Do I need a digital converter box?
May 10, 2008

I’m sure you’ve heard by now that next year (midnight on February 17th) major TV stations will be changing from an Analog signal to a Digital one and how older TVs will need a Converter Box to continue to receive a signal. However, many of you may have questions about your TV and the switch, and hopefully I can answer some for you.

First off, a couple questions for you:

Do you have cable, satellite, dish, or some other form of pay-for-TV service? Have you bought a TV with a digital tuner* in the last year? Do you only use your TV to: watch VHS/DVD movies, play video games, or act as a computer monitor?** *more on that later, if you’re unsure, keep reading. **if you occasionally use it to watch a TV broadcast, you may want to keep reading. If you answered yes to any of those questions, you DO NOT need a converter box, your TV will continue to function properly, and you should STOP READING (unless you’re truly interested or still not sure).

If you have cable, satellite, dish, or some other form of pay-for-TV service you DO NOT need a converter box. Your VCRs, DVD players, computers, and game systems will continue to work as normal with, or without, the converter box. (Note on VCRs: You CAN use still your VCR with a converter box to record a program, but you CANNOT watch one program while recording another (see http://tv.about.com/od/frequentlyaskedquestions/qt/dtvVCRrecord.htm) An antenna and a digital tuner are required to receive over the air broadcasts (e.g. channels 2, 4, etc.).

If your TV has a digital tuner you may continue to use your existing antenna; however, a digital antenna will give you a better signal. If you purchased a TV within the last year, chances are that it already has a digital tuner in it, especially if it is an LCD or Plasma TV. To verify if your TV has a digital tuner, check the TV set itself, the box it came in, the instruction manual, or the manufacturer’s website; look for “digital tuner,” “digital input,” or “ATSC” [a type of tuner]. If it HAS a digital tuner and DO NOT have cable, satellite, dish, or some other form of pay-for-TV service, you DO NOT need a converter box, just an antenna. If it DOES NOT have a digital tuner, and you DO NOT have cable, satellite, dish, or some other form of pay-for-TV service and are NOT going to subscribe in the future, you DO need a converter box and an antenna.

The Government has put in place a program to offer coupons to households to help cover the cost of the converter boxes (they’re $50). Each household is eligible for 2 coupons, valued at $40 each. To request the coupons, apply online at www.dtv2009.gov or call 1-888-DTV-2009 (1-888-388-2009). You must apply by March 31st, 2009. I suggest you apply if you don’t have cable, satellite, dish, or some other form of pay-for-TV service; or even if you do, but not all of your TVs are hooked up to it. Even if you don’t watch TV much, it is still a good investment; $9.99 isn’t that much to pay, all things considered.