Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Kiss Your Rabbit Ears Goodbye

Business / Media / Politics Stephen Buel — Tue, Feb 19, 2008 at 11:44 AM

In one year, conventional analog television will no longer work, and those of you who aren't willing to pay $100 a month to watch something that used to be available for free (ask your parents), won't be able to get your fix of CSI or House any more. But wait; Uncle Sam has a wonderful plan for you.

Our uncle wants to give those of us with old-school analog TVs a $40 coupon that we can use to buy some or all of a digital-to-analog converter box. Here is a link to where you can apply for your $40 coupon. But don't wait too long. According to ZD Net, the government has 33.5 million coupons available and roughly 3.3 million coupons have already been ordered.

The real bitch is that you'll also have to say goodbye to your trusty rabbit ears. Even people with digital-ready televisions will need a new antenna for your TV. It's a pain, but then somebody has to pay for the government's gift of digital spectrum to the broadcasting industry. If not us, who?

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From what I've read, we may still be able to use our old rabbit ears.
The antenna doesn't care whether the signal is digital or analog;
it only cares about frequency, signal strength and interference.
And when full power TV stations go all-digital, they may increase their
radiating power becasue they don't have to support the analog signal anymore.
So try the old rabbit ears with the new converter box. If they don't work,
try them again after the big switchover next year.