Consumers React To Forced Digital TV Conversion
I remember in one of the futuristic movies we once watched, a scene in which a little girl was amazed her parents were once able to watch free television. Back then we all laughed, because we could still get free television. However, consumers are now concerned that free television is becoming a thing of the past and many are not happy about it. Due to FCC (Federal Communications Commission) regulations all full-power broadcast television stations in the United States will stop broadcasting on analog airwaves and begin broadcasting only in digital. This transition will take effect on February 17, 2009.
Consumers are upset that they do not have a choice in this major transition. In our democratic society we were not given the opportunity to vote on this very impactful legislation. We have only been informed that this is now the law and we will not be able to get television signals into our home without special costly equipment. You may read that these boxes are not very expensive; however to those on a low or fixed income the fact they even have to buy one is unrealistic.
Yes, the government has been so very kind in offering the nation a $40 coupon for these boxes. However, these coupons are only good for 90 days from when they are mailed out to you. As many of us know in the condition of our current postal system we may not get these coupons for a minimum of two or three weeks from when we order them. We are only allowed to order two coupons per household. If you have more than two television sets in your house or if your converter boxes become damaged then you will have to pay full price for these required boxes that have been priced between $49-$70. According to the lettering on the coupon it is only good for certain models of boxes. Customers are having difficulty finding these particular models in the stores in which they shop.
We are living in a time of financial uncertainty. The stock market is unstable, the oil prices are fluctuating with shortages in some areas, and most importantly the American dollar is no longer backed by precious metals as in the past; such as gold, silver or even copper. We are in the middle of a possible multi-billion dollar bail-out of our bank system. Where will they get this money? Possibly they will just print more. There again, many people would rather the government let them decide where this extra money should go. We should have the choice whether to spend it on paying off our mortgages, bank loans, credit cards, etc. But, alas once again we as the American democratic people have no vote in the matter. Of course, we understand that we can’t be consulted on every issue that comes before the house or senate committee. But, the financial issues that will affect us personally we want as patriotic American citizens to have the right to decide our futures. We can only put so much trust in the politicians we elect to office, as many promises are made in campaigns and yet not kept.
For those who have already bought the digital-analog converter boxes, they have found that there are pros and cons to these boxes. As with any new technology coming out, there may be problems that are not initially known. Some customers are complaining they cannot get a signal in their area with the new boxes. On the positive side, the majority of customers can get a signal and are finding out they are getting more channels with better quality. Many customers may not be immediately affected by the new change. The majority of customers who are paying for service already through cable or satellite, feel that this transition will not affect them. Direct TV does advertise that their services are already completely digital. They do mention that if you get your local channels thru an antenna depending on the type of receiver you have you will; have to buy the new converter box, upgrade your package or do without your local channels. However, not all of the cable and satellite providers are claiming to be completely digital or express confidence in the service their customers will receive after the transition. Some companies seem to have the wait and see mentality that is also shared with a percentage of consumers. If you are not certain what stand is currently being taken by your specific provider, it is recommended that you contact them personally.
Consumers are now faced with the possibility, of having to pay for television shows regardless of their financial condition or do without television all together. In a society where we have become accustomed to watch television on a daily basis, this would be a drastic change for many. Housebound consumers, poverty stricken consumers for example depend on the television to bring some joy to their existence. Also a concern is that more of today’s youth population will turn to the streets for entertainment if they can’t get it thru television. In conclusion, with a presidential election just around the corner bringing with it all the implications and uncertainty of a new president coming into office, consumers are definitely concerned about the forced transition.
Written by acwriter
DTV Boxes - What are they?
What exactly is a dtv converter box (also known as digital-to-analog converter box)?
If you watch TV over-the-air, using an antenna or “rabbit ears,” you will need to either convert your old analog television by connecting a converter box to it or purchase a new television with a digital tuner by February 17, 2009.
A digital television converter box is used to convert an analog television to accept digital television broadcast signals. The device itself (like the one pictured to the left), looks similar to a set top cable box, but it’s important to note that over-the-air dtv converter boxes cannot be used in conjunction with basic cable service.
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is issuing each household up to two $40 coupons to help consumers with purchasing converter boxes.
What’s the Difference Between DTV and HDTV?
Do you know the difference between DTV and HDTV? Did you know that, when you purchase a digital converter box for your analog television, this will not upgrade your TV to HDTV. It’ll only upgrade your analog television to view the DTV (also known as EDTV) format.
You may want to read our article about the difference between DTV and HDTV. We also explain why SDTV (Standard Definition Television) also known as analog television is being replaced by DTV after the digital transition on February 17th, 2009.
Also, you can register at the forum if you have any questions about DTV, HDTV, or SDTV.
Want to Sound Off About Your Expired Converter Box Coupons?
Have your $40 converter box coupons from the U.S. government expired? Are you waiting for congress to legislate a change which will allow for re-application of the converter box coupons (Which still hasn’t happened as of 8/25/08)?
TVConversionHelp has decided to make a special Expired Converter Box Coupon Complaint Thread for frustrated coupon holders to voice their opinion. You can view the thread by clicking here, and if you would like to post your response, you must register to the forum first.
The most common reason we’ve seen in emails are:
- There aren’t any converter boxes available at local stores
- The expiration date was too soon for you to make a decision on which type of box to purchase
- You didn’t pay attention to the fine print that explains the expiration date of the coupon’s
Whatever your reason may be, we want to hear about it! If we receive enough complaints, we will forward the web address of all the complaints to U.S. Congress and State Representative’s offices.
Startling FCC DTV Hurricane Plan for Handheld TV Owners
One of the nagging problems with the switch to digital television is the lack of options available for handheld and mobile TV owners. There just isn’t any workable alternatives available for users of these devices; so what does this mean after the digital transition date of February 17th, 2009? Most analog handheld and mobile TVs will be rendered useless.
What about the consumers that depend on these devices for news or information during an emergency or power outage?
And once the entire country goes digital, none of the stations will be allowed to switch over to analog, even if there’s an emergency.
The above quote is from a National Public Radio station, which echoed comments from FCC Commisioners at a recent town hall meeting.
I’m going to open the comments section below this post for users of handheld and mobile tvs to voice their opinion. Your comments will be monitored (usually takes a day) before they’re posted, but I’d like to get some public opinion on this story.
DTV Forum - Join the Growing Community
With the recent amount of questions pouring in about DTV and the digital transtion, we here at TVConversinhelp have decided to open a new website: DTV USA Forum
Join for free, and participate in the growing community dedicated to sharing information and resources related to digital television to the following topics:
DTV 2009 (The Digital Transition) - Ask questions or comment on the switch to digital television in the following categories: Government Coupon Questions, Converter Box General Questions, Converter Box (Reviews - Ratings - Specific Questions), DTV Reception, and anything else related to DTV.
Cable and Satellite Providers - Discuss and/or ask questions about your cable or satellite provider (such as Cox Communications, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Direct TV, Dish Network, Insight Communications, and all other cable and satellite providers…)
Television Sets (DTV, HDTV, etc.) - Are you thinking about purchasing a newer television set? Get information and advice from this section on the many different types of television sets (such as flat screen televisions - LCD or Plasma - or if you’re considering a more traditional television like a rear projection crt or dlp type set, we’ve got you covered)
All Other Home Entertanment Equipment - With the many different type of DVD players and audio home entertainment equipment on the market, it can be quite confusing to make a choice! We have a whole section of this part of the forum dedicated to video games (ie: Wii, XBOX 360, PS3, PS2, etc.) as well.
Television Programming - Destined to be a popular spot to chat about your favorite ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, or any other favorite network television show.
Converter Box Coupon Update: Relief for Expired Coupons?
The last day to request a tv converter box coupon wll be on January 1st, 2009 which is just a little over 200 days away.
As the coupon deadline looms, there are some interesting redemption statistics (updated weekly) available at the NTIA Website. A total of 21.3 million coupons have been requested, and at the time of this posting, the coupon redemption rate is 54.6 percent for households that rely on over-the-air broadcast signals only.
Considering the amount of media attention lately surrounding frustrated consumers not being able to find converter boxes before their coupons expire, it’s not suprising to see such high expiration figures.
At a recent Capitol Hill oversight hearing on the state of the transition, legislators were argueing in support for re-application of expired $40 DTV converter box coupons.
The main problem re-issueing the coupons lies with the cost to make more of the coupon credit cards that consumers use to purchase the converter boxes. The original contract with IBM (maker of the converter credit cards) only covered the costs to manufacture, not reissue the cards.
Help on the Horizon for Expired Coupons?
The Washington Post reported today that a letter delivered to legislators (7/25/08) from acting assistant secretary for communications and information, Meredith Atwell Baker, said the NTIA has “initiated action with IBM to order an additional quantity of 6 million coupons” using the funds from unredeemed and expired coupons. She also said that the current budget for the converter coupon program “will be sufficient.”
The demand for converter boxes has been strong from consumers, especially with the recent announcement by Zenith that it has shipped one million converter boxes to retail stores.
What should consumers who are holding expired coupons do now?
TVConversionHelp Take: Keep waiting! As news breaks, we’ll keep consumers informed by posting details about re-ordering digital converter box coupons.
Make your voice heard and comment at the bottom of this article.
Got DTV? Got weak signal? You’re not alone
The StarTribune (Minneapolis) online newspaper posted an article yesterday (7/26/08) about a huge issue for current and future viewers of digital television broadcasts. Weak DTV signals.
Although the article focuses mainly on broadcasts in the Minnesota area, we here at TVConversionHelp have fielded many questions and complaints about over-the-air converter boxes that have bad DTV reception and the dreaded “missing television channels” problem.
DTV and Consumer Sentiment
A recent email to TV Conversion Help from a contributor in Maryland brought up a good point.
Has this much-heralded technological “advance” done nothing more than to put the TV service available to many viewers in major US market on a par with what one would expect to find in some third world country? The least we deserve is a replacement that will reach at least as many people as the original service did.
Online knowledge communitys (Such as: answers.yahoo.net, askville.amazon.com, and dtvcouponhelp.com) show the vast amount of problems that consumers are having with bringing in good reception with their digital converter boxes.
Fixes for a bad DTV reception can bring other problems
Some consumers are opting to use a powered 10dB amplifier to boost signal reception. In many instances, a fix like this can bring in missing digital broadcast channels but not improve signal strength quality for other channels.
Each problem for receiving digital television signals can be quite unique, so if a consumer has success with a 10db amplifier, it doesn’t mean it’s going to work for everyone else.
Other fixes? They range from:
adjusting the position of an antenna
adjusting the placement of the antenna (indoor/outdoor)
purchasing a different antenna (Yagi, UHF, VHF)
hiring an antenna technician
and the list goes on. Will the government provide a coupon program for helping consumers with their signal reception issues? Highly unlikely, and some of these fixes aren’t cheap! An antenna technican can cost anywhere between $50 to $80 an hour, and take anywhere from 1-3 hours making adjustments to an existing antenna.
Digital Television 2.0
In view of all this, it seems hard to believe that commercial broadcast stations in markets like Phoenix, Minneapolis, and New York City aren’t pumping out adequate signal strength to cover the markets they claim to serve or that the technology is such that what they are transmitting is only useable within an extremely limited radius.
One can only hope that the next round of upgrades for over-the-air television signals will be well researched before being proposed or implemented.
