With the switch to all digital television broadcasts in the United States just over ten months away, about 5.3 million U.S. households have taken advantage of the Government's discount coupons for digital TV converter boxes. For homes in the U.S. that rely on over-the-air analog broadcasts, the DTV switch literally means black-out unless a converter box is used.
According to the National ... [ read the full article ]
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pretty good job failing to inform the affected of their options?
the only people i know who seem to understand the dtv switch
are those who remain unaffected, such as cable/satellite subscribers.
one of the few people i know who are affected knew about the swittch,
but thought the only option they had was to buy an hdtv.
this shouldn't be happening at all, but it is;
therefore these organizations should do a better job of informing the affected.
these groups should also have been charged with creating hardware lists
detailing which converters qualify and what retailers sell them at what price.
they honestly should have went the extra mile and made a list of which
tv's were made in the last few years with digital tuners built in.
Those 5.3 million people/households are the ones that can't afford a new HDTV or don't care. Because the ONLY real reason for a HDTV is sports! Who really likes seeing the news,game shows,sitcoms,and talk shows in HD? Granted ooooh they look "clearer" or nicer. Whatever you want to call it. But who really wants to see some of these people in a closeup in HD.
Originally posted by defgod: Those 5.3 million people/households are the ones that can't afford a new HDTV or don't care. Because the ONLY real reason for a HDTV is sports!
i agree with the first part whole-heartedly.
as for the second part, it makes sense that most would be more interested in sports;
however, games are the only reason i bought an hdtv.
don't watch sports and can only think of one thing on tv i'd want to see in hd:
battlestar galactica. =)
It's two coupons per household. I already received mine. They are in credit/debit card format. They can only be used once and for a DTV converter box. You also only have 90 days to redeem them. But supposedly there are talks to extend it much longer. I believe that's mostly because of the different styles/types of converter boxes won't be available everywhere right away. Also the closer to the transition the more boxes will be certified for the coupons.
