March 15, 2007 12:51 pm

Cut and paste version of story Photos Still have trouble picking up TV channels with that old antenna? In less than two years, analog TV reception will be obsolete.

Editor's notes: With photo

Analog TVs are so 1940s

TV viewers who watch their favorite shows with an antenna should listen up: They have less than two years to upgrade.

By Josh Newton
CNHI News Service

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — At midnight Feb. 17, 2009, the deep-rooted history of television will veer onto another path, and many viewers will be obliged to go along for the ride.
Those old analog TVs requiring antennas will no longer receive over-the-air programming, as broadcasters will be forced to convert analog signals into the save of the 21st Century: digital.
There’s one way to avoid having your programming yanked, but it entails buying a digital converter box that has yet to be produced, so the cost of the upgrade is currently unknown.
Local resident Kirk Hannover heard about the upcoming switch through an Internet news site. Hannover, who owns two “very old TV boxes,” questioned the forced move by the federal government when equipment had not been designed to fix the problem.
“I know there are many homes in this community still using old analog [TV] sets, and they aren’t hooked into cable or satellite,” said Hannover. “For many, buying some box is going to be a burden, whether it’s $20 or $2,000, and especially so for those of us with more than one TV.”
The government claims it has a plan to ease those financial burdens, in the form of a money-saving coupon.
“The transition from analog to digital television is a historic change, and brings with it considerable benefits for the American consumer,” Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez said in a press release. “The coupon program is designed to help ease the transition to digital TV. Not only will the transition help expand consumer choices, but more importantly, the digital transition will enable more efficient use of the nation’s airwaves providing new advanced wireless services and increased public safety services for all Americans.”
According to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, starting Jan. 1, 2008, all U.S. households will be eligible to request up to two $40 coupons, to be used toward the purchase of up to two digital-to-analog converter boxes, while the initial $990 million allocated for the program is available.
Once those funds are exhausted, Congress can certify another $510 million exclusively for over-the-air TV households.
“With the Coupon Program and a successful analog-to-digital transition involving the public, industry and government, the switch from analog to digital television will be completed as planned,” NTIA Assistant Secretary for Communication and Information John Kneuer said in a release.
Hannover, like so many others, knew the day would come. TV technology has, since the 1940s, remained basically the same idea, he said, with just a few minor additions like remote controls, enhanced color and sound, and even cable access.
“An era is coming to an end,” said Hannover. “I guess tomorrow’s kids just won’t know what it’s like to sit at home on Friday night and watch free TV in between static lines and emergency broadcast tests.”
Technically, that’s still a possibility. Those who switch to the new system, but still don’t subscribe to cable or satellite, may continue to have fuzzy reception; viewers will access high-definition stations on a standard-definition receiver.
Experts say not to expect miracles during the switch, either, as digital TV signals either look great, or can’t be received at all.
“I knew it would happen sometime,” said Whitney White. “I’ve been using a TV my grandma gave me for years. It must weigh a thousand pounds, and the tube sits in a big wood-like box. There’s not even a remote.”
Sure, it could be upgraded, said White, but a new TV isn’t all that expensive, “unless you buy one half the size of your living room.”
According to the Federal Communications Commission, as of June 2005, 15.4 million households in the U.S. received over-the-air signals only.
“Cable and satellite is too expensive when so many other bills are due,” said White. “At first, lots of people are going to complain, but I think like everything else, the [transition] will happen and we will hardly notice or remember the argument we have today. My folks and grandfolks used to complain about computers taking over the world, but today, it’s just life. I really believe this will be the same way, once the government works out the little kinks in the [Coupon Program].”
Josh Newton writes for the Tahlequah (Okla.) Daily Press.

Learn more
To learn more about the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Coupon Program and rules for analog-to-digital conversion, visit the federal Web site www.ntia.doc.gov. U.S. households can request two $40 coupons between Jan. 1, 2008, and March 31, 2009.