TV goes all-digital Friday and there will be no take-backs, no changes and, if you aren’t prepared, no TV.
People with cable or satellite service or pay TV through your phone company already can get digital TV. People whose TVs have digital receivers also will get the digital signal. Those TVs don’t need to be high definition, they just need a digital tuner, and most sets built after 2004 will be fine.
Here’s who still has to adjust: People whose sets use rabbit ears or antennas on the roof and who have older TVs. If you have a converter box, you’re golden. That’ll change the signal for you.
As for the converter box, you’ll need one per TV set, and they can be found in almost every electronics store for $50 to $70. There are government coupons available to take $40 off the cost. Every household can get two. According to the FCC, you need to apply for the coupon before July 31, because that’s when the program ends.
“We would hate for people to think they don’t care and aren’t going to do anything, then change their minds when it’s too late,” said Linda Yun, a spokeswoman for the National Association of Broadcasters. “There’s no reason they should have to dish out the extra money.”
To get a coupon, call toll-free 888-225-5322 . If you call during business hours, you’ll most likely get to talk to a human.
Or write to: TV Converter Box Coupon Program, P.O. Box 2000, Portland, OR 97208-2000, or go to dtv2009.gov.
Next issue, hooking up the box. It’s relatively simple, but there are people out there who can help. Through July 15, AmeriCorps will assist people in this. They can be reached through the FCC’s number, which is, again, 888-225-5322.
And by the way, if you have the box and are waiting to connect, or are thinking about hooking up to cable or satellite, do it now.
“Everybody is already broadcasting in digital,” said FCC spokesman Mark Wigfield. “There’s no reason to wait.”