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Important Notice About
the February 17, 2009
Digital Television Changes
SURVIVAL GUIDE
FOR THE DIGITAL TV TRANSITION
On February 17, 2009, “full power” television
stations, including most
of the major network affiliates and large independent stations, will
convert to digital-only operation. If you have a TV set that does not
have “HDTV” capability, you will not be able to see these
stations any
more unless you buy a new TV set or one of the new “converter
boxes” that
became available in February 2008. You will see and hear a lot about
this change, because the FCC is requiring all full power TV stations
to
broadcast announcements about it.
What many of these announcements will not tell you is that most Class
A, Low Power TV, and TV Translator stations such as KAQC TV will not
convert to digital
next February. They will continue conventional analog broadcasting,
and
you will still be able to watch them on your old TV sets. These
stations may have smaller coverage areas than full power stations; but
there
are four times more of them, they are licensed by the FCC the same way
as full power stations are, and they have lots of interesting programs.
To survive the digital transition, you need to be able to watch both
digital and analog stations. Most of the digital converter boxes now
on
the market will not let you do that, because they block analog signals
and prevent you from watching stations that may have
programming you want to see.
There are five things you can do to keep receiving all TV stations:
1. Buy a new TV set, hook up an antenna, and watch TV stations for
free. All TV sets
now being sold have both digital and analog tuners and can receive all
TV stations. Some are
very expensive, but not all. Stores have frequent sales, and you can
buy a small screen set for
under $100.
2. Buy a new DVD recorder or VCR, but make sure that it has a built-in
tuner. All
these devices currently being sold have both kind of tuners and have
outputs that will work with
your old TV set. They are available for as little as $135.
3. Buy a converter box to use with an old TV set. The best kind of box
has tuners for
both digital and analog stations, but they are very hard to find and
cost as much or more than a
DVD or VCR. The next best is an “analog pass through” box
that will
allow you to watch
analog stations when the box is turned off. Most converter boxes now
available do not have
either an analog tuner or the analog pass-through feature. Do not buy
boxes without analog
capability if you want to be able to watch all TV stations.
4. Subscribe and pay for cable or satellite services. These services
will either deliver
signals that your analog TV can display or will provide their own
converter box to use with
analog TV sets. Be careful when choosing this solution. Even if you
do
subscribe to one of
these services, any televisions you have which are NOT hooked up to
a
cable or satellite box
may not be able to receive some local programming.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration is
giving away coupons that will give
you a $40 credit if you buy a converter
box. These coupons will not be honored if you buy a box with an analog
tuner, a DVD or VCR, or a new TV set. If you
think that is unfair, contact your Senators and Congressperson. To find
your two Senators, go to www.senate.gov, and to find your
Congressperson, go to www.house.gov. Those websites let you search for
the names of
Member of Congress from your state and district.
When you go to the store to buy a converter box, ask the salesperson
whether the box has an analog tuner or analog pass through capability.
Other terms that may be used are “NTSC” for analog and “ATSC”
for
digital. If you want to find out which boxes have analog pass-through
before
you shop, you can find a list of models at www.keepuson.com. If you
have
NTIA coupons, you received a list of eligible models in the envelope.
The ones marked with an asterisk (*) have the analog pass-through
feature. If the store where you shop does not have any of these models,
or
the sales person does not know what you are talking about, shop
somewhere else or online.
Don’t be misled into buying a converter box that will cut you
off from
some TV stations. Insist on a box with an NTSC/analog tuner or analog
pass-through, so that you can continue to watch all TV stations. Better
yet, buy a new TV set or a DVD or VCR.
Even if you cannot use your government coupon, think about whether it
is worth losing access to some stations to save a few dollars. And write
to Congress and complain that you should be able to use your coupon
however you choose!
Don’t give up your freedom to choose which stations to watch.
Buy
wisely, and buy something that will be useful for a long time to come.
©2008, Community Broadcasters Association
Amy Brown
Community Broadcasters Association
Executive Director & Secretary
www.DTVNow.org
www.KeepUsOn.com
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