Are you ready for DTV?
Barring any changes in the coming weeks, television will go digital on Feb. 17. Are you ready for DTV? That means if your set's on an antenna, or if you have an older analog TV, the free over-the-air analog signal you receive will disappear. Unless, of course, you take the necessary steps to make the conversion to digital. It was slow up until about a week ago," said Ed Normandy of Vacs Etc. Now we're selling four or five a day."
I'm selling them right and left because they're going to have to have them," said Karen Fouts, who with husband Steve owns Steve's Satellite Service. We can't keep them," said Hannah Ray of the local Sears store. In 2005, Congress mandated all full-power broadcasters convert from analog to all-digital television broadcasting, which is more efficient. It also frees up frequencies to make room for public safety communications and commercial wireless services.
Digital television - DTV - allows broadcast stations to offer improved picture and sound quality along with more programming options for viewers through multicasting. Making the change For more than a year, broadcasters across the country have been promoting the transition. As Fouts said, people who plan to continue using an antenna for their TV signals are going to have to have a converter box.
According to the Federal Communications Commission, if you receive only free over-the-air television programming, you need the converter. That includes "rabbit ear" antennae. According to the FCC, a converter box is needed for each TV set or device, such as a video recorder, that has only an analog tuner. Cable and satellite TV customers with set-top boxes don't need the converter.
Another alternative is to replace your analog TV set with a TV that has a digital tuner. If you have an older analog TV, you will need the converter box. If you get over-the-air signals and have a set with a built-in digital tuner or a digital-ready monitor with a separate tuner set-up box, you don't need the converter. Sets built after March 1, 2007 are required to have a built-in digital tuner.
If you're not sure if you have a digital TV, look for labels or markings on the set that will tell you if it contains a digital tuner. You also can check the manual or other paperwork that came with the set. Another factor to consider, according to the FCC, is your antenna. You don't need a special antenna to receive digital signals.
Fouts said they've had some of their antenna customers who couldn't get UHF signals with their antennae decide to switch to satellite service. The Fouts firm offers Dish TV satellite service. There have been more than he expected, but Elbraeder said most who have come in "are going to satellite." His business offers Dish and DirecTV.
According to Elbraeder, when people have seen the quality and programming choices available via satellite, they've chosen to go with it instead of their antenna. Normandy, who offers DirecTV and Dish, said he's also had customers who changed their minds about continuing with an antenna after seeing the choices and quality of satellite TV. Fouts said their firm installs antennae and, generally, their antenna customers have wanted to stay with what they're using, although some have gone to satellite TV.
Sears, plus they can be bought at Wal-Mart. Coleman's TV and Computer Service doesn't carry the converter boxes, but they can install them. Because Congress mandated the digital conversion, it also approved a coupon program. USA Today reported this week that 7.2 million coupons were requested during December.
In all about 45 million coupons had been requested as of Dec. 31, and about 18 million had been redeemed. According to the NTIA, it will send out coupons as ones already in circulation expire and free up money. Associated Press reported there are requests for 103,000 coupons on the waiting list.
Meredith Attwell Baker, head of the NTIA, recommended people who are asking for coupons go ahead and get a converter box so they can have at least one TV set ready for the transition next month rather than waiting on the coupons. People do not need a coupon to buy a converter box. U.S. Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass.,
AP he's working on legislation to waive accounting rules that require NTIA to wait for unredeemed coupons before issuing more. The waiver would free up money for the coupon program. Locally, most dealers selling the converter boxes accept the coupons. However, Elbraeder said he doesn't. The government still owes me 400 bucks," he said, so he stopped taking the coupons. He said he'd accepted them initially, but it became too much of a hassle for him to be reimbursed.
Elbraeder said some people are confused about what the converter will do, thinking it will give them HDTV. It won't. He said the converter will make their analog TV sets capable of receiving the digital signal, but it will not be HDTV. HDTV and digital television are not the same thing. A high-definition set is required to watch television in high definition.
According to the FCC, the transition to digital broadcasting will provide better picture quality and more channels, but it will not give viewers HDTV. Viewers can watch high-definition programming on a standard-definition TV or an analog TV with the converter box, but it will not have full high-definition quality. What's available now Locally, the Springfield, Mo., KYTV, KOLR, KSPR, KSFX and KOZK -already are transmitting digital broadcasts.
In addition, he said there are a couple more PBS channels via Springfield and there are three additional Arkansas Educational Television Network channels. Even with the transition deadline 38 days away, and while television stations already have begun digital broadcasting, many people still aren't prepared. Nielsen Co. December, 6.8 percent of 114 million households with televisions remained completely unready for DTV, and another 10 percent still had at least one TV set that wasn't ready.
You must fill out the comment body in order to submit a comment. Comment too long. The comment you have entered is too long. Please limit your post to maxchars characters or less. For anyone who isn't ready for the conversion to digital broadcasting by Feb. 17, this could be the only picture they see on their television sets. People who use antennae or have analog TV sets will need to get a converter box or find another source for their television signal.
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