Wednesday, January 28, 2009
News Digital TV Conversion still scheduled for Feb. 17
Posted by Curt Holman @Curt_Holman on Wed, Jan 28, 2009 at 7:33 PM
I sooo don't want to have to buy a digital converter box. The government-manded switchover from old-school analog broadcasting to digital is still scheduled for Feb. 17 following the failure of a bill to postpone the switch to June:
Bucking the Obama administration, House Republicans on Wednesday defeated a bill to postpone the upcoming transition from analog to digital television broadcasting to June 12 — leaving the current Feb. 17 deadline intact for now. The 258-168 vote failed to clear the two-thirds threshold needed for passage. It's a victory for the GOP members, who warn that postponing the transition would confuse consumers.
Honestly, I couldn't be much more confused than I already am. I found a couple of FAQ pages about the switchover -- an already-dated one from the L.A. Times, another from the Federal Communications Commission -- that help clarify a few things.
But my household gets by just fine with an analog antennae on our TVs, supplemented by DVD, video and on-line TV viewing. We don't particularly want or need any more broadcast television, so investing in at least one converter box seems like money down the rat hole. We'll probably wait until Feb. 18 to see how crappy (or nonexistent) the UHF/VHF signals we get before we make the plunge.
Comments (4)
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weren't they offering government coupons so that you didn't have to pay for the box?
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the website was "out" of coupons a few days ago and put applicants on a waiting list. as for the UHF/VHF signals referenced in the article, my understanding is that those signals will cease altogether as tv is broadcast on another wavelength, which is why the converter box will be needed.
You need a converter box or you will have no TV at all when the switch happens. No networks, no PBS, nothing. And maybe CL should write a real article explaining this now that this blog post has probably further confused people. www.dtv.gov explains it all in great detail.
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