February 18th, 2009
Analog TV signals are starting to dim. Have you been affected?
Even though the federal deadline for TV stations to switch completely to digital broadcasting has been pushed back to June, some stations have already made the move—a full 25 percent, according to the Associated Press. While most major cities haven’t been impacted yet, residents of San Diego and smaller cities like Madison, WI, Providence, RI, and Macon, GA will now need a special converter box in order to receive the new digital signals (presuming they don’t already have cable or satellite service).
There’s been a lot of confusion about the converter boxes, in part because coupons to defray their costs have run dry from their original funding. The new stimulus bill signed this week includes money to continue the coupon program until the official cut-off date. Presumably, most readers of a tech site like ZDNet wouldn’t need a converter box, but there are still some people who depend on the ol’ rabbit ears that may have been caught without a box as these stations made the switch. Are you one of them? Or do you know someone else who didn’t get their converter box in time for their local channels’ switchover? Let us know in our TalkBack section.
Sean Portnoy spent several years as an editor at Computer Shopper magazine, most recently serving as online executive editor. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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