Digital TV Transition Deadline is February 17

The switch to digital television (DTV) will be completed by February 17, 2009. If you have a set with a digital tuner and/or subscribe to cable or a satellite service, you can carry on as if nothing is happening. If you have an analog TV and are using an antenna of some sort, your TV will quit working unless you get a digital TV converter box.

The federal government is subsidizing the purchase of converter boxes that will translate the DTV signals so your existing analog TV will still work after the transition. You won't get the high definition picture without a new set, but your existing one won't go dark either. The acceptance of applications for coupons through the TV Converter Box Coupon Program was originally set to expire on December 31, but has been extended to March 31, 2009. Each household can apply for up to two coupons worth $40 each toward the purchase of the boxes. I went through the process of applying on the website and bought a box after I got my coupon. It was real easy to hook up and actually seems to make the picture a little sharper on my old analog clunker (or maybe I'm just imagining things). If you can make a DVD player work with your TV, you can do the converter box.

According to a recent article in the Reno-Gazette Journal, as many as 8 million households are not ready for DTV. If you are one of those and haven't gotten a coupon, you may end up on a waiting list because the funds allocated for the program are almost gone. If Congress doesn't kick in some bucks, a waiting list will be created after the funding cap is reached. Coupons will then be sent out only as already issued coupons expire (they are only good for three months from the date of issue). Of course, you can just go buy a box without the coupon. Expect to pay around $40 to $80. Using the coupon, I got mine at Best Buy on S. Virginia Street. Sans coupon, I would have paid $54.95.

To learn more about the digital TV conversion, check out DTV Answers from the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB).

Get additional information from About.com: What is HDTV? and HDTV FAQs - Answers To Basic Questions About HDTV.

Update: The funding limit was recently reached. Applicants are now being placed on a Coupon Program Waiting List. People can still submit requests, but they will only be filled on a first-come-first-served basis as funds become available from expiring coupons.

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