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If all the talk about digital, analog, high definition, and converter boxes has your head spinning, fear not. It may mean spending some money, but it isn't going to be technologically beyond you to take care of it.
I'm talking about the legislation that requires over-the-air broadcast TV to turn off their analog channels on Feb. 17, 2009. After that broadcasts will be strictly digital. The government estimates that about 30% of the TV sets currently in use are not capable of receiving digital signals.
Let's look at a few scenarios of how you might need to prepare for the switch to digital.
You use an outdoor or set-top antenna
The antenna you have now will most likely continue to work for digital channels. There's one caveat. Some channels in the “VHF band” may be moving to the “UHF band” or vice versa. If you don't already have an antenna that receives both VHF and UHF, you may need to buy a new antenna if your local stations move channels between VHF and UHF.
You current TV is analog
This is where the DTV converter box comes in. With an antenna, you hook up this converter to your analog television set and over-the-air antenna. Presto, the converter converts the digital television signal into analog making it viewable on your analog TV. If you currently run your antenna signal through a VCR before it hooks to your TV, then you need to hook the VCR to the converter box first and then run a cable on into the TV.
If you have an analog TV and get your signal from cable, telephone or satellite, you should probably check the web site of your provider to see what they are recommending.
There are converter box coupons at this government site to help you with the cost of a converter box. Since the government is forcing this change, they are helping out with the cost.
Your current TV is digital
Most fairly new TVs are already digital. If a TV has a bult-in digital tuner called "ATSC" it is ready for digital. (If not, it's analog.) If you aren't sure about this, it should be in the owner's manual. If you don't have that, you can look on the TV manufacturer's web site to find out about your particular model.
If your TV is already digital, you probably don't need to do anything. You may need a box from your cable company or other provider if you want to receive high definition digital. However, you can receive digital TV without getting into high-def, which generally costs more because of the monthly digital box rental and the additional channel selections.
Some resources
You can read (or listen) this public radio Marketplace interview between NPR's Tess Vigeland and Lisa Napoli abaout "Tuning in to digital TV."
DTV.gov with info from the government.
DTV Answers covers the basics.
