My hubbie is bound and determined to buy a new tv...rationalizing that with the new HD (or whatever it's called) that ALL old tv's will not work. Ours is only 3 years old and I can not believe that every household will have to go out and buy a new tv next year!!!!! Any of you techies know about this and can help me persuade him that we don't need to go out and buy one?? Thanks!!!

There will be special converter boxes and each household can request up to two government coupons for the boxes. The coupons will be available at the post office along with some other places???

I heard this on the radio a week or so ago.

Link: DIGITAL TELEVISION (DTV) Tomorrow's TV Today!

Even more info here... the converter is not required for all TV's. Only those that are analog (whatever that means!) and/or using an antenna to receive a signal. It goes on to say that most TV's purchased in the last 5 years are digital and will not need the converter. Also, if your TV is hooked up to cable or satellite, it will not need the converter!

http://www.ntia.doc.gov/dtvcoupon/Pr...Transition.pdf

I guess we'll be seeing if we are able to watch TV without the converter before we go out and buy anything.

If you get cable television, you don't need any new equipment.

"If you rely on over the air (antenna) television, you will need to invest in a new TV that is digital." What do I need to do to prepare for digital/HD in February 2009? The Maine HDTV Forum

If you have cable tv and your tv is not digital you will need to have a converter box too.

No, you won't. If you have cable, it doesn't matter what kind of television you have, you'll be fine.

Also, if your tv is only three years old, it is probably digital...they started making all tube tv's digital about 5 years ago, I have two that are definately not digital, a 19 inch (ten years old ) and a 13 inch (garage sale) that I wont have to replace, as the 19 inch is hooked up to cable in one of the kids rooms, and the 13 inch is used in the camper for our dvd player only. Lots of people are misinformed and are using the digital thing as a reason to buy a high def big screen (a guy toy in my book). I dont have the room for such a tv, and refuse to replace something that isnt broken.
Also, our camper tv is nice and heavy. in close quarters like that, I would worry that an LCD (a small 19 or 20 inch) would get knocked over by the boys carelessly walking by...
JMO

Does that not seem wrong to anyone else?

You might. If you connect your TV directly to the cable you might need the converter box. But, don't cable companies give those out for free with the service? If not, I wonder if hooking the cable to a DVD player and then the TV to that would solve the problem.

"If you have a cable box (or satellite box) you should be all set. You will only have a problem if you are receiving over the air TV signals (via an antenna), or your cable TV wire goes directly into the back of your TV set." What do I need to do to prepare for digital/HD in February 2009? The Maine HDTV Forum

[quote=nightowlrn;2930675]You might. If you connect your TV directly to the cable you might need the converter box. But, don't cable companies give those out for free with the service? If not, I wonder if hooking the cable to a DVD player and then the TV to that would solve the problem.


You are right. If you do not have a cable box and the cable goes right into the tv you will need a converter if the tv is not digital. There is a rental fee for a cable converter through our cable company. If you have a DVD player that is digital you would have no problems. My dh is a tech at a large cable company and is not looking forward to this change.

Will the tivos work if they are hooked up to either a digital dvd player , tv or with a box? Or do they have to be digital then also? What about vcr? Yes, I still use mine. I have a dvd recorder but like my vcr better.
I guess hand held tv will be no good.