Kokua Line
Kokua Line
I read a story recently on the coming of digital TV broadcasting and high-definition TV broadcasting. But KITV is touting that it is the first to offer digital telecasts. Is this true or just hype? I thought digital TV was not yet ready. How can we at home receive a digital signal instead of the regular analog signal? Station has digital TV
but our sets can’t get itIt is true that KITV, in September, became the first commercially licensed digital television station in the United States, according to the Federal Communications Commission.
In January, it became the first station to actually send a digital transmission.
But unless you have a digital TV set, and so far, no one does, you will continue to receive the same analog signal. KITV is sending out both signals, said General Manager Michael Rosenberg.
Digital broadcasts are supposed to be far superior to current technology because they send signals in a line of computer code (ones and zeros) that's converted into images. The images are cleaner and sharper and not subject to electronic interference. Analog signals, on the other hand, travel in energy waves that are prone to electronic interference.
Digital broadcasts also will allow stations to send out more information, which means viewers will be presented with more options, including access to the Internet.
The first digital TV sets aren't expected to go on the market until Christmas, with initial costs estimated to be about $3,000.
Although the FCC requires all stations to switch to digital by 2006, Rosenberg said most probably will continue to broadcast in analog during the transition.
There seems to be a lot of water waste going on at Pearl Harbor. It was especially noticeable on April 24, when an area near the new Ford Island Bridge was watered from the afternoon to midnight. We saw the sprinklers on going to work and they were still on when we left work. There also are other areas in Pearl Harbor that are watered way too long, wasting precious water. Can someone look at the timing of their automatic water system? There WAS a problem with the sprinkler system that day, said Pearl Harbor Naval Base spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Rod Gibbons.
Rubbish in the sprinkler line clogged a valve, causing the automatic on-and-off mechanism to malfunction, Gibbons said.
The problem was discovered the next day, the line was flushed and the system was returned to normal, he said. The sprinklers now are set to run twice between 8 and 11 a.m., 20 minutes each time. A worker checks around noon to make sure the watering has stopped, Gibbons said.
As for your comment about other sites, it's hard to respond without specifics, he said.
The sprinklers may be on when it's raining, but that's because the sprinkling system is on automatic timers. "But if people notice things, please give us a call," Gibbons said.
Call the Facilities Engineering Department, 474-8190.
Regarding the complaint about nighttime construction noise: It's a perfect example of people wanting highway work to be done at night, but not in their neighborhood. There's no pleasing everybody all the time. -- No name Auwe
To those workers involved in clearing the plant growth and debris from our roads, especially recent efforts along Pali Highway. I appreciate the extra visibility in the Nuuanu area. -- C. Lum Mahalo
To the man in the red Buick who hit me from the back on the H-1 freeway, then denied it later. You know you did it, so take responsibility for your actions! -- Ann Auwe
Need help with problems? Call Kokua Line at 525-8686,
fax 525-6711, or write to P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802.
Email to kokualine@starbulletin.com
