CUBFacts
The Transition to Digital TV:
What You Need To Know
What is the transition to digital TV?
The federal government has mandated that by Feb. 17, 2009 most TV stations stop broadcasting analog signals and switch to digital signals. This
Update: Weeks before the Feb. 17 deadline, Congress moved to delay the switch to digital TV to June 12. Stay tuned for more updates.
posted: February 5, 2009
transition, which will force consumers to buy “converter boxes” for their older televisions, will affect 35 million households across the country. Analog signals translate audio or video signals into electronic pulses while digital signals are supposed to be more efficient, breaking up the signals into binary code—a series of 1s and Os.

Why has the government mandated this?
The transition has been pushed by the broadcast and cable industry. Digital signals will make more channels available to broadcasters, who say the
Click here for an Adobe Acrobat version of The Transition to Digital TV: What You Need To Know.
transition will lead to higher-quality pictures and sound than an analog signal could provide. Digital signals also take up less space than analog signals, which will free up the airwaves for other purposes, such as a wireless network devoted solely to police and fire emergencies.

What does this mean for the consumer?
This transition does NOT mean you need to buy a new television. If your television does not have a built-in digital tuner and you use “bunny ears” or antennas to pick up your local TV channels, you will need to buy a “converter box.” The general rule of thumb is that if you own a TV manufactured after 2004 you will need a converter box, as most TVs manufactured before then do not have digital tuners.

Will cable customers need a converter box?
Some will, but not by the February 17 deadline. The lone exception is the satellite dish customer who still uses “bunny ears” to get his or her local channels. In the short term, cable companies will continue to send both analog and digital signals over their cable lines.

However, they will begin to phase out analog signals. The pace and timing in which this transition is done depends upon individual cable companies, but by 2012 all cable companies have to stop sending analog signals. Once that happens, TVs in your home that are hooked up to cable boxes will be fine, but those TVs that are attached directly to the cable connection in the wall will need converter boxes—unless your TV has a built-in digital tuner.

How will I pay for the converter box?
The federal government is allowing up to two $40 coupons per household to be used for the purchase of converter boxes (one coupon per converter box). Consumers can either call 1-888-DTV-2009 (1-888-388-2009) or apply online at www.dtv2009.gov.
Coupons expire after 90 days
Unfortunately, the $40 coupons expire 90 days after a consumer gets them. It may cost consumers at a minimum $10 to pay for a converter box, since the current ones on the market are $50 or more. As of early January, consumers who requested the $40 coupons were being put on a waiting list of more than 100,000 people. These consumers were to be given coupons as previously issued ones expired. Because of the size of the list, they were being told in January not to risk waiting for their coupons and to buy at least one converter box by the Feb. 17 deadline.

I bought my converter box. Now what?
The box will come with instructions on how to plug it into the loop between your TV and your antenna. Don’t throw away your antennae. While analog signals can travel through walls and trees, digital signals are considerably weaker. You will need your “bunny ears” to help you get the appropriate channels. Customers with digital cable tuners shouldn’t be affected, but in worse-case scenarios, they will have to invest in an outdoor antenna.

What problems may arise?
The original $1.5 billion fund established to subsidize converter box purchases may not be enough. With a struggling economy, more consumers than expected are purchasing converter boxes rather than investing in new digital-ready TVs. Because of this, there is a long waiting list of consumers requesting coupons who may not receive them in time for the switch. Beware that cable companies and retailers may try to take advantage of confusion in the analog-to-digital transfer in order to sell consumers expensive viewing packages or TVs they don’t need. There also is the potential that large numbers of televisions will be thrown away, even though they need not be. This so called “e-waste” is problematic because TVs contain large amounts of lead, which could pile up in landfills, adding to pollution.

Finally, the fact that digital signals are not as strong as analog signals may create an additional cost for consumers who are forced to invest in an outdoor antenna.

Where can I get more information?
This website contains helpful information: www.dtv2009.gov. Another website that contains a wealth of information and some reviews of converter-box performance is run by Consumer Reports and can be found at www.consumerreports.org/dtv/.