Print

Email story

Comment

Letter to the editor

Columns

The digital switch

Coupons for converters will help analog TVs owners get signals when all-digital broadcasting hits in 2009.

By Ivan Penn, The Consumer's Edge
Published January 12, 2008

No question we all love a great picture on our TV sets.

Big and sharp. That's what we like. Oh, and lots of program choices.

Digital TV is set to bring it all.

No longer must we rely on the unstable, old school signal that we have grown accustomed to for decades with so-called analog TV. We'll have the more precise language of computers, which use combinations of zeros and ones to represent data in the digital world.

Simply stated: come Feb. 17, 2009, your old television won't work with just rabbit ear antennas, unless it has a built-in digital tuner.

You will need to buy an adapter the federal government will help you purchase or subscribe to a service such as cable or you'll have a black screen.

If you're lucky, you might get some snow or some wavy lines or something. Just know aluminum foil on the antenna or having little Johnny hold onto the old rabbit ears isn't going to help you.

The switch to digital was in part designed to free up space on the airwaves for emergency responders. (And make the industry richer.)

Because Uncle Sam mandated major broadcasters make this change, adding more expense to consumers, the government is offering up to two $40 coupons per household to buy converters that allow analog televisions to receive digital signals.

The converter boxes will range from $39.99 to $80.

The Department of Commerce began accepting applications for coupons Jan. 1. About 2.8-million coupons have been requested by 1.6-million households.

Realize that because the TV Converter Box Coupon Program is a government program, it is filled with gobbledygook.

"It's a big project and there are a lot of concerns," said Joel Kelsey, of Consumers Union.

First of all, the coupons are available only on a first-come, first-served basis. So you have to hurry because there are just 22.5-million of them.

But wait: the coupon expires 90 days after you receive it. And the converter boxes aren't expected to reach stores until late February or early March.

Hmm. What to do? Order the coupon only to have it expire before you can buy a converter?

Estimates are that 15.1-million to 17.1-million households still use only analog televisions with antennas. And that some 29.1-million to 74.1-million televisions in homes would need a converter box.

That does not include all of the analog televisions in recreational vehicles, or RVs, that also will need converters.

What about analog TV Walkmans? You might as well as donate them to a museum or put them in a time capsule.

But there is an edge:

~ Consult your owner's manual. This is the best way to determine whether your television has a built-in digital tuner or will require a converter.

~ Call your service provider. To be safe, contact your TV service provider to ensure digital reception is included in your service.

~ Don't wait to apply for a coupon. Coupons will begin going out Feb. 17 with information on where to find a converter box, according to Todd Sedmak, a spokesman for the coupon program. Of course, there is no guarantee they will not have sold out when you arrive at the store.

Ivan Penn can be reached at ipenn@sptimes.com or (727) 892-2332.

Digital technology will make use of radio wave frequencies more efficiently, freeing up space over the airwaves for emergency responders to communicate.

With digital technology, by using the coding language used for computers, broadcasters can send more precise signals over each frequency. Analog transmissions, the original way television signals were sent, are unstable. Analog restricts broadcasters' ability to transmit multiple signals over a single frequency with accuracy.

What you need to do

By midnight Feb. 17, 2009, television viewers who continue to use antennas need to buy a converter box to receive the all digital transmissions from the major broadcast stations. The converters will cost $39.99 to $80. Major electronics retailers will begin stocking approved converters by the end of February or early March.

To assist with the purchase of the converter boxes, Congress allocated $1.5-billion for a coupon program. Each household can apply for up to two $40 coupons. The program will fund 22.5-million coupons.

Coupons can be redeemed by retailers for approved converter boxes. For more information about the program and to apply for coupons, visit www.dtv2009.gov or call, toll-free, 1-888-388-2009.

[Last modified January 11, 2008, 23:30:23]