If you have not bought a new TV in the last month, you may not know. But all TV's that do not have a built-in digital tuner, also known as an ATSC receiver ,have a warning label sticker saying it will need a "converter box" in 2009 because of a switch to digital broadcasting.

Why are they doing that?

Well, Those stickers are mandated by the Federal Communications Commission to be on all analog TV's starting in May.

Some folks already know this, but....

What's happening is that on February 17, 2009, TV broadcasters will be turning off their analog over-the-air broadcasts, the kind you tune into with rabbit-ear antennas.

The FCC is making the TV stations do this for various reasons but mainly because digital broadcasting is much more efficient, using less of the valuable radio spectrum.

What will happen is the government will take that spectrum back and auction it off for other uses.

The funny part is that they converter boxes mentioned on the label are not really yet available.

There are prototypes from LG Electronics and RCA and I am sure other companies will jump into the fray real soon.
Why, because about 20 million U.S. households get only over-the-air analog TV. This is a huge customer base to market to!

From what we understand you won't need a digital converter to watch cable or satellite TV, or play movies from DVD players or VCRs also, game consoles are also unaffected.

But if you go through the hassle of getting a converter box, you may find that your picture quality has improved a great deal.

The boxes will go between the rabbit-ear antenna and the TV set, converting the digital broadcast to an analog signal the TV can use. They'll need a power supply, and come with their own remote.

The price for a box is expected to be between $50 to $70, but the government will be issuing two $40 coupons (actually plastic cards that work like gift cards) to each household that asks for them. See this post for more information.

They say if you go through the hassle of getting a converter box, you may find that your picture quality has improved a great deal. This we will have to see.

They are also telling us, digital broadcast will contain some program information, so you will be able to bring up a little window showing the name of the show you're watching.

If you're getting a new TV, look for one that has a built-in digital tuner, also known as an ATSC receiver. Sets that only have an analog tuner, also known as an NTSC receiver, are being phased out of stores already.

Here are some good links regarding Digital TV:
www.dtv.gov
www.ntia.doc.gov
www.dtvtransition.org
www.ce.org/hdtv
www.ceknowhow.com
www.CheckHD.com
www.myceknowhow.com
www.antennaweb.org

 

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