Digital TV Transition Get ready for 2009

DIGITAL TV TRANSITION: Get ready for 2009
DTV Converter Box alternatives You don’t have to wait.
DTV Coupons How to get your $40-off government coupon.
Digital TV FAQ Learn more about the change to digital TV.
THE SWITCH TO DIGITAL TELEVISION
Converter boxes
Should you get a digital TV adapter for your old TV? Our handy primer can help you decide.
By Steven Sande
What is a digital TV converter box?
A digital TV converter box hooks up to a conventional analog TV set, allowing it to receive digital broadcasts. This device, about the size of a cable box or smaller, is sometimes called a “digital-to-analog converter box,” “set-top converter box” or “digital TV adapter.”
Do I need a converter box?
If you watch TV over the air, using an antenna or “rabbit ears,” you will need to get either a converter box or a digital TV by February 17, 2009.
• I have cable TV service•.
How much do converter boxes cost?
The price is expected to be somewhere around $60. But because the federal government will provide coupons worth $40 off the cost of a converter box, the consumer’s share should come out to about $20.
• Read more: DTV converter box prices
How do I get a converter box coupon?
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will make coupons available to U.S. households that request them beginning January 1, 2008. Funding for the coupon program may not be sufficient to provide a rebate to every American who wants one, according to some analysts. So you might want to put in your request as soon as the program launches.
• Read more: Visit the Ntia Website
at http://www.Ntia.doc.gov/