Digital Television Countdown Begins Jan 1st
You soon won’t be able to turn around without hearing about “digital television” and its potential impact on you. Even though there is still a limited (but growing) universe of true high definition programming available over the air, Channel 8 and every other TV station in North Texas is sending out a digital signal right alongside its traditional “analog” transmission.
But all those analog signals will be switched off permanently on Feb. 17, 2009 by government mandate. That means if you’re watching Channel 8 on an older TV set and you get your picture with an off-air antenna, you’ll see nothing but snow starting on that date.
You should know, however, that old TVs can be used for years into the future with the help of a friendly little box to convert the new digital channels into an analog-friendly signal. While these converter boxes are expected to cost about $60 each, every family in the U.S. is entitled to receive up to two coupons with a value of $40 each that can be used to buy the adapters. You can sign up for the coupons starting Jan. 1, 2008.
Check out the WFAA.com DTV 2009 Countdown section for answers to questions. Don’t go into debt trying to buy a television you can’t afford. For now just use the coupon and apply for it as soon as you can. It’s been in the making for a while, so I didn’t think they would pass it and get it going as soon as they did. But the time to convert is coming and I want you to be prepared. Here are some other documents that may help also.
