Important Notice

About the February 17, 2009 Digital Television Changes

The Problem

  • Full power analog TV stations were required to turn off their analog transmitters and use only digital transmitters starting June 12, 2009. Since March of 2007 it has been illegal to import or manufacture a television in the USA that can not receive both analog and digital TV stations. If you watch TV with an antenna and don't have a digital television or a converter box, you will only be able to watch local Low Power Television stations that have not changed to digital after June 12, 2009.

Cable And Satellite Viewers Not Affected

  • If you get your programming from a cable company, satellite company or telephone company, you are not affected.
  • Your provider will convert the broadcast stations for you, just like they have been doing with digital cable channels for years.
  • Your old TV will continue to work on Cable or Satellite. Even a 50 year old TV will work on Cable or Satellite.
  • In future years Cable and Satellite may face mandates like broadcasters are now, or they may just try to get everyone using digital, but it is not mandated at this time. They will not cut you off in February 2009. At this time it is to their benefit to continue providing you with an analog feed for your analog TV. Cable companies would in fact like all their customers to be digital, so they can squeeze more channels into limited bandwidth, however even that does not necessarily require you to own a digital television. It would however mean you would have to subscribe to digital cable.

Only Antenna Viewers Affected

  • Only people who use an antenna to receive their television programming are affected. Only Broadcast Stations are being forced to change to digital, Cable and Satellite are not.
  • Antenna users have two options: either buy a digital television or a converter box. Digital televisions can be had for as little as $99. But converter boxes will be less. Plus, the government is providing $40 coupons toward the purchase of converters. Converter boxes allow you to keep your old TV, VCR and DVD player and still be able to get the new digital stations. Please note: if you have cable or satellite or own a digital television you do not need a converter box. But if you want a converter anyway, you have to get the coupon during the first round of offerings in early 2008. The later, second round, is only for people who do not have cable or satellite.
  • You can apply for two $40 coupons at www.dtv2009.gov or by calling 888-DTV-2009. The coupons must be used within 90 days after they are mailed to you. Eligible converters are expected to be in stores starting sometime in February 2008.
  • To use a converter you will connect your antenna to the input of the converter box and the output of the converter box to the input of your analog TV. (You don't need a converter if you already have digital televisions) Think about your TV wiring in your house and how your TV's and VCR's are hooked up. Be sure converters are the solution for you. If you just have a couple of TV's using the same antenna or rabbit ears and maybe a VCR on one of the TV's you can probably get along with a converter box, however to be frank, a digital television might be a little less complicated to deal with.

Not All TV Stations Will Be Digital

  • Contrary to popular opinion, only 20% of the nation's TV stations must change to digital by February of 2009. As much as 80% could still be analog. These are LPTV (Low Power Television) stations. If you use an antenna, you may be watching some LPTV stations now and not realize it.
  • The following Cornerstone TV stations are LPTV stations. Currently it is not possible to change these stations to digital by February 2009. So they may or may not be the only analog stations in your town.
    • W21CJ-TV21, Clarksburg, WV
    • W29CO-TV29, Sharon, PA
    • W35BT-TV35, Harrisburg, PA (now digital ch 7)
    • W45BT-TV45, Brookville, PA
  • If you watch these Cornerstone stations or other LPTV stations, you will still need a way to receive analog signals. This web site has a list of all LPTV stations www.ntia.doc.gov/dtvcoupon/LPTVmap.html
  • If you watch them from a Cable Company, you are all set, because they pass any analog TV station that they carry through to your TV. But just to be sure, call your cable company and verify that they will continue carrying the analog LPTV station.
  • If you watch them with an antenna and opt for buying a digital television instead of a converter box you will be ok, because currently available digital televisions also receive analog stations.
  • If you watch them with an antenna and opt for buying a converter box, it could get complicated because not all converter boxes can pass the analog signal through to your analog TV. You will have to make sure you get a converter box that can pass through analog stations. If you end up with a converter box that can not pass the analog signals through to your analog TV, you will need a couple of "A/B" switches to switch the converter box in and out of the circuit.
  • According to the official coupon eligible converter box list, as of March 10, 2008, only 6 of the 50 eligible converters can pass through analog signals to your TV.

    They are:
    Digital Stream DX8700
    Digital Stream DSP7700T
    Echostar TR40 (available this summer - list price $40)
    Philco TB100HH9
    Philco TB150HH9
    Magnavox TB-100MG9

    These analog compatible boxes may not be available immediately (you have 90 days to use your coupon)

Digital Antennas?

  • Antennas aren't digital in themselves. However, depending on your particular reception situation, you may need a better antenna than you did with analog. This means if you have a digital television or converter box you might need an antenna that either has a narrower pick up area or a wider pick up area, depending on your location and the TV station locations. This web site, www.antennaweb.org can show you where the stations are in relation to your house. It will also make recommendations for antenna types.
  • In many cases your old antenna will work. But if you find that you are not getting all or most of the stations that the above web site said you should, or if you have old fashion rabbit ears, you may need something better. Here are some links to modern antennas with built-in amplifiers and new UHF Panel Array technology:

No One Has To Buy an Expensive HDTV

  • HDTV (High Definition Television) is the most expensive kind of digital television. If you can afford an HDTV and want state of the art, cutting edge pictures, then you can get an HDTV. If you want to subscribe to HDTV programming or buy an HD DVD Player you can do that, but then you will need an HDTV to display those HDTV pictures. Television is still free with an antenna, and if you want HDTV pictures you can get them without subscribing to cable or satellite. All you need in that case is an HDTV and an antenna.
  • However, you can get the best pictures you have ever seen with a simple inexpensive digital television or converter box. The least expensive digital televisions are usually called SDTV's (Standard Definition Television) and they have great pictures and no special HDTV programming or DVD players are needed. You will also be able to watch over-the-air HDTV programming free with an antenna. You just won't have the super duper high resolution of true HDTV. You will still see and hear the programs.
  • Inexpensive SDTV's are available for as little as $99 at places like Walmart.
  • 13" SDTV's cost $99, 20" SDTV's cost about $150 and 27" SDTV's can cost less than $200.
  • The government has mandated digital television, not high definition television. One of the benefits of digital television is the ability of broadcast stations to transmit multiple programming channels instead of, or in addition to, HDTV programming. So that means you will get more channels with digital television, regardless of how much you pay for a digital television or converter box. Television stations in your city are broadcasting extra channels that you can't see without a digital television or converter box. Cable may not even carry them all.
  • By the way, who is it that wants you to spend lots of money on an expensive HDTV? The companies that make or sell HDTV's and the companies that make or sell HDTV programming services.