On Feb. 17, 2009 the most dramatic change since the introduction of color TV will take place in the broadcasting industry. At exactly midnight, all U.S. television stations will stop broadcasting in analog and will only offer digital broadcasting. This switch will not affect any TVs connected to a digital source such as Comcast or DirecTV. The only TVs that the switch will affect are those that get their signal through an antenna. While analog TVs are not nearly as popular as they were in the past, many people still rely on them. Using an antenna to receive a TV signal allows users to receive about 20 channels of network TV for free. Many low-income families, tailgaters, and RV owners still use antennas to get TV because it is free and available anywhere.
The U.S. government made the decision to switch to 100 percent digital transmission for several reasons. Once broadcasters abandon all of the analog airwaves, the government will reclaim them and assign some of the frequencies to various government agencies and emergency responders and auction off other frequencies. The new digital programming will offer users a clearer picture and more services, like interactive on-screen guides. People who have an analog TV basically have three options. The first option is to buy a newer model TV with a digital tuner. To determine if a TV has a built-in digital tuner, look for labels or markings containing the words, "Integrated Digital Tuner," "Digital Tuner Built-In," "Digital Receiver," "Digital Tuner," "DTV," "ATSC," or "HDTV." If the TV has any of these words, the TV will still work after Feb. 17, 2009 without taking further action. If the TV set is labeled as "Analog" or " NTSC," then the set only contains an analog tuner and its owner will need to purchase a newer model. This option clearly is not an economically practical choice for low-income families or for people who use analog TVs only occasionally when camping or tailgating.
The second option is to subscribe to a cable, satellite, or other pay service. Since the government made the decision to initiate this switch and the first two options cause some level of monetary investment, the government created a third option to minimize the cost for analog TV users.
The third option to make an analog TV work after Feb. 17 is to buy a digital converter box. These devices, which are just starting to hit the market, plug in between an antenna and a TV converting the analog signal to a digital signal. These boxes are expected to cost somewhere between $50 and $70. The government, however, is subsidizing the boxes and allowing every household to request two coupons for digital boxes. The government coupons, each worth $40, can be obtained by filling out a simple form found at www.dtv2009.gov, or by calling 1-888-DTV-2009. Once users have the coupon, they will be able to use it most places digital converter boxes are sold.
Many people have already submitted the online form, received their coupons, and bought digital converter boxes. They have reported that they have been able to receive about 30 channels and the picture and audio is, like the government promised, much clearer and crisper than analog television.
If you have any TVs in your house that currently receive a signal through an antenna, log on to www.dtv2009.org soon and request a coupon. Supply for the coupons is limited and as Feb. 17 gets closer and media attention of the switch increases, so will the coupon requests.
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