how do u know if your tv is digital ready?

the-drizzle-is-a-chickthe-drizzle-is-a-chick
in Consumer Electronics

i heard by jan next year there will be no more free tv and if you dont have a "digital ready" tv you wont even be able to get cable?!! has anyone else heard this?

im in chicago btw...

Comments

  • stephen-pstephen-p

    Someone is giving you bad information.

    After Feb 2009, old TV's in the US will not be able to directly receive free over the air programs *. To receive programs you will need a "digital to analog" converter box.

    These work similarly to cable boxes Your antenna attaches to the input of the converter box. Another cable(s) runs from from the converter's output to your old TV, VCR, or DVD recorder. The outputs on the converter box are like the ones typically found on VCR's.

    Starting in Jan 2008 the US government is going to be giving out $40 coupons to subsidize buying converter boxes. The boxes are expected to cost about $60, so the price after the coupon should be about $20 each (2 max per household). It is very likely that the image quality you see coming through the converter box will be better than what you have been getting in the past, so there isn't much reason to put off buying a converter after the coupons become available. Especially since the demand for the $40 coupons will probably greatly exceed the amount of money that congress has allocated for the program.

    Cable & satellite TV companies already convert TV signals to match the old type TV's. They have a large financial incentive to keep providing signals to customers with older TV's.

    PS:

    Beware of BS artists that say you must have a new "digital" antenna, your old one will probably be just fine.

    Old type OTA TV signals = NTSC = "Analog TV"

    New type OTA TV signals = ATSC = "Digital TV" = DTV

    OTA = "Over the Air" = stuff you get through your TV antenna

    * except for certain low power and translator stations

  • rob-urob-u

    Almost all brands of TV will say in the manual "digital ready" if they are.

    These TV can except a digital receiver and maintain the digital signal.

    If it has an ATSC or refered to HDTV tuner then it is already has a digital receiver.

    If you live in most metropolitan area you can receive those signals now.

    If it don't show one of the above then you can still buy a digital receiver or cable box that will convert the signal to a analog out.

    The new TV starting this year will most likely have a digital tuner built in.

    ----

    On February 17, 2009 the era of analog broadcast television in the United States will end as the nation completes its transition to an all-digital system. While this change will mark the end of the traditional analog method of broadcasting over-the-air television, it won’t signal the end of free broadcast television, and your favorite broadcast programs and local television stations will still be available

    http://www.dtvtransition.org/

  • weederweeder

    Here's the real skinny on the digital conversion by the FCC.

    http://www.dtv.gov/

    Basically in 2009 all broadcasts must go from analog to digital. That does NOT mean you still can't get your local channels for free. There will also be a credit program who just want the box to pick up the free local channels.

    weeder

  • quikdash6quikdash6

    Analog isn't due to be taken away until February 2009, so you're good for another year at least. I would assume that if your tv is at least less than 15 years old you will be ok.

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