There's been a lot of misinformation out there about the February 17, 2009 switch from analog to digital broadcasts in the TV world. I want to set you straight.
 A lot of people have asked me, "Why are the feds pushing this change?" Well, digital signals take up a much smaller chunk of spectrum than analog ones. So the switch will allow the government to reclaim wireless real estate from TV stations and sell it off at auction.
Will this change affect you? If you are among the 88% of people who get TV via cable or satellite, it is irrelevant to you that analog TV signals are going away next year. No changes will be necessary to your setup.
However, if you are one of the 12% who uses rabbit ears or an aerial antenna, listen up: You can keep your old TV, but you'll need to get a converter box come February 2009.
The government is offering two $40 vouchers to help subsidize the purchase of the boxes. Please note the vouchers are only good for 90 days. Dish Network will take your vouchers and give you free digital-to-analog converter boxes (additional sales tax and shipping may apply).
One more important note: Small local stations may continue to put out analog signals even after the switch. Network stations (those affiliated with ABC, NBC, CBS, etc.) will only broadcast in digital. So if you still want to pick up a small local station, be sure you get a converter box that that can receive both digital and analog signals.
I hope this helps clear up the mystery. PIRG recently sent secret shoppers out to electronics stores in about a dozen states seeking info about the digital TV switch. More than 80% of the time they were given false info by sales associates -- who then tried to sell them an expensive and useless multi-function box.
Almost half of the time they also got wrong info about the time table for the conversion. Stats from other organizations show that about 4 in 10 Americans haven't heard a word about the coming switch. So be sure to help out your elderly relatives who may still be getting TV via rabbit ears!
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