The countdown to digital television

PORTAGE (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - A countdown is underway that will affect millions of homes in America. The countdown to digital television. Newschannel 3 Ranji Sinha explains what you need to do and how this will affect you.

On February 17, 2009, all television stations will switch from broadcasting in analog format to digital.

Now if you have cable or satellite the change won't really affect you. But if you're using an antenna, without the right equipment, you could see nothing but static in early '09.

So what to do? And why is this happening? Television, it's one of the biggest things in our lives, and much like the switch from black and white to color, the television that you know is about to change.

It's hard to imagine the latest TV's with old fashioned rabbit ears. But if you have an antenna to watch your favorite shows, you'll have to make changes for the new digital signal. Something people are slowly learning.

“Basically from what I understand the free signal you get now, will basically be digital,” said Grover Thornton.

“If want to keep your older sets, you have to have a conversion box after 2009 I believe,” said William Hill.

“I think it's good, I think a lot of people are not aware, I think a lot of people think they're going to have to get rid of the televisions if they're not digital televisions,” said David Thompson.

So why the switch to digital? Congress has mandated digital or DTV, because compressed digital broadcasts free up frequencies for emergency responders who work on crowded airwaves. That, and it will give you better picture and sound.

“This is probably in my opinion the biggest change since going from black and white to color, much higher resolution, digital broadcasts throughout the whole so you won't get any signal loss. You get a clearer picture,” said Joe Brennan of the Best Buy television department.

Brennan says if you still get free TV, digital picture will seem like you've bought a new TV. But you will need a digital converter box.

Best Buy and other stores have the converters already, and the federal government is even offering coupons worth $40 each to help people buy them.

No this isn't a dream, the government will actually pay you to watch TV, but is stressing you won't need to buy a new TV.

But if you do, the digital tuner is built in, in fact if you've bought a TV after July 2005, they already have them.

“All TVs that we carry now have digital tuners inside them so you can pick up on the digital tuner already in standard definition or high definition digital.,” said Brennan.

So between now and next year you have three options, you can either get a digital ready TV, or you can get digital converter box and convert your old TV, or you can subscribe to cable or satellite TV.

For a list of the most frequently asked questions and to find out more about the digital television conversion head to http://www.dtv.gov/consumercorner.html. Wednesday February 20th Newschannel 3we'll have another report on the digital conversion: Newschannel 3 we'll look at high definition television and how it fits into the transition to digital.