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Digital TV Converter Coupons Coveted

washingtonpost.com — In less than two months, US television broadcasters will go all-digital, permanently shutting off the traditional analog signals they've relied on for more than half a century. Government officials say that means TV watchers have just two days to order coupons for the digital converter boxes they'll need to keep watching those antennaed sets.

Who dugg this? Made popular Dec 31, 2008

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  • arkboysooner, on 12/31/2008, -0/+35If you don't get your coupon it's your own fault. These commercials have been on TV telling us about them for a year.
  • inactive, on 12/31/2008, -0/+25How many of the same folks scrambling to get these coupons right now will also be at the post office late the night before taxes are due? YOU'VE HAD A YEAR ALREADY, PEOPLE!
  • hawkspur, on 12/31/2008, -1/+21http://consumerist.com/5116811/a-very-simple-flowc ...

    Sums it up for people who don't know anything about the transition.
  • suprememilo, on 12/31/2008, -0/+18you are 100% wrong, right now the best quality HDTV is free OTA.
  • billbuckner, on 12/31/2008, -1/+17digital has a "cliff effect", meaning you either get full, great picture quality or nothing at all.

    No longer will we have "fuzzy, snowy" channels because you live far away.

    The clear signal goes farther than a clear analog signal would, however.
  • Y0tsuya, on 12/31/2008, -0/+16Actually you will still get corrupted macroblocks with weak signals. I see that on certain stations with weak transmitters.
  • billbuckner, on 12/31/2008, -0/+15I was in Wilmington manning phones at the local NBC affiliate for the DTV early switch there...so many people called in--not because they weren't ready--but because they didn't know how to set up the boxes properly.

    Lot's of old people and poor people called in...mainly in rural areas.
    Expect this same scenario to occur throughout the country in Feb.
  • timusca, on 12/31/2008, -0/+12How is it a scam, exactly? Would you prefer they not send coupons at all and spend $50 as opposed to $10?

    And no, you don't need a decent antenna anymore than you do for analog TV. I've plugged a set of rabbit ears into my TV and picked up every digital station there was... and I don't even come close to living in a bog city. TV stations don't even come from my city.
  • cdawzrd, on 12/31/2008, -0/+11$1.99 a MONTH? Give me a flat fee. I don't want to pay a SUBSCRIPTION to own a piece of hardware.
  • jasonsalas, on 12/31/2008, -0/+11let's see how many people who don't get their coupons are up in arms after february 17
  • timusca, on 12/31/2008, -1/+11Because the government isn't selling the boxes, fool. The government is simply giving out $40 coupons because they're forcing digital on everyone. Philips, RCA, etc are selling the boxes.
  • timusca, on 12/31/2008, -3/+12Don't act like a dick because some people choose not to pay outrageous prices for cable. Not everyone needs 60+ channels.
  • hawkspur, on 12/31/2008, -0/+9Most of the people this effects probably don't have computers.
  • Philbert, on 12/31/2008, -0/+8Just to be clear, I'm sure tacojohn is joking.
  • timusca, on 12/31/2008, -1/+9I don't feel sorry for anyone who doesn't get their coupon in time... I ordered mine around a year ago. They've been offering these things for a LONG time, and if you choose to wait until the last minute, you have no right to complain.
  • sexybobo, on 12/31/2008, -0/+7Just over a year ago they cost $140 now they cost $10 after the $40 coupon. The government is limiting the amount of money people can charge for their boxes for if they want to qualify for the coupon.
  • inactive, on 12/31/2008, -1/+8Digital
  • TripinVA, on 12/31/2008, -0/+7Taxpayers are not paying for the boxes. Companies that bought the auctioned 700 MHz spectrum are.
  • Niallgriff, on 12/31/2008, -0/+7Clearly hawkspur has never worked in tech support.
  • olie_baba, on 12/31/2008, -2/+9Wait, whats all this talk about a going digital?
  • Ne007, on 12/31/2008, -0/+6So...does anybody know if the digital signals reach as far as the analog signals?
  • Vulphaestion, on 12/31/2008, -0/+6I'm going to digg you down simply because although the boxes Comcast gives you are digital converter boxes, this transition is only for OTA broadcasting.
  • kb9vgr, on 12/31/2008, -1/+7in Indianapolis the news on channel"8" is high def

    they advertise that they were first too
  • suprememilo, on 12/31/2008, -0/+6I got the box last month and I got so many more OTA channels that my friend thought I got digital cable, it was hilarious.
  • NJank, on 12/31/2008, -0/+6FREE
  • publiclurker, on 12/31/2008, -0/+5Better not tell them that it's broken. I can record the output from my converter any time I want.
  • Rolcol, on 12/31/2008, -0/+5What a lot of people don't point out is that only the high-powered stations are going digital. Low-powered stations, like the one my dad manages, don't have to switch immediately.
  • tacojohn48, on 12/31/2008, -0/+5The only difference is that everybody had heard about the digital transition so much that they can't stand it.
  • veriix, on 12/31/2008, -4/+9Actually the smart people will continue not to watch TV and instead challenging themselves as individuals and the stupid people will be bragging about how the crap they still watch has an "awesome picture!"
  • Cerebron, on 12/31/2008, -0/+5Many American 'poor' people have huge HDTV sets already through various rent-to-own stores, pawnshops, and instore financing.
  • fhportal, on 12/31/2008, -0/+5Great one less AC plug and one more remote.
  • Cerebron, on 12/31/2008, -0/+5Existing UHF antennae should work fine.
  • tacojohn48, on 12/31/2008, -0/+5One of my grandmothers had to get a converter box because she was still using OTA signals. Also our breakroom at work doesn't have cable so we got a converter for it.
  • TripinVA, on 12/31/2008, -0/+4Where are you located? I imagine your antenna is inadequate, or there is some other explanation for your issues.
  • DarkEros83, on 12/31/2008, -0/+4but comcast doesn't need these boxs to make there crappy service work there already digital, these boxs are only for over the air antennas
  • Topher06, on 12/31/2008, -0/+4Your medal is in the mail.
  • tetranz, on 12/31/2008, -0/+4During the recent power outage here in New Hampshire (a week for us, longer for others) we were happy to have a radio that could receive TV sound. The TV coverage of the emergency was better than on radio. It suddenly occurred to me that such radios won't be able to pickup TV sound soon. I assume the sound going digital too.
  • antdude, on 12/31/2008, -0/+4Standard coax from antenna.
  • inactive, on 12/31/2008, -0/+4My TV went from 8 to 29 channels when I switched, though I can't say if that's just because there are more digital broadcasts. Antenna quality has a lot to do with it in either case, and I strongly recommend building your own for cheap (mine kicks butt). Just search DIY digital broadcast antenna.
  • NJank, on 12/31/2008, -0/+4And the last tv I bought was in 2004. and there are a lot of people like me who didn't pull money out of their home equity line to spend over a grand on a boob-tube.
  • screamthenrun, on 12/31/2008, -0/+4I don't get what you're saying. If I can see it on my TV, I can record it, end of story. I'm pretty sure DTV is not going to end that unless it somehow locks the output ports on my TV!
  • celerityfm, on 12/31/2008, -1/+5Hmm this reminds me of something, oh yeah- that's right. olo@human nature:

    "But Mr Dent, the plans have been available in the local planning office for the last nine months."

    "Oh yes, well as soon as I heard I went straight round to see them, yesterday afternoon. You hadn't exactly gone out of your way to call attention to them, had you? I mean, like actually telling anybody or anything."

    "But the plans were on display ..."

    "On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them."

    "That's the display department."

    "With a flashlight."

    "Ah, well the lights had probably gone."

    "So had the stairs."

    "But look, you found the notice didn't you?"

    "Yes," said Arthur, "yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying 'Beware of the Leopard'."
  • Nerys, on 12/31/2008, -0/+3You know sometimes TV is just fun. I love watching stargate, raising the bar, house, storm chasers, Mythbusters, TImewarp, The Universe etc.. etc.. etc..

    Sometimes its just too damned cold and wet to go outside.

    I almost never watch live tv nor do I watch TV on a tv. I don't even own a personal Tv (others in the house do)

    I record or download all my shows to my DVR computer system and transfer them to my zen vision and watch TV that way.

    if I am lucky I can watch 4-5 hours of tv a week. thats 6 or 7 programs (no commercials thankfully make that possible) so I store everything else on DVD (can put 12 episodes on a disc) and watch it "later" as time permits. I have programs I recorded YEARS ago that I have no yet watched. I will get to them eventually.

    If I go on a trip and get lucky and don't have to drive well there is a few hours to watch some programs :-)

    Smart people use TV intelligently. Being glued to a tv is just a waste of life.
  • sexybobo, on 12/31/2008, -0/+3This is over the air broadcast. not cable and the box converts it to a standard analog signal.
  • publiclurker, on 12/31/2008, -0/+3I've seen $40 converters for sale around here.
  • sexybobo, on 12/31/2008, -0/+3Wait for the switch over before you start bitching. A lot of the stations are broadcasting on temporary UHF frequencies until they can switch over to the higher powered and longer range VHF frequencies that there analog stations are currently using.
  • norman619, on 12/31/2008, -0/+3Yeah digital ragne depends on your env just like analog does. When I was living in Fort Wayne, IN and went digital I was picking up channels from as far south as Indianapolis. This is prob because the land there is pretty damn flat but it was great getting crystal clear picture w/o cable and expanding my channel choices from 4 to 14. It's gonna be a pain for some to make teh transition but in the end it's better.
  • cdawzrd, on 12/31/2008, -0/+3@marv0 - I know, but when I had wimax, I "rented" the radio/modem for a flat fee of like $30, and could keep it as long as I had the service, then could either pay for the rest of it or return it for a refund. That's a much better model to me.
  • TheMachine1, on 12/31/2008, -0/+3I made a pretty good HDTV antenna. Coat hanger, card broad , foil, various screws and some pvc pipe. I copied that design.

    http://techmazing.com/category/hdtv/
  • publiclurker, on 12/31/2008, -0/+3Have you tried a directional antenna?
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