Well, my $40 coupons arrived on Wednesday and I could barely wait for the weekend to go and spend them. Technically, they aren't coupons, but work like credit or gift cards. My cashier had a little problem because these were the first coupons she processed, but they swiped, were verified and I was on my way.
A quick comparison of the recommended vendors revealed that, quality aside, the store cost of these boxes seem to run from $49 to $59 each, so they aren't going to be "free" regardless of where you purchase them.
My suspicion is that there is little difference in the boxes and that they all have minimal functionality, but that was just a quick impression from poking at the display models in each store. If you want full HD on a widescreen TV, this isn't going to be the solution for you. I'm not ready to replace every TV set and because I have cable for all but one of my current TV sets, my plan was to test this on the one TV that isn't connected to a cable signal. The set in question wasn't even plugged in to a power source, it was one of those hand-me-down sets you tend to pick up along the way, when friends or relatives move (or buy new TVs) so my installation was really from square one.
I had a rabbit ear antenna which came with the TV. If you don't, you will need to get an antenna at an additional cost, anywhere between $9 to $50 in the store I settled on, if you want to install an outdoor antenna it could run significantly more.
Despite the cautions I had heard about early models of these converters, the set up was very easy, even if you tend to start pushing buttons before reading directions as I do. Although not entirely intuitive it wasn't difficult to follow the on screen prompts and the set up went quickly.
In the end, I was able to receive over 50 channels, although many aren't ones I'd consider watching, the percentage seems to be about the same as it is for my cable selections. The best news of all for me is that for the first time I can now see all of WPBT's digital channels outside of my office at work.
I'm sure all experiences will be different and it is worth doing a little research in advance to make sure you end up with the experience you expect, but I'm feeling like the transition to digital, overall, has become a little less frightening for me and I think that with just a little knowledge it can be the same for you.
With all the talk about the coming Digital Transition and the shut off of Analog television signals, there is one interesting option for some viewers which might make sense depending on your TV habits and that is considering an over-the-air signal instead of cable or satellite service.
Certainly this isn't a choice if you are a heavy viewer of channels which come exclusively through cable of satellite delivery, but if most of your TV viewing is of local channels, and these local channels are all multicasting (such as WPBT now does), you may find you have more than enough choices to keep you happy AND it is all for free, just like the good old days.
Consider this survey which says that 62% of rabbit-ears watchers are opting for converter boxes or new digital TVs. Of course if you can't live without HBO or ESPN, then this isn't the best solution for you, but if most of your TV time is spent watching your local channels, with more local options available through stronger digital signals, you can't beat the price.
If you have questions about all of this visit our DTV information site or give us a call at 1-800-222-WPBT during business hours.
TV is a pervasive and powerful medium, and it is in a period of major transition. In the "Future of Television," a featured series on Nightly Business Report, NBR New York bureau chief Scott Gurvey examined how high-definition, digital video recorders, and the Internet will change that little black box that sits in 99% of all American homes. You can watch the series on uVu (click here) or read Scott's blog here.
The Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) recently announced that the largest consumer electronics retailers (Best Buy, Circuit City, Kmart, RadioShack, Sam's Club, Sears, Target, and Wal-Mart) will participate in the TV Converter Box Coupon Program along with more than 100 other retailers, representing more than 14,000 stores throughout the nation.
Thus far more than 500,000 people have requested more than 1 million $40 coupons toward the purchase of converters in the first 40 hours of the program. (Request yours here).
The requests are coming from every state via online and phone orders. Almost all were applying for the maximum two coupons per household.
The NTIA was given enough money by Congress to subsidize a total of 33.5 million coupons.
During the ordering process requesters are told that the coupons will not be mailed until Feb. 17, 2008.
Millions of $40 government coupons became available Tuesday to help low-tech television owners buy special converter boxes for older TVs that might not work after the switch to digital broadcasting.
Beginning Feb. 18, 2009, anyone who does not own a digital set and still gets their programming via over-the-air antennas will no longer receive a picture.
That's the day the television industry completes its transition from old-style analog broadcasting to digital.
The converter boxes are expected to cost between $50 and $70 and will be available at most major electronics retail stores. Starting Tuesday, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration will begin accepting requests for two $40 coupons per household to be used toward the purchase of the boxes.
Viewers who have satellite or cable service will not need a box.
The truth is, I like technology, electronics stores are for me what hardware stores were for my father. I do, however, face the impending change to digital television with a bit of concern. It isn't a question of technology but rather one of compatibility, something I call the "Born To Run" syndrome.
What does the Bruce Springsteen anthem have to do with my concerns about digital television?
The Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has launched the Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program (Coupon Program), as authorized in the Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005.
Starting January 1, 2008, all U.S. households will be eligible to request up to two coupons, worth $40 each, to be used toward the purchase of up to two, digital-to-analog converter boxes. For more details on the federal regulations, including the budget information, please the DTV Converter Box Coupon Program Rules.
The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners is launching a Web page intended to help consumers adjust to the Feb. 17, 2009 transition to digital television.
The Web page—http://www.naruc.org/DTV/—was developed by NARUC’s Consumer Affairs Committee, which spearheaded the Association’s involvement in the DTV Transition Coalition, a government and industry collaborative working group.
NARUC is the trade association representing the state utility commissioners who regulate essential utility services, such as telecommunications, energy, water, and transportation. Its members are often the first to hear consumer concerns about utility services.
There may only be 31 shopping days till Christmas but the more important date for consumers (and TV watchers) may be the 451days (451 days, 5 hours, 20 minutes and 34 seconds to be exact) and counting, remaining until the analog shut-off. How do I know this, I have a clock counting down to this event even as I sit here typing. If this is important enough for a special clock, it is probably important enough to start paying attention to what it all means.
The talk of Black Friday and holiday shopping is raising the anxiety level on what this new technology represents and what it means to the consumer, and the question might well be will visions of sugar plums look much better in 720p or 1080i? Plasma or LCD? 37-inch screen or projection?
There are so many variables it can be mind boggling and with only 451 days (and a few sundry hours) to go, is there enough time to make the right choice?
Certainly if you are looking to buy a new TV this holiday season, you have hopefully already done some research. Consumer Reports is one of the many options for information on screen sizes and picture quality, but lifestyles play a big role in selecting that next TV and again the choices can be overwhelming. Do you have a Blu-ray (HD DVD player) or the current standard? Are you a big "gamer" or is your TV just for watching TV? Is the new Television for that big living room or a smaller family room or bedroom? And of course there are still questions about why you need a new TV at all (you may not)?
So as you head out to make your holiday purchases, if an HD TV is on your list, remember to go armed with as much information as you can and don't be afraid to ask lots of questions before you buy, you may be surprised at the multiple answers you get, even for the same question.
One final note, I ran across a reference to this blog entry from a commenter on an earlier posting, keeping in line with the year end tradition of a list for everything, here is one writer's opinion on the winners and losers for the analog shut-off.
As more consumers become aware of the impending Digital Conversion (aka Analog Shut Off) many are beginning to consider buying new television sets which can receive digital transmissions. Although this is not the ONLY way to get a digital signal after February 2009, it is the option many will chose.
Courtesy of the FCC, here are some tips when you consider that next TV purchase:
The Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications Information Administration has taken the next big step in the eventual transition from analog to digital Television by announcing that IBM will manage the coupon program which should help consumers pay the the converter boxes required to be able to watch digital TV on their current analog TV sets.
As of January 1, consumers can apply for coupons by calling 888-DTV-2009 or visiting www.ntia.doc.gov/dtvcoupon.
You can read more about the recent announcement here.
No. HDTV is the highest quality of DTV, but it is only one of many formats. In addition to HDTV, the most common formats are Standard Definition Television (SDTV) and Enhanced Definition Television (EDTV).
What is high definition TV (HDTV)? How is it different from analog television?
HDTV is a name given to two of the digital television (DTV) formats. HDTV provides high resolution programming. A current analog TV picture is made up of horizontal lines on the picture screen; an HDTV picture can have more than twice as many lines, allowing for stunning picture detail.
What is the February 17th, 2009 DTV deadline date?
Congress passed a law on February 1, 2006, setting a final deadline for the DTV transition of February 17, 2009. Most television stations will continue broadcasting both analog and digital programming until February 17, 2009, when all analog broadcasting will stop.
The switch from analog TV (the traditional TV system using magnetic waves to transmit and display TV pictures and sound) to digital television (the new TV system using information transmitted as "data bits" -- like a computer -- to display movie-quality pictures and sound), is referred to at the digital TV (DTV) transition.
The TV set I just bought has a warning label saying it will need a "converter box" in 2009 because of a switch to digital broadcasting. What's that about?
This was the top line in an article I just found on line, you can see the answer here, but the question is not only relevant to those buying new TV sets but also to all of us who already own analog TV's and are wondering about what will happen when the analog signal goes away.
If a DTV converter box is what you will need, the federal government may be able to subsidized the cost. In an article from the New York Times, it was announced that:
"...the National Association of Broadcasters, the powerful trade lobby representing the nation’s television networks and stations, lifted the curtain on two prototypes for those basic digital converters — one made byLG, the other by Thomson, which is distributed under the RCA brand — that will start appearing in electronic and department stores in January, at an expected cost of about $50 to $70."
For more information on the coming transition, keep watching this blog and reading earlier postings as well, look for them under the category Digital Television Transition.
Whether we are ready or not, the end of analog television is coming and the predictions about the impact are as varied as they were about Y2K, from bangs to whimpers, we are long on hand wringing and short on answers.
Over the next several months, we hope to be able to post helpful information in this space and to that end I encourage you to take a look at a website called DTVanswers.com. To begin with, you'll be welcomed by a countdown clock, which shows you how much time you have to begin educating yourself on the transition.
Here at WPBT, we have already begun to prepare, creating content that reaches across all our channels and includes online video and links to PBS digital content. But the end of analog doesn't mean you need to change your lifestyle or your living room furniture, in fact in many ways the transition may mean a return to the comfortable and familiar (for some of us old timers at least) and by that I mean Rabbit Ear antennas, seriously.
Among the many options consumers will have to be able to access Digital television, one will be the ability, with minimal expense (relative to buying huge, flat screen HDTV receivers) acquiring a set top digital converter and an indoor antennae. In any case, like Y2K, preparation and education will be the best course for staving off disaster. Keep looking in this blog for updates and resource tips and take a look at DTVanswers to get started, the clock is ticking.
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