Digital TV - and the Future - Is Here

Televisions that have not yet been switched to digital will go dark starting June 12. That is when all TV stations will stop broadcasting an analog signal, finalizing the digital TV (DTV) transition.

Cable and satellite subscribers won't need to take any action, however, people with older televisions using an antenna will need to buy a converter box, which cost between $40 and $80. $40 coupons are available on the Department of Commerce website at www.dtv2009.gov. Of course an alternative is to buy a digital television or subscribe to a satellite or cable television service. Congress originally scheduled the DTV transition to take final effect on Feb. 17 of this year. However, concerns over an estimated 20 million poor, elderly, and rural households not being prepared led them to postpone the switch by four months. President Barack Obama said that number has now been cut in half. As of Feb. 17, only one-third of households using an analog signal had gone digital.

In addition to offering better picture and sound quality, the digital signal will enhance emergency communications for first responders – police, fireman - by opening up the airwaves. Another advantage to digital broadcasts is the broadband capabilities it offers, which will make TV more interactive and efficient. An example of this is multicasting, which means a TV station can offer the viewer several channels of programming simultaneously. The viewer, for instance, can choose to watch one of three different programs airing on channel 4. This creates more viewing options for the same amount of spectrum it would take to broadcast one analog program.

There are approximately 1,800 TV stations in the United States and almost half of them have already converted their broadcasts.