Apsattv
03-01-2008, 10:58 PM
From http://www.morningjournal.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19160908&BRD=1699&PAG=461&dept_id=46368&rfi=6
The countdown has begun.
On Jan. 20, 2009, the tumultuous eight-year presidency of George W. Bush will end and a new president will be inaugurated to lead the United States and to shape the future of global events.
But that's not the countdown we're talking about.
We mean the countdown to Feb. 18, 2009, when many Americans will be shaken to their core: They will turn on their televisions and see no picture. They will be the inevitable people who didn't get the message that American television goes all-digital as of that fateful February day.
No more will there be through-the-air analog TV signals flowing down your rabbit ears and onto the screen. It is estimated that 14.3 million of the nation's nearly 113 million TV-watching households still rely on analog TV. Half of the people surveyed recently did not know about the big switchover that is coming.
Televisions that receive their signal through cable or by satellite dish will not be affected. But any additional old-style analog TVs not hooked to cable or satellite in those homes will no longer get the picture.
However, with a little help from Uncle Sam, analog TV owners can get a boost into the digital age and not have to junk all those old analog television sets.
Just for the asking, every American household will be able to get two $40 coupons from the government that can be used to purchase special converter boxes to enable analog television sets to receive digital signals. The converter boxes will be on sale in retail electronics stores and are expected to sell for $50 to $70 each.
All of this is happening with the approval of Congress, which is no doubt why it is so confusing.
To help the bewildered, lots of information is available online now at www.dtv2009.gov. That Web site also is where television owners can now apply to receive the $40 coupons.
People who want coupons but are Internet-challenged can call a 24-hour government telephone hotline at 1-888-DTV-2009 (that's 1-888-388-2009.)
The switch to all-digital television, we are told, means clearer pictures (but not High Definition pictures unless you own a High Definition television) and more viewing options, plus more-efficient use of the ''airwaves'' once reserved exclusively for television.
Some of that signal space will be auctioned off for use by wireless providers and some will be set aside for emergency responders. The auction could put $15 billion into Uncle Sam's pocket, which is 10 times the amount Congress has set aside to hand out 33.5 million converter box coupons.
It's coming. Mark your calendars. Get your coupons. Only 413 days remain, for all you procrastinators.
Oh, and that other countdown, the Bush thing, stands at 384 days, for those who are counting.
The countdown has begun.
On Jan. 20, 2009, the tumultuous eight-year presidency of George W. Bush will end and a new president will be inaugurated to lead the United States and to shape the future of global events.
But that's not the countdown we're talking about.
We mean the countdown to Feb. 18, 2009, when many Americans will be shaken to their core: They will turn on their televisions and see no picture. They will be the inevitable people who didn't get the message that American television goes all-digital as of that fateful February day.
No more will there be through-the-air analog TV signals flowing down your rabbit ears and onto the screen. It is estimated that 14.3 million of the nation's nearly 113 million TV-watching households still rely on analog TV. Half of the people surveyed recently did not know about the big switchover that is coming.
Televisions that receive their signal through cable or by satellite dish will not be affected. But any additional old-style analog TVs not hooked to cable or satellite in those homes will no longer get the picture.
However, with a little help from Uncle Sam, analog TV owners can get a boost into the digital age and not have to junk all those old analog television sets.
Just for the asking, every American household will be able to get two $40 coupons from the government that can be used to purchase special converter boxes to enable analog television sets to receive digital signals. The converter boxes will be on sale in retail electronics stores and are expected to sell for $50 to $70 each.
All of this is happening with the approval of Congress, which is no doubt why it is so confusing.
To help the bewildered, lots of information is available online now at www.dtv2009.gov. That Web site also is where television owners can now apply to receive the $40 coupons.
People who want coupons but are Internet-challenged can call a 24-hour government telephone hotline at 1-888-DTV-2009 (that's 1-888-388-2009.)
The switch to all-digital television, we are told, means clearer pictures (but not High Definition pictures unless you own a High Definition television) and more viewing options, plus more-efficient use of the ''airwaves'' once reserved exclusively for television.
Some of that signal space will be auctioned off for use by wireless providers and some will be set aside for emergency responders. The auction could put $15 billion into Uncle Sam's pocket, which is 10 times the amount Congress has set aside to hand out 33.5 million converter box coupons.
It's coming. Mark your calendars. Get your coupons. Only 413 days remain, for all you procrastinators.
Oh, and that other countdown, the Bush thing, stands at 384 days, for those who are counting.