Your Analog TV Will Stop Receiving in 6 months! (HOT topic!)
This really needs to be highlighted here, since we are a steady A/V website for information:
On February 19th, 2009, ***ALL*** full-power TV stations in the USA will stop broadcasting analog signals. This means that unless you do something about it, every analog TV in your house will stop showing any broadcast TV! This is less than 6 months away! See this government website for details:
Now, this is a big topic, and if people want, we can get into the reasons why this is happening and technical details. But basically, broadcast television in the United States is completely shifting from analog to digital. (this is a good thing, and one of the benefits of this is that we SHOULD see higher quality audio and video) To receive and watch broadcast digital TV, you'll need to either have a digital television, or at the very least have a digital tuner or "converter".
Realize that this doesn't only apply to analog televisions, but anything out there that receives/tunes analog broadcast television--for example, that VCR you have connected to your rooftop antenna to record Jay Leno every night will be in the same situation. But ALSO realize that this only applies to BROADCAST television. (over the air) If you have cable service or satellite TV, regardless of how the signal's transmitted, that product receiver box will still be able to output analog video to your old TV set.
So although the ideal thing is for all of us to throw out all our analog TV's and buy great, big, fancy digital flatscreens, fear not, you don't have to. The analog sets will keep working themselves, but just won't be able to show digital TV without help. Here are the options that you have to continue watching television after Feb 19th, 2009:
1. Replace your analog TV's with new digital sets
2. Get cable or satellite TV service, and have the receiver box output analog video to your analog TV
3. Buy a new product called an "Analog TV Converter Box"
There's a good likelihood that ALL of us will have to use option #3 to one extent or another. For example, even though I have an advanced HD setup in my house with several digital displays, I still have an old VCR for my daughter and a couple old analog TV's scattered around. It's not worth the expense to me, to replace these with digital sets. So these converter boxes will receive the new digital television signals, convert them to analog, and transmit them to your old TV sets. (and the TV signal should look better, too!)
Good News: the government is offering two vouchers at $40 each, to every US household, to purchase these converter boxes, which range in price from $40 to $100 or so. So your cost can be defrayed, or even covered if you buy the cheaper boxes. Again, visit the website https://www.dtv2009.gov/ to get your coupons, learn more information, and find out how to use them.
This event is going to bite a lot of people in the butt when it happens, and we're going to see a mass scramble at stores in February. Don't let it be you--are you ready?
On February 19th, 2009, ***ALL*** full-power TV stations in the USA will stop broadcasting analog signals. This means that unless you do something about it, every analog TV in your house will stop showing any broadcast TV! This is less than 6 months away! See this government website for details:
Now, this is a big topic, and if people want, we can get into the reasons why this is happening and technical details. But basically, broadcast television in the United States is completely shifting from analog to digital. (this is a good thing, and one of the benefits of this is that we SHOULD see higher quality audio and video) To receive and watch broadcast digital TV, you'll need to either have a digital television, or at the very least have a digital tuner or "converter".
Realize that this doesn't only apply to analog televisions, but anything out there that receives/tunes analog broadcast television--for example, that VCR you have connected to your rooftop antenna to record Jay Leno every night will be in the same situation. But ALSO realize that this only applies to BROADCAST television. (over the air) If you have cable service or satellite TV, regardless of how the signal's transmitted, that product receiver box will still be able to output analog video to your old TV set.
So although the ideal thing is for all of us to throw out all our analog TV's and buy great, big, fancy digital flatscreens, fear not, you don't have to. The analog sets will keep working themselves, but just won't be able to show digital TV without help. Here are the options that you have to continue watching television after Feb 19th, 2009:
1. Replace your analog TV's with new digital sets
2. Get cable or satellite TV service, and have the receiver box output analog video to your analog TV
3. Buy a new product called an "Analog TV Converter Box"
There's a good likelihood that ALL of us will have to use option #3 to one extent or another. For example, even though I have an advanced HD setup in my house with several digital displays, I still have an old VCR for my daughter and a couple old analog TV's scattered around. It's not worth the expense to me, to replace these with digital sets. So these converter boxes will receive the new digital television signals, convert them to analog, and transmit them to your old TV sets. (and the TV signal should look better, too!)
Good News: the government is offering two vouchers at $40 each, to every US household, to purchase these converter boxes, which range in price from $40 to $100 or so. So your cost can be defrayed, or even covered if you buy the cheaper boxes. Again, visit the website https://www.dtv2009.gov/ to get your coupons, learn more information, and find out how to use them.
This event is going to bite a lot of people in the butt when it happens, and we're going to see a mass scramble at stores in February. Don't let it be you--are you ready?
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