 In several provinces across Canada, consumers are getting the provincial tax incentive on wide screen TVs bought after January 1st, as part of a push to get consumers over to the new technology.
Of course manufacturers of HDTV are delighted with the new tax break. "This is just what we needed to get things moving again," said one representative. The sales of high definition TV had hit a slump last year to the bad economy, with many choosing to remain on their old analog systems. Those people have yet to see the benefits of the new HD channels, and some even still think that Betamax is a good thing.
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| Brainwashing can lead you to see strange things. |
Cable companies are also excited about the push to HDTV, since it represents a boost in revenues as consumers switch to the more expensive packages. "This is awesome news! Once you have the fancy TV, you need to get the DVR and you have to order a HD package from us," said a cable guy we met.
So the tax credit is good for at least two industries, and provides consumers with nice big screen TVs in their homes. And since the new digital TV signals associated with HDTV use less bandwidth to convey even more channels, the switch is environmentally friendly. "This is so much better than clubbing baby seals like they did with analog TV," said a consumer who had already made the switch.
Some customers were angry that the tax credit was not made retro-active. Many consumers who bought a new TV before Christmas are now upset that they do not qualify for the tax windfall. When asked, the minister said that consumers could buy a second HDTV if they want to qualify for a tax credit. This tax was aimed directly at the baby-seal-clubbing consumers who were holding on to their analog TVs. Once you make the switch, you find it hard to go back to the less wide screen TV, with it's inferior letterbox format presentation.
Still other groups are protesting that the brainwashing aspect of HDTV is still there. "The government just wants us all plugged in to the new technology, since it has a digital direct-line to people's brains. I am sure that if you play the public safety broadcasts backwards at half-speed you get demonic messages telling you not to resist our alien masters." For a long time it has been thought that the HDTV initiative was aimed at controlling the masses using the new light based technology. For example, did you notice that Blu-ray sounds very similar to Death-ray, or even Mind Control-ray? Most experts who already have wide screen TVs disagree.
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