ears in a feeble attempt to get a clear picture. Granted, digital TV is very clear, so instead of UHF fuzz, you get dropouts. Lots of them.

It’s the same thing with smartphones. If the signal is weak, most of the functions that make my Treo fun go away.

Right now, the OTA HD signal from our local Fox affiliate is dropping out once every six or seven seconds. It might be the wind. It might be a sunspot thing. Whatever it is, it’s making this Falcons-Lions game REALLY hard to watch.

Of course, with Atlanta up 17-0 at the half and Detroit floundering, the game is hard enough to watch as it is. Steve Mariucci looks like a man who was just told his dog has cancer.

I’ll say this, though — the Lions’ suckage today is not Joey Harrington’s fault. If he had been playing for the Steelers last Sunday, they would have won. That’s all I’m saying.

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