Courtesy of CNET“At midnight on February 17, 2009, all full-power television stations in the United States will stop broadcasting in analog and switch to 100% digital broadcasting”, says the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).
How does this affect me you might ask? Well most frugal people use the free television channels, which are basically your local affiliate stations, ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX and PBS. By Feb 17, 2009 they have to buy a digital converter box from your local Best Buy, Wal*Mart or your local electronic store as well as on the internet or all you will see is “snow” on your screen. What should I do? In order to get your “free” channels you must purchase a digital converter box, this will set you back around $40 for the lower end models and as much as $80 or more for the higher end models. Also you can go to dtv2009.gov and get a coupon to help cut the cost of buying the box. A great website to research which box is right for you is CNET.com they have an extensive review of which box is right for your needs.
For those of us with cable or satellite this does not affect you This is only for the television users that use rabbit ears or an antenna to receive their local television signal.
I'm excited!
How does this affect me you might ask? Well most frugal people use the free television channels, which are basically your local affiliate stations, ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX and PBS. By Feb 17, 2009 they have to buy a digital converter box from your local Best Buy, Wal*Mart or your local electronic store as well as on the internet or all you will see is “snow” on your screen. What should I do? In order to get your “free” channels you must purchase a digital converter box, this will set you back around $40 for the lower end models and as much as $80 or more for the higher end models. Also you can go to dtv2009.gov and get a coupon to help cut the cost of buying the box. A great website to research which box is right for you is CNET.com they have an extensive review of which box is right for your needs.
For those of us with cable or satellite this does not affect you This is only for the television users that use rabbit ears or an antenna to receive their local television signal.
I'm excited!
As for me I am excited to see what the new digital TV will bring. From what I have read, we will get better sound and picture quality along with more channels, as if we really need more channels to flip through. This will also free up the airwaves, known as spectrum, for use by our First Responders.
Below is a list of a few good websites with all the information you might need to make your digital conversion run as smooth as possible.
http://www.dtv2009.gov/
http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-tv-converter/
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/
Comments, criticisms, useful knowledge?
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