Are you ready for DTV?
DTV 2009 Countdown - On February 17th, 2009, All over-the-air television stations have been mandated by the U.S. government to broadcast digital only television signals.
U.S. households may be eligible to request up to two converter box coupons, worth $40 each, which can be applied toward the purchase of up to two, digital-to-analog converter boxes.
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April 25, 2008 | Filed Under Announcment
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18 Responses to “Are you ready for DTV?”
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why is this change happening. there are people layed off and can not pay the bills that they have now, so now they can not have tv? the goverment needs to stop spending money. just think how much could be saved by stopping mail on saturday. after all all checks now are placed on a debt card. and i am so sure there is alot of others cost saves the goverment can do without taking tv from the poor!!!!
I don’t understand why this change in the first place, why not just keep what we have, why get so complicated and making these changes that will cost everybody money? Just to watch TV,… something so simple to watch and enjoy for years. The system we have now is fine,… at least we have a choice. The people on a fixed income might not be able to afford this,… now what? Is a $40. “coupon”, going to help? Are there other fee’s involved?,… probably. What next?
I GUESS IT’S BACK TO THE GOOD OLD DAYS OF RADIO FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE. THIS DTV CHANGE OVER WILL HURT A LOT OF LOW INCOME PEOPLE, MY DAUGHTER IS ONE OF THEM. I DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY THIS IS BEING DONE, JUST ANOTHER GOVRMANT HARASSMENT FOR THE POOR. I AM TOTALLY AGAINST THE DTV SWITCH, CUPON OR NO CUPON.
Stop crying!If it wasnt for change you would’nt be able to leave your negative feedback here on the world Wide Web.You would still be cooking over your campfire in your cave,And riding your hourse to hunt your food in the forest.So I say bring it on it.It will open new doors for all of us.
For some reason I KEEP ENVISIONING the American fringe will end up broadcasting subversive and much needed info about the real reason for the switch. I SMELL A RAT! These airwaves are a fascinating and free natural occurance. Why the drive to make us all submit to this? Is there a more sinister plan to all this that, as usual, is being kept from us? What is THE MAN up to now?
This is in reply to hue able’s comment. Yea I’m crying! Crying more gov. control. Hue, you really only need to watch one channel on YOUR T.V… The educational one! How do you hunt for food riding a hourse anyway? Seems how money in no issue to you, why don’t you send the rest of us on here a check, no I prefer a money order for the amount that the coupon won’t cover. While your at it, you can buy me a generator for my van so I can have AC power to operate the converter box that I’ll need in order to watch the T.V. thats in it when this change happens. Did you forget that everyone with a T.V. in their conversion van or motorhome will no longer be able to pickup anything just like in their homes? Next time think before you post a comment!
Fifteen years ago the very computers these responses have come from didn’t exist in their present forms… let alone the capability of email. Somehow the poor have been able to afford these changes. Having a better services has traditionally cost us more money. While the coupon doesn’t cover the entire cost of the converter, it is a help. Thankfully, there are yet six months for those who are having difficulty coming up with the remaining $10.00 -$30.00 to save up and make the purchase. It has always amazed me we find ways to afford what we want.
I am one of those poor lower income families. While my boyfriend does have a job, with the high cost of rent, utilities and food,and the HIGH cost of gas, not everyone can afford cable, including me. Maybe if the gov. made the cable co.,lower the cost of cable instead of it rising all the time, some of us lower income families would be okay with this change
If it is mandated to switch, then I believe it
would be to my benefit. Although I just barely
eke out a way of life in order to survive in this
very depressed economic fiasco, I believe that the
government has studied all the options and has
determined that switching to digital would be
the best recourse in our high tech society. We
used to deplore those high tech gadgets before itbecame vogue, but now is a part of our lives. So I’m for it and let it be.
Im a single parent and I understand what some people mean about not being able to afford cable. I work every day and yet since the economy has gone up i cant afford nothing but bills sometimes not even bills. It really is hard when you have to decide whether youre going to eat or pay a bill cause your so afraid they will shut you off.I hope for hope with obama so that my daughter can look to a brighter future.
Have any of you ever seen the new digital box at work? I have seen it in an rv and in the house and not only do you get more channels but the channels you get are just like watching cable. I dont know why you are complaining about a 40 dollar box with a 40 dollar coupon. Do everyone a favor and dont dis it til you try it!!
I have tried to get the $40 coupons sent to my mother for about 4 months. She has yet to recieve them. I have re-sumitted, what else can I do to get her the coupons.
I have 3 questions:
1) Channel 3 did a test and our HIGH DEFINITION TV (new, with antenna)did not pass the test; WHY? They said most of their tvs did not pass either and they would have to get an engineer in–don’t tell me with all this mess, now we have to HIRE an engineer!
2) We have an old Magnovox(analog)TV–will a converter box work with ALL, old TVs?
3) Our converter box card we received has an expiration date that has passed; is it still good? or can it be extended?
Why aren’t these questions ever answered??????
This has been in the works for a longtime now so I fail to see why all you people are complaining about it when you knew it was coming and could save a few dollars for it, perhaps maybe stop going to the fast food place for a couple of times or not buying a few six packs and then you would have had saved the money for a converter box. The reason they are doing this is because the air waves are getting crowed and not enough space for more channels so by going to DTV they can put up more channels DUH !
My converter box did not work on my analog TV. I
returned the converter box and was informed that
there is no refunds with the government coupons.
No problem, I agree with this policy. However,
the store is keeping my extra money I added to
purchase the converter box. Question: How do I
get the store to refund my money? (tax and all over the $40)
Please answer question.
Thanks
Marie
I supported this change in the begining But now I feel like its all a big goverment scam.Evry house hold in America Does NOT qualify for coupons!!! Its as simple as living in a house appartment, the first person to register under that adress will get them and the rest are told NO with different Appartment numbers or not. I also don’t like that the goverment issued theese coupons for monthes without informing the public they had experation dates. So for many people who did get them ESPECIALLY the elderly THEY ARE TOTALLY USELESS! like my grandmother and my parents. So DUH to you unless you’ve benn scammed or had your family scammed by the good old american goverment by this!!!
What about recording TV shows on our VCR…will it be obsolete now? We are thinking of getting one of the converter boxes and inserting it between our antenna and the VCR and the output of the VCR goes on to the TV set.
Will this work?
The converter box does have its own remote. If we set the VCR to tape channel 41 at say 7 pm and then channel 60 at 8 pm…can the VCR still do this like it can now? Or, will the channel numbers on the remote on the new converter box have to be involved? How can we preset them to change to different channels when we’re not home?