No more Analog TV..the Digital TV Switchover FAQ

Move over Analog TV.. you've been replaced  

Analog TV will cease to exist on February 17, 2009. Is this the end of free TV? Will your current TV set need to be replaced with a digital TV? Here's what the switch to digital television broadcasting means to you...

Since the beginning of TV times,  television signals have been broadcast in analog format. Unfortunately, a new USA federal law says that television stations will now be required to broadcast in digital format only, beginning in February 2009. This article will answer your questions about digital TV and who is affected by the analog to digital switchover, and what you'll need to do.

If you have an older TV with an analog tuner and use an atenna to receive your TV signals, you WILL BE affected.   If you subscribe to a Cable service, satellite or fiber-optic service, you are NOT affected.  These services broadcast in digital already, so even if you have an analog TV, you are receiving digital service.  So you are okay, as long as you don't cancel your service. . If your current cable service is analog (with no set-top box) you can continue to do so for at least three years after 2/17/2009.

If your television is newer and came equipped with a digital tuner, you are NOT affected.

But, how do I know if it's Digital?

If you're not sure if your current TV is digal or not, usually there will be some indication on the TV itself, or in the manual. Look for the words "Digital Tuner," "DTV" "HDTV," or "Digital Receiver."

Any TV shipped  into or within the United States after March 1st, 2007 is likely to be digital, since the government has required all TVs shipped in the US since that date to be digital.  The government also required that all TVs sold after May 25, 2007 must have a digital tuner, or be clearly labelled as not having one, affecting older TVs sitting around on the store shelves.. So if you bought your TV within the past year or so, it's almost certainly digital.

Still not sure?  Another way to check if you have a digital tuner is to contact your local TV station and find out what channels contain digital broadcasts. If you can tune into those channels, you've got a digital TV tuner, and you don't need to do anything.

Alternatively, you can get the make and model of your TV and check it out on the manufacturer's website, or ask at an electronics store, such as BestBuy or Circuit City, etc..(assuming you can find a sales person in one of these places with a clue).

It's not digital..What do I do now?

If your set is an old analog TV and you don't have cable or satellite, don't panic...no need to toss it out and go buy a new set just yet. You can keep the set you currently have until it dies of natural causes as long as you install a digital-to-analog converter box. (This is NOT the same as a cable set-top box.) The converter box goes between your antenna and the TV, and will convert the new digital broadcast signal to an analog signal that your analog TV can understand.  Plus, even if they you do decide to switch to a newer set, the analog sets still work great for hooking up video games, VCRs and DVD players to ..these things will not be affected and will continue to work as always on an analog set.  

  Finding and installing the converter boxes should be pretty painless, and much cheaper than buying a whole new TV.  Most TV or electronics equipment retailers should have the digital-to-analog converter boxes for around $40 to $70, but, luckily, you won't have to pay that much. The government is going to provide every household with two $40 vouchers, good toward the purchase of these converter boxes. To request your vouchers, visit http://www.ntia.doc.gov/dtvcoupon, the Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program website, or call 1-888-388-2009.  

What about my antenna?   If you are currently able to receive UHF channels via your antenna, then you should be good to go, and don't need to replace your antenna.   The same goes for your existing VCR, DVD player, camcorder, gaming system, etc.. they will continue to work as always, and are not affected by the type of TV you have.

Why The Switch to Digital TV?

For people who don't already have a digital TV and receive their TV via good, old-fashioned free over-the-air signals, the switchover from analog to digital may seem like a big ol honkin;' pain in the butt, and completely unneccessary...so why is the government making the switch to digital only?  Well, part of the reason is that the FCC wants to make better use of the broadcast spectrum currently being used by analog television signals. Some of this spectrum will be licensed to companies that provide consumers with wireless broadband service, and other frequencies will become available to emergency services such as police, fire departments, and rescue squads.  

The other reason is simply keeping up with the times. Keeping up with the Joneses is important to some people, and the US government is one of them..parts of Europe's TV broadcasting is digital already, and we don't want to be shown up by Europe's TV, now do we? National pride aside, digital broadcasting does provide better audio and video quality, as you can see for yourself if you've ever watched TV on an analog set with no cable hooked to it.. night and day, right?!  lt also does it more efficiently. With digital multicasting, TV stations can transmit several channels at the same time, in the same broadcast spectrum. In addition, digital TV allows for interactivity that is not possible with analog technology. You may not have a desire ot interact with your TV, but in case ya ever feel the need to, digital is the way to go.  

The Exception to the Rule

As with most things, there is an exceptioin to the rule.  The switch from analog to digital doesn't apply to local, low-power and translator stations in certain rural and urban areas.  These stations can continue on as always in analog format indefinitely.  So, if you regularly receive and watch these types of stations and need to receive BOTH digital and low-power signals, you need to be sure your digital converter box you purchase has the "pass through" feature required that allows the low-power signal to pass through to the analog TV.

For more information, the US Gov's website http://dtv.gov/ will tell ya more about digital TV and the analog to digital conversion.   See also the FCC's Consumer Facts About DTV site

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