January 30, 2008 12:58 PM PST
FAQ: What the digital-TV switch actually means
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January 30, 2008
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Q: Are there any limitations here? Can I use the coupons toward the cost of a digital TV?
The coupons may only be used for converter boxes certified for use by NTIA, and the agency placed a number of restrictions on what features they can employ. For instance, it's acceptable for the boxes to include an electronic program guide feature, equipment necessary for processing software upgrades, antenna inputs, and video outputs. They also must meet certain energy efficiency and interference standards.
But the coupons can't be used toward digital TVs themselves or toward more "deluxe" devices that also contain, for instance, DVD-recording or playback capabilities.
Q: Does DTV mean HDTV?
Nope. As federal officials themselves note, digital television comes in many flavors. It can be SDTV or HDTV, or somewhere in between.
Q: Have any specific models been certified for use with the coupons yet?
Yes. NTIA has certified products from several companies including, Digital Stream, Zenith, Magnavox, and Philco. Other companies including LG, Samsung, RCA, Broadcom and Echostar, are reportedly in the process of seeking certification.
For a full list of certified devices check out the NTIA Web site.
Q: Where can I get a converter?
NTIA has certified more than 100 consumer electronics retailers including Best Buy, Circuit City, Kmart, RadioShack, Sam's Club, Sears, Target, and Wal-Mart. A full list of retailers can be found on the Web site (PDF).
Q: How can I tell whether my TV is currently able to receive digital signals?
Check your owner's manual or the TV set itself for indication that it contains either an integrated HDTV tuner or an Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) tuner, which refers to the American digital-TV standard. If you can't track down the manual in paper form, try searching for your TV's make and model number on the manufacturer's Web site.
A TV designated "HD-ready" or "HDTV monitor," by contrast, does not have a built-in ATSC tuner, which means you must supplement it with a converter box or subscribe to cable or satellite.
The newer your TV is, the greater the chance that it's already primed for the switch. If it's older than a 1998 model, when TV manufacturers first began offering a limited quantity of TVs with integrated digital tuners, it likely needs a converter box. An uptick in the number of TVs equipped with digital tuners began in 2004.
Q: Remind me again--why are we even making this shift?
The U.S. government has actually been attempting to clear off the analog TV spectrum for many years to make the prime airwaves available for public safety responders and for mobile broadband projects. A portion of the vacant spectrum will automatically be set aside for use by emergency broadcasters. The rest is currently being auctioned off by the FCC to companies, including the likes of Google. These companies are eager to take advantage of the spectrum's inherent physical properties, which allow signals to travel farther and penetrate walls.
All told, the auction is expected to generate between $10 billion and $15 billion to offset the government's deficit.
Q: What's in this for me as a TV watcher?
Digital television delivers clearer pictures (meaning less-snowy versions of your favorite broadcast TV shows) and sharper sound than its analog counterpart. It also allows broadcasters to do "multicasting" of various channels at the same time--say, weather on one channel, a soap opera on another, and news on a third. According to the National Association of Broadcasters, more than 1,600 television stations already offer digital-broadcasting streams.
CNET News.com's Marguerite Reardon and Declan McCullagh contributed to this report.
See more CNET content tagged:
digital television,
broadcaster,
TV,
FAQ,
set-top box
https://www.dtv2009.gov/FAQ.aspx
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/dtvcoupon/DTVconsumers.pdf
states that "Coupons will be electronically trackable and uniquely numbered, similar to gift cards, so that transactions will be verified at
the point of sale."
Further:
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/dtvcoupon/DTVretailers.pdf
states that retailers must "Have systems in place capable of processing coupons electronically for redemption and payment, tracking every transaction and providing reports to NTIA."
They must also agree to being audited and to providing redemption information and payment receipts.
How many none techies actually visit this site? :)
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080107132609AA7JznA&show=7
You will just need a converter box to tune into the digital signal. There appears to be little if no difference between an HDTV and analog antenna, except the HDTV antenna is shorter because it only uses UHF waves and the old analog antennas use both VHF and UHF waves and as a result are bigger. The UHF frequencies are still being used, but the VHF frequencies are being reassigned for emergencies broadcasts like 9/11 services and government communications, and what VHF signals won't be used by the government are being actioned off (The 700Mhz frequencies) to the private industries like Google, AT&T, etc for use in wireless Internet and other services.
If you have a favorite VHF channel it will be reassigned to a new UHF frequency and the channel number might change as a result.
Lying awake intent at tuning in on you.
If I was young it didn't stop you coming through.
Oh-a oh
They took the credit for your second situation comedy.
Rewritten by machine and new technology,
and now I understand the problems you can see.
Oh-a oh
I met your children
Oh-a oh
What did you tell them?
Digital killed the analog star.
Digital killed the analog star.
High Definition TV came and broke your heart.
Oh-a-a-a oh
And now we meet in an abandoned studio.
We watch the broadcast and it seems so long ago.
And you remember the jingles used to go.
Oh-a oh
You were the first one.
Oh-a oh
You were the last one.
Digital killed the analog star.
Digital killed the analog star.
In my mind and in my bar, we can't rewind we've gone to far
Oh-a-aho oh,
Oh-a-aho oh
Digital killed the analog star.
Digital killed the analog star.
In my mind and in my bar, we can't rewind we've gone to far.
High Definition TV came and broke your heart, put the blame on DVR.
You are an analog star.
You are an analog star.
Digital killed the analog star.
Digital killed the analog star.
Digital killed the analog star.
Digital killed the analog star.
Digital killed the analog star. (You are an analog star.)
set of digital channels to analog all the time? For example, can I
watch one channel while recording another with only one box?
By June every family will get a $500 check from the IRS, as part of Bush's tax cut to stimulate the economy. So there is no reason now to use part of that money to get with the 21st century and buy a Digital TV tuner or Digital TV.
The coupon will cover $40 to $60 of the cost based on what Digital Tuner you buy, and chances are the stores will also offer a $20 or more rebate for buying a tuner so they can move them early from their inventory. The average Digital TV Tuner costs between $60 to $80, and $40 to $60 of it is covered by the coupon, which makes the tuner $20 to $30 after coupon, before a $20 rebate, which makes it $10 or $20 after the rebate.
Put it this way, would you be willing to pay under $100 to get a better quality picture on your TV set than you are already getting? I would. Esp if after a coupon and rebate my cost would be $20 or less. I'd go without lunch for a week, to save up the $20 that the Digital Tuner would cost after the coupon and rebate.
Those that cannot afford it, can go without broadcast TV for a while. There are much better things to do during the day than sitting at home and watching TV. The Library is still free, read a few books, or use the computers at the library to read the news if you cannot get a digital signal at home. Not only that but bars and taverns have free TV as long as you are a paying customer, so you can catch your sports shows there. Not only that but radios will still work for AM and FM signals and you can get your news that way. Not only that, but news and videos are on the Internet for free or almost free, IPTV is catching on via TVAnts the free satellite TV viewer that works over the Internet. http://tvants.en.softonic.com/
TVAnts is a free IPTV program:
http://tvants.en.softonic.com/
It allows you to watch satellite TV over the Internet. I think that most popular satellite TV channels are routed through it, as well as most of the networks from various places in the USA.
You'll also always have Youtube, Miro, Joost, and other web sites that deliver videos to your Internet ready PC.
http://www.getmiro.com/
http://www.joost.com/
Did I happen to mention that they are all free?
Now - answer this one:
Will they come out hand-held digital TVs in the U.S.?
I've read about development of hand-helds that will operate on the European system (not compatible with the U.S. format) - but not a word for the U.S. During power outages I don't want to be relegated to having to: 1) Paying my cell phone company for access 2) Watching on a tiny cell phone screen.
coupons to get set-top converter boxes. But I
never found the complete link to the govt.
source for the coupons.
I expect the analogue output won't be as sharp as full digital, but isn't that true even if we go with 1 box per TV?
A lot of people are waiting on the Echostar boxes which are due out in June.
Consumer Reports has a few, the WTFDA forums have some, AVS Forum has a couple too.
Maybe this helps some? I picked the Philco TB100-HH9 as I wanted and S Video output and an analog pass through. Good luck!!
I help out one of my family members.
Specs are:
Family member is 90+
Lives in a rural area - No cable ....,
no interest in paying monthly for Satelite(plus the down side of the compilication factor)
Uses a broadcast antena.
Uses a VCR daily, to tape while watching a diff channel.
Changes in remotes, TV's and VCR's are a real problem - no real technology savey- its all by rote.
Fixed income - cash is kinda scarce.
Issues:
Not even sure from the start if any OTA-DTV will be available, this is a ways from any city. I'm not sure people are truely compehending the drop in service with digital since anything below a sufficient signal yields zero signal.
To start we talking folks that were the last to get electricity and phone service.
How many folks are gonna be where they have to go to monthly service or lose service.
The set-tops seem to only be single tuner, so 2 would be needed one for VCR one for TV.
VCR's are actually kind of hard to come by and the whole DVR thing is kind of a stretch.(Hey it is what it is - she understands VCR's - DVR's not the same)
Going from 2 remotes to 4 remotes.
Why can't there be multi-tuner ones?
And the whole thing about; now the Remote controls the box and not the appliance is a huge step back and additional complexity.(Not including the losing the automatic VCR channel change) Cable guys must be laughing it up, see as how complicated this is getting just to watch "free" tv.
A lot of these problems would be solvable - but the hardware guys are either too far behind or are the same guys that would rather sell you a 1K flat panel.
I'm at the point, I don't have a clue what to recommend, I feel bad that along with the aches and pains of age, now they've got a government induced headache.(Yea Yea greater good - ... this is another typical - cake and eat it too - I want the spectrum for re-sale but I don't want to pony up on the costs so I'll just dump it on somebody else cause I can get away with it)
or main digital TV converter box per each house hold? Then run cords, or whatever is less annoying, to the box ...
Why MUST we be forced into switching? I have a few crummy little cheap TV's spaced around the house,
garage, etc. that are not worth $40.00 ... am I expected to get digital converters for them?
What about my little handheld? Now it's a $250.00 worthless piece of #@$%! ???
I think people ought to have the option of keeping what they have, are use to, can afford
to up grade. Not being forced into what others believe is best for them.
And how long will it be untill there are no longer
any free TV singals?
Upon reading the lengthy instructions which accompanied the coupons I noticed that I had only 90 days to use them. Ah...but there is NO date either on the cards themselves, the instruction sheet or even the envelope. So when did the 90 day count down begin?, your guess?and a guess is all it can be?is as good as the next persons.
Alas I was without the needed funds to make the purchase at that moment so I waited until my check arrived and then hurried to the nearest Wally-World and forked over the money to cover the added cost of the boxes.
After hurrying home I immediately read the instruction book to assure myself that I knew exactly how to install my marvelous new digital TV receptors. No need to mess with my outdoor high gain antenna as it is already aimed precisely for best reception of the four main channel transmitters located within a close geographic area 45 miles distant. In effect at that range all the transmitters fall within the narrow beam and does not require any re-aiming of the antenna for each individual station.
The upshot of this new and improved television reception is that I now receive one, count em...ONE, channel. Before the improvement I was receiving no less than eight (8) channels clearly and another five (5) in fair to poor strength, depending upon weather conditions at the time.
So, when the law of the land goes into effect and I am forced kicking and screaming to view new and improved digital television, I will be limited to a single station to choose from. Ain't progress great?, but I'm sure someone in the government knew this would happen and are taking steps even now to rectify the error. But I won't hold my breath waiting to the "fix" to appear.
On the other hand, just what am I missing? Truth be told nothing, nothing at all. Well maybe that's not absolutely correct as I do sometimes watch the weather when there are storms approaching from Alabama. Nice to know when there's a tornado heading my way but otherwise there's nothing but the constant flow of dysfunctional families, cop shows and far flung political tripe inter spaced by talent less talent shows and home videos of seemingly brain dead folks trying to make their bodies do likewise.
All in all I'm not missing a thing.
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by bmph8ter
June 17, 2008 1:19 PM PDT
- Ambicious: Your 90 days began the day they were mailed. Don't be discouraged about your channel count either. There will be more stations coming online between now and February. I know it sucks to wait; You may consider unhooking the box for a while and maybe just try it every so often to see if any more stations in your area have switched.
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