June 12, 2009 is the final day that full-power television stations will broadcast in an analog over-the-air signal. The date was originally set for February 17, but due to broadcasters who needed more time and congressmen who felt the public needed more time to understand the transition, the deadline was extended until next month.

This also has provided companies more time to create confusion in an effort to sell products and services.

Cable companies like Cablevision use the digital transition to try to convince holdouts still using antennas that the best way to avoid a problem is simply to sign up for a yearly contract, with a special “low-cost program.” They might be right. If you have cable or satellite service, you will be immune to the digital transition. Virtually all cable companies serve digital signals into homes now. But the low-cost program offered might provide you with fewer channels than you have now as a customer of free, over-the-air broadcast television.

Retailers use the digital transition as an excuse to convince consumers that it’s time to upgrade to a high-definition television. I routinely talk to people who are convinced that they need to buy a high-definition television in order to watch any television after the transition date. This was never true. A digital television is not the same as a high-definition television broadcast. You can watch digital television on your older cathode ray tube (CRT) television. You do not need to buy a new television, even if your old box has only an analog tuner.

At the very minimum, you will need to buy a digital converter box if your television has only an analog tuner. There are coupons available, two per family if you apply for the coupon before July 31, to help defray the cost of two converter boxes. If you buy a converter box, keep this in mind: Even after the digital transition deadline, some low-powered stations may continue broadcasting in analog only. If you want to receive these stations after the transition, you must buy a converter box which offers a feature called “pass-through,” which allows analog and digital signals to be sent to your television.

If you use antennas to receive analog television now, the same antennas will receive digital television. Digital signals are weaker, though, so you may find in order to receive digital reception that is comparable to your old analog reception, you’ll need an outdoor antenna.

There is more information from the FCC and the Department of Commerce runs the coupon program.

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I originally posted this article in January 2008. As February 17, 2009 draws closer, I am still dismayed by the misinformation being spread by television manufacturers, cable operators, retail salespeople, and coworkers. Please pass this information to anyone who has the wrong idea about the switch to digital-only over-the-air broadcasts.

Whenever the subject turns to high definition television, I’ve always found a few people who are disappointed because they believe they need to sell their television and upgrade to high definition (HD) by February 17, 2009, they day the lights go out on analog broadcasts. This is a significant misconception, an incorrect assumption that is encouraged by electronics stores that use confusing and sometimes misleading terminology. Stores are encouraging people to upgrade to high definition televisions, inspiring fear that once February 17, 2009 rolls around, their current TVs will go dark, unable to receive signals from their cable or satellite company.

This is simply not true. The only changes will be to free over-the-air signals. For the most part, the only people who will be affected are those who use standard antennas to receive free television. Many people have cable or satellite boxes that are not affected by this change. The cable company will receive those local stations via the required digital signal and will send the signal to your house. The set-top cable or satellite box will use a digital tuner to receive signals and will send the video to your television over an analog or digital cable.

If you subscribe to cable or satellite, this change will not affect you at all. If you use a cable box, the company has taken care or will take care of everything for you. If you receive cable service without a set-top box, you may need to contact the company.

If you are one of the many people across the country who watch only the television programs broadcast over the air, you have three options.

1. The first option is to buy a new standard definition (SD) television set. Almost all new televisions have digital tuners now, but check the specifications before you buy. Don’t buy a “monitor,” which has no tuner at all. You don’t need to buy an expensive HDTV if you want to save money.

2. The second option is to buy a special DTV converter box. These cost about $50, but households can request up to two $40 coupons.

3. The third option is to subscribe to a cable or satellite service. The most basic cable service costs less than $20 per month.

The biggest misconception I’ve been exposed to, particularly at work, is the idea that to receive any television at all after February 17, 2009, you will need a high definition television. This is simply not true. Please get the word out.

Image credit: ninjapoodles
DTV Transition Coalition
Digital Television from the FCC

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