Digital TV Transition Looms in 2009

By WESM News / Stephen Williams

PRINCESS ANNE, MD –

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February 17, 2009 is a date you might want to keep in mind, if you enjoy watching television, because that's the deadline that Congress has set for most TV stations across America to switch from traditional analog transmissions - the type that most people have grown-up with - in favor of the newer digital form of broadcasting.

Digital TV promises better picture, sound and viewing options, but you need a certain type of receiver to view it. That means that if you don't subscribe to cable or satellite service - or have a digital tuner built-in to your TV set - you won't be able to receive any local TV stations, unless you get what's called a digital converter box.

However, the good news is that you won't have to pay much to get one. According to Shermaze Ingram, of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), the government is providing coupons towards the purchase of these digital converter boxes.

Ingram: The boxes range anywhere from $40 to $70 in price, and it turns out that stores all over the country are selling these boxes - even as we speak - everyone from Wal-Mart to Best Buy to Circuit City to Target is carrying these boxes.

Ingram: The government, as you mentioned, has a converter box coupon program which will allow consumers to apply for, and receive, up to two $40 coupons from the government, by calling an 800 number - or going on-line

Ingram: Once you receive the coupons, you can take them to any of these stores I mentioned - and there are about 11,000 nationwide, by the way, that are taking these coupons for these converter boxes. And you can redeem them and hook those boxes up, and you're going to notice a dramatically better picture immediately once you do so.

To learn more about the Digital TV Switchover, you can visit http://www.dtvanswers.com/ .

You can also apply for a converter box coupon by visiting http://www.dtv2009.gov/ or by calling 1-888-DTV-2009.

Additional Link:

Eastern Shore Focus - Show # 49: The Digital TV Switchover:
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wesm/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1293929