Will I be affected?
If you receive free over-the-air television signals through either a roof
top antenna or rabbit ears - in other words, you do not subscribe to cable,
satellite, or any other television service provider - you will be affected
by the transition.
What is the Digital Television (DTV) Transition?
By law American television stations will end all analog broadcasts on February
17, 2009 and will begin broadcasting exclusively in a digital format. Television
sets connected to cable, satellite, or a telephone company video service provider
should not be affected and will continue to receive broadcast programming
after that date. But TV sets not connected to cable or satellite, or without
a built-in digital tuner, will need a converter box to receive broadcast television
after the transition.
Why the switch to DTV?
Digital is more efficient and will free up the airwaves for other services,
including public safety communications (such as police, fire, and rescue squads).
What's a digital TV?
It's not a high-definition or flat-panel set; high-def is only one flavor
of digital TV. What counts is not the set's screen, but what's behind it --
a digital, or ATSC ("Advanced Television Systems Committee"), tuner
that can receive the new signals.
Do I have one?
If you have to ask, you probably don't. The easiest way to tell is to see
whether the set's remote control lets you tune in channels with decimal points:
4.1 instead of just 4, for example. The TV's setup mode should also let you
search for digital and analog channels. Even big-screen sets built before
2006 usually lack a digital tuner. Sets smaller than 26 inches, VCRs, DVD
recorders and digital video recorders are probably analog, too, unless they
were made after last March, when a Federal Communications Commission mandate
kicked in.
What are my options?
Preparing for the DTV transition requires one of three steps by February 19,
2009:
Buyer Beware! A company called Universal TechTronics is running ads in newspapers
across the country that offer a digital converter box (up to two per family)
for free. But its really a $100 scam.
Read this article
DTV Transition Update: Consumer Perspective by Gloria Tristani
http://www.dtvtransition.org/ The DTV Transition Coalition is a group of public and a private organizations working to ensure that no consumer loses free over-the-air television reception due to a lack of information.
http://www.dtvanswers.com/ An initiative
by the National Association of Broadcasters.
http://dtvanswers.com/dtv_converterbox.html Converter box details
http://www.dtv.gov/ The Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) official information on the digital television transition.
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ The National
Telecommunications and Information Association, US Department of Commerce
(NTIA) has adopted regulations to implement and administer a coupon program
for digital-to-analog converter boxes.
http://www.fcc.gov/dtv A comprehensive list of all DTV-related actions taken by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), including those that may be relevant solely to broadcasters and others directly involved in the transition to digital broadcasting.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-280185A1.pdf FCC releases agenda for February 28, 2008 digital television consumer education workshop focusing on consumers with disabilities.
http://www.getreadyfordigitaltv.com/home.htm
DIGITAL TV SHIFT AFFECTS MINORITIES MOST, [SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: John Dunbar]
Digital transition may delete millions of viewers - Reuters news article
Latinos lag on digital TV: NIELSEN: THEY'RE ETHNIC GROUP LEAST READY FOR SWITCH TO DIGITAL. By John Dunbar, Associated Press, Article Launched: 02/15/2008 01:38:26 AM PST
