Does the Transition Affect Me?
Satellite and Telephone Subscribers:
You are not currently affected by the transition at this time.
Cable Subscribers: You may be affected now, or in the very near future! Check our
Cable page
for information.
Antenna Users: If you are receiving TV signals from an
antenna
on your roof or rabbit ears, you will be affected by the transition unless you have a Digital TV (DTV) set.
If you have a Digital TV set with a built-in digital tuner (called an ATSC tuner), you will be able to receive free over-the-air digital programming without doing anything.
If you don’t have a digital TV set, you will need to purchase a
converter box
to continue watching TV after June 12, 2009. A digital to analog converter box changes the new digital broadcast signal into an analog signal that can be viewed on your analog TV set.
The government agency responsible for this program, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, issued
coupons
to help lower the cost of converter boxes. Each household in the U.S. was eligible for two coupons valued at $40 each. The coupon program has ended and you can no longer apply for them. Each analog TV set will need its own converter box, unless you want to watch the same channel on all your TV sets.
If you are currently using a rooftop antenna or "rabbit ears" to receive over-the-air television signals, and you have good or excellent reception quality, the same antenna should be able to provide you with reception of digital television broadcast signals.
Will I need a new antenna after the transition?
After June 12, 2009 some TV stations will be moving to a different place in the broadcast spectrum that may require a different antenna type from the one you may now own.
Buy an antenna from Antennas Direct – Buy direct & save!
Technically speaking:
During the transition,some channels in the “VHF band” (Channels 2-13) may be moving to the “UHF band” (Channels 14-51) and vice versa. Receiving VHF and UHF signals require different antenna types, although some antennas are designed to receive both VHF and UHF signals.
DTV stations and channel assignments
There is a Website that can tell you what antenna you need in any part of the country just by typing in your address and zip code. For more information about choosing the correct antenna to receive local over-the-air television broadcast channels, visit
www.antennaweb.org.
Consumers who currently receive free, over-the-air broadcasting on analog sets will have several options to choose from in order to continue receiving television programing after the transition:
Your options:
Keep your current TV and
buy a Converter Box
(that will convert the digital signal into analog for an existing television set) with your coupon.
Buy a converter box with extra features such as a
Digital Video Recorder (DVR) or DVD Recorder.
(Not eligible for the coupon program.)
Subscribe to Satellite,
Cable, or a Telephone Company provider.
Buy a
Digital TV set.
EZ Tips for Buying a New Digital TV Set
Be Aware: You may purchase or already own a Digital TV without a digital tuner. These are sometimes called
"Digital-Ready"
TV sets.
Consumer Alert regarding Digital TVs without a digital tuner
Return from Does The Transition Affect Me to EZ Digital TV Home Page
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