Video Story
Watch VideoGood Housekeeping answers questions about digital change
Story By: Kristin Hawley
Source: KOAA
Next February your tv may go dark. The reason being digital conversion. Some people may need a converter box to be able to watch your television. The Good Housekeeping Institute has all that you need to know about the upcoming change.
Radioshack's Sal Lopresti says, "a federal law mandates that February 17th, 2009 all analog signals will stop and we'll have to go to the digital format. Customers are going to be able to get more channels, they'll be able to get a clearer picture and better sound."
Some people will need to buy a converter box. Consumer electronics and engineering director, Stacy Genovese says, "if you have a cable provider, or if you have a satellite provider, you're not going to need a converter box. If you have tv that has a roof antenna or a table top antenna, you may need a converter box. The converter box is going to go between the antenna and the tv to convert the signal from analog to digital. if you're not sure if your tv has a digital or analog tuner, simply look at the manual or, if you've thrown that out, call up the 1-800 number listed by the manufacturer and ask them."
If you do need to buy a digital converter, it'll cost $40 or more. The government is issuing coupons toward the purchase or certain brands. But there's a catch. "To help offset the costs of these converter boxes, the U.S government is issuing up to two $40 dollar coupons per household. So you can go online, apply for these coupons, and then bring them to your local store and buy a converter box that you like. The government is issuing only so many of these coupons, and there are more people that are going to need them, than there are coupons. So you might want to apply for the coupons early, but be aware that you have to use them within 90 days of receiving them."
You can get all of the information on the Digital Conversion change at 1-888-dtv-2009 https://www.dtv2009.gov
