Do you need a digital converter box?

[Icarus]

The bill to extend the deadline for the digital conversion failed to pass in the house today.

http://tvdecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/house-defeats-bill-to-delay-digital-tv-switch/?hp

I won't even try to predict if there will be another attempt at extending the deadline or not.

If you need a digital converter box and don't have one yet, you should probably get one now. It doesn't matter if they end up extending the date.

If you have a coupon and need a box, don't let it expire unused.

BTW, you only need a box if you don't have cable or satelite or FIOS and get your television signal over the air, and your tv does not have a digital tuner.

-David

 

[Patri]

I'm glad it did not pass. The publicity has been broad. How much more is necessary to alert the public? They'll get on board the day their TV doesn't work.
So many communications companies and other businesses have spent a ton of money to prepare for the switch. They are ready for the new system.
Let's go.

 

[krissydee]

I needed one... and I got my coupons over a month ago.

This past weekend I bought my 2 converter boxes. I was under the impression they ran from $40-$70 and planned to get the $40 one, however, I comparison shopped Circuit City, hh gregg and Best Buy and the lowest was $49.99 at Best Buy. The $40 ones don't seem to exist.

I hooked it up when I got home and programed it. Was a little more complicated than they make it look on the TV demonstrations and the directions were a bit confusing (and I'm fairly tech savvy) but got it working in the end.

There is a button called 'signal' on the remote which is VERY helpful. It shows the signal strength on a handy dandy bar, like the volume bar... so when you move the rabbit ears it goes up and down, showing you the best placement for the rabbit ears.

The picture is crystal clean for the most part, and I get a LOT more channels... Granted, they're cr*p channels, but still... more options. For example, before I had 2 religious channels... Now I have about 6. In total I got about 12 channels before. Now I have about 25-30.

Before I watched nightly, That 70's show at 11pm, then Scrubs at 12... I have lost this channel completely but have done some research and it seems not all stations will switch their channels until after Feb 17th so I'm still hopeful to get this channel back.

Overall I'm happy with DTV

and I do not agree with a push back at all! I had to get my act together and take the steps to make the change before 2/17, why shouldn't everyone else have to do the same?

We should not enable the procrastinators as it'll only make them worse.

 

[djs]

I'm glad it didn't pass either. They've been talking about this for over a year now and we've all had plenty of notice. From a "statistical" viewpoint, think of a "bell curve"...the folks who have not purchased their converter box are so far to the right in the curve that we could wait 10 more years and the percentage of people w/o boxes would not change much. This isn't a shot at those people, it's just that from a percentage standpoint, they represent a very small amount of the population.

 

[dioxide45]

There is nothing stoping those who did not get a coupon from buying a box before Feb 17th. They just don't get the $40 discount. The program was first come first served. I to don't agree with an extension. Just get it over with.

 

[DaveNV]

I have Comcast cable at my house. When I was at their offices a few weeks ago for a different issue, they asked if I had any TVs that did not have a cable box attached, and that didn't have a digital tuner. I had one. They gave me a very small box to hook up between the TV and the wall. I didn't expect much from it, since the TV has worked fine for showing "basic cable" channels when it was directly hooked up. But with this new box, I not only get more channels, but the picture is actually better. Not sure what this box is about, but it's working nicely. And it was free...

Dave

 

[carl2591]

cable company giving out a "free" box.. have to hear back after you next bill comes and they charge you 59.00 for that free box.. heck you cant use a coupon on that ...

good luck on that and let us know how it goes..

I am with the rest.. got to DTV and let the rest figure it out on there own.. we cant be everyones mama...

 

[sfwilshire]

I've checked a variety of stores every time I've thought of it for the last month or so and they have all been sold out. All say they get in a shipment and sell out immediately. We have one on the tv in the family room (lost one channel, even after buying a new expensive antennae), but need another for the kitchen.

Sheila