Digital Trends

Beginning in February, consumers will be able to begin buying converter boxes so they can view digital TV on their analog sets, once analog TV is shut off ion February 17, 2009.

Retailers are getting ready to begin offering the U.S. public digital television converter boxes so Americans can keep watching their beloved old-school analog televisions when analog television broadcasts are finally terminated on February 17, 2009. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has announced that more than 100 consumer electronics retailers (including Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Circuit City, Kmart, Radio Shack, Sears, Target and Sam's Club) have been certified to participate in the TV Converter Box Coupon Program. Although a few retailers are already offering converter boxes, most retailers will start on the digital TV converter bandwagon in February 2008, one year ahead of the analog TV shut-off.

"NTIA thanks these certified retailers who will participate in the TV Converter Box Coupon Program and we look forward to working with them in 2008 and 2009," said acting NTIA Administrator Meredith Attwell Baker, in a statement. "The TV Converter Box Coupon Program is on schedule and will be ready to take consumers' coupon requests starting January 1, 2008, as directed by Congress, to ensure the success of the nation's transition to digital broadcasting."

Under the coupon program, all U.S. households will be eligible to request up to two $40 coupons that can be used towards the purchase of two digital-to-analog converter boxes to keep older analog televisions functioning after the digital television transition. One one coupon may be redeemed per converter. The coupon program is intended to ease the nationwide transition to digital television by partially subsidizing the purchase of converter boxes. Estimates put the number of U.S. households in danger of being cut off from television with the digital transition between 13 and 21 million; these are folks who only receive television via over-the-air analog broadcasts.

The coupon program has been funded with $1.5 billion; that's enough to fund 33.5 million coupons. The NTIA believes the program is large enough to cover all impacted households, and doesn't believe the government will run out of coupons.

Several manufacturers' converter boxes have been approved by the government, including units from DigitalStream, Magnavox, and Philco, with several more products expected to be approved in the next several weeks.