Over the next several years, cities across the country will be completing a transition to the new High Definition TV standard. The upside of this transition is greatly improved picture quality and more efficient use of our airwaves.

One of the unexpected downsides of this transition has been the potential loss of our ability to record shows on VCRs for timeshifting purposes. Our old VCRs will not record the new High Definition signals, and Hollywood studios have successfully lobbied our federal government to make it very difficult and complex to record the new HDTV signals.

To help protect the right to timeshift HDTV for personal use, the FCC has required all cable operators to provide something called "firewire" output on all their HDTV set top boxes as of April 1, 2004. This firewire output will connect to a new generation of HDTV VCRs which are now arriving in stores and which will record HDTV in all its glory.

Being an early adopter of HDTV, I had already purchased a new HDTV VCR with firewire and was eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new firewire-enabled set-top boxes from Comcast. I contacted our local Comcast affiliate starting in late March about providing the new firewire-capable set-top boxes as required by the FCC ruling, but they had never heard of it and were not able to provide me with any support. After logging 20 calls to Comcast over the period of five weeks, and being told repeatedly that they could do nothing for me, I was getting very frustrated. Even with an FCC ruling requiring them to take action, Comcast would not budge.

That is, until I got the staff at the city of Saratoga involved. Since Comcast's license to provide cable is governed by the city of Saratoga, the city staff was able to get me in touch with the right people at Comcast and get them to listen to me. As it turns out, the executive management at Comcast was simply never told by the FCC of this ruling. Also, since Comcast has no escalation process, the 20-plus calls I made informing them of the FCC ruling were never brought to management's attention.

When I did finally get to someone in authority, and showed them the actual FCC order, they realized that quick action was needed. Working together, Comcast and the city of Saratoga were able to resolve the issue and get a batch of new set-top boxes which provide the required firewire output. As a result, the rights of the citizens of Saratoga to continue to record and timeshift shows have been protected.

Thanks to the staff at the city of Saratoga for making this happen. You guys are great.

Bob Pearse

Arroyo De Arguello

Reducing speed limits is key on Highway 9

I have some suggestions regarding safety on Highway 9:

Drivers will not slow down without some incentive, and the best are frequent patroling and lower speed limits. Caltrans was very cooperative a few years ago and reduced the speed on the Monte Sereno section from 50 mph to 40 mph. Bicyclists and walkers should be made aware of the dangers. Also, people who live on or near Highway 9, as I do, are at risk. Lower speeds, more frequent patrols and significant penalties would make their lives safer too.

Dorothea Bamford

Monte Sereno

Each of us analyzes
our own patriotism

In last week's Saratoga News, Carl Heintze ("War in Iraq is not like your grandfather's war") observed that "patriotism ain't what it used to be." Longer on reverie than on analysis, he could also have noted that his personal model, World War II, began when Japan attacked us and Germany declared war on us. Thereupon our articulate and farsighted Commander in Chief, President Franklin Roosevelt, explained reality to the American people. Clarity and truth from the top sustained a unified patriotism from the Bataan death march through the Normandy invasion.

Emulating Heintze's benign journalistic style, I will halt here. Each of us must be our own ultimate analyst as to the application of patriotism and the requirements for a war to be just—then and now.

James P. Walsh

Los Gatos

Auctioned puppies are
part of the family

In response to the recent letter from Pamela Nesbet Lavin regarding the auctioning of puppies at fundraisers, we would like to say that we strongly disagree with her statements. Each of our families has successfully bid on a puppy in recent years from the Saratoga High School Sports Booster Auction. In each case, the decision to purchase a puppy was a thoroughly discussed and carefully thought out decision made by each of our families many weeks prior to the event. It was not an impulse purchase at the event.

The auction committee meets with the winning family on the day after the auction to ensure that they do indeed want the dog and that it will be in a loving home. Our "auction puppies" are extremely well loved, well cared for dogs and are very important members of our families. We look at this situation as a win­win scenario. Money was raised for the SHS sports program and we were able to welcome a wonderful new addition to each of our families.

Bruna and Jeff Byrne
Willy and Monica McAllister
Shelley and Steve Newberry

Saratoga