There comes a time when we all must say goodbye to a piece of technology that we have come to know and love.

 

I remember when I laid my Atari video game player to rest for the newer SEGA system.  I remember when I bought my last VHS tape and then started purchasing DVDs.  I remember when I bought a new computer and it did not come with a drive for a floppy disk.  I remember the day I bought a new car and it did not have a place for cassette tapes, only CDs, and I remember putting my CD player in the closet as I purchased my first MP3 player.

 

Soon many Americans will remember February 17, 2009 as the end of Analog Television.

 

If you are like me then you have about 29348298033489 channels at home and none of them ever have anything good on and they all seem to go to commercial at the same time.  Yet each month I shell out a good portion of my paycheck to Time Warner Cable to sustain this system.

 

If you are like my grandmother then you have 5 channels and use the good old rabbit ears and television antenna to get your basic shows.

 

Sorry grandma, I love you but it’s time to say goodbye to the rabbit ears and climb up on that roof and yank down that antenna (or have a grandchild climb on the roof, your choice).

 

Analog signals have been taking up too much room according to our government and so one year from now people are going to be forced to either 1) buy a converter box from the government to convert digital signals to their television or buy a new digital television.

 

What is this transition?

 

The switch from analog to digital broadcast television is referred to as the digital TV (DTV) transition. In 1996, the U.S. Congress authorized the distribution of an additional broadcast channel to each broadcast TV station so that they could start a digital broadcast channel while simultaneously continuing their analog broadcast channel. Later, Congress mandated that February 17, 2009 would be the last day for full-power television stations to broadcast in analog. Broadcast stations in all U.S. markets are currently broadcasting in both analog and digital. After February 17, 2009, full-power television stations will broadcast in digital only.

Why?

 

An important benefit of the switch to all-digital broadcasting is that it will free up parts of the valuable broadcast spectrum for public safety communications (such as police, fire departments, and rescue squads). Also, some of the spectrum will be auctioned to companies that will be able to provide consumers with more advanced wireless services (such as wireless broadband). Consumers also benefit because digital broadcasting allows stations to offer improved picture and sound quality, and digital is much more efficient than analog.

What do you need to be ready?

Because Congress mandated that the last day for full-power television stations to broadcast in analog would be February 17, 2009, over-the-air TV broadcasts will be in digital only after that date. If you have one or more televisions that receive free over-the-air television programming (with a roof-top antenna or “rabbit ears” on the TV), the type of TV you own is very important. A digital television (a TV with an internal digital tuner) will allow you to continue to watch free over-the-air programming after February 17, 2009. However, if you have an analog television, you will need a digital-to-analog converter box to continue to watch broadcast television on that set. This converter box will also enable you to see any additional multicast programming that your local stations are offering.

The Government established the Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program. Every U.S. household is eligible to receive up to two coupons, worth $40 each, toward the purchase of eligible digital-to-analog converter boxes. You will be able to request the coupons beginning in January of 2008. The coupons may only be used for eligible converter boxes sold at participating consumer electronics retailers, and the coupons must be used at the time of purchase. Manufacturers estimate that digital-to-analog converter boxes will sell from $40 to $70 each. This is a one-time cost. For more information on the Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program, visit the NTIA’s website at www.ntia.doc.gov/dtvcoupon, or call 1-888-388-2009 (voice) or 1-877-530-2634 (TTY).

If my television is an ancient monster will I have to toss it?

 

No. A digital-to-analog converter box will allow you to continue using your existing analog TV to watch over-the-air digital broadcasts.

 

How can I find out if I already have a Digital Television and need not worry?

 

Many DTVs and digital television equipment will have labels or markings on them, or statements in the informational materials that came with them, to indicate that they contain digital tuners. These labels or markings may contain the words “Integrated Digital Tuner,” “Digital Tuner Built-In,” “Digital Receiver,” or “Digital Tuner,” “DTV,” “ATSC,” or “HDTV” (High Definition television). If your television equipment contains any of these labels or markings, you should be able to view digital over-the-air programming without the need for a digital-to-analog converter box.

There you have it.  Make sure you are ready for this end of an era and make sure family members know about this so they can get ready.  The last thing we want is on February 18, 2009 for Grandmother to turn on the television to watch Ugly Betty and instead get nothing but “snow”.