By: Unknown
From: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
By TIM CUPRISIN
There's a chance -- a small chance -- that when you flip on your TV next February, you won't see anything.
That's if you get your television signals over the air and don't have either a new digital model or a converter box.
Theoretically, the coming digital TV transition allows a clearer signal, along with the possibility of HDTV and a series of new subchannels.
But it's far from a simple thing to grasp.
The coming transition has been one of the most confusing television storylines since "Twin Peaks." And, based on almost daily conversations with TV viewers, here are 10 of the most frequent misconceptions about what's coming in just nine months:
1 The HDTV transition comes Feb. 17, 2009.
No, it's the digital TV transition that hits on that date.
While more and more high-definition programming is being produced, the big event really isn't about HDTV. It's a transition to digital broadcasting.
You need digital TV to watch high-def programming. But the vast majority of programs on digital TV won't be in high definition anytime soon.
And adding a converter box to your TV doesn't mean you're adding high-definition images.
2 All viewers need to take some action to keep watching television as they have been.
Actually, most TV viewers won't have to do anything to maintain the status quo.
Only TV viewers who watch their television over the air (via antenna) and don't have a digital receiver in their televisions will have to buy a digital converter box to continue to watch what they've been watching.
Nielsen Media Research estimates that some 13 million households around the country need converter boxes to keep watching. Nearly 100 million other TV homes will not need them to keep watching.
Of course, if you have an extra set not hooked up to a pay service, you'd need a converter to keep that one working.
3 If you have cable, digital cable is necessary to watch digital TV.
Digital cable has absolutely nothing to do with the digital transition, despite callers who say they've heard otherwise from cable company service representatives or from salespeople in big- box electronic stores.
Subscribers to any level of cable service on Time Warner, southeast Wisconsin's cable giant, and Charter, which serves scattered communities in the area, will continue to get TV pictures once the transition takes place.
Of course, cable companies would love more digital cable subscribers, but you don't need to do that to keep on watching.
This comes directly from www.timewarnercable.com:
"Digital Cable service is NOT required for the Digital Transition (DTV), but now may be a good time to think about upgrading."
Charter offers this at www.charter.com:
"If your TV is connected to Charter Cable or Charter Digital Cable, you can sit back and relax, you don't have to do anything!"
4 All analog TV broadcasting ends on Feb. 17, 2009.
Actually, only full-power stations drop their old-fashioned analog signal at that time. That affects the major stations, the network affiliates and Milwaukee's two public TV outlets.
Low-power stations, like Milwaukee's Spanish-language Telemundo affiliate, WYTU-LP (Channel 63), will continue to broadcast their analog signals over the air.
That could cause some problems if you have a converter box, since many models don't allow you to switch back to analog broadcasting. You may have to unplug the converter if one of your stations of choice is a low-power outlet.
5 Poor people won't be able to keep watching TV.
EchoStar, a sister company to Dish Network, is one manufacturer promising a $39.99 converter box.
That means anybody should be able to pick one up for pocket change with one of the two $40 coupons available to each household from the federal government by going to www.dtv2009.gov, or by calling (888) 388-2009.
Right now, it's easier to find the units for around $60.
But don't take too long shopping around for the cheapest converter if you've already received your coupons.
Those coupons expire 90 days after they're issued.
6 There's some significance to the Feb. 17, 2009, conversion date.
Nope. It's just the most recent date set by Congress.
There's still a chance the date could change, but the closer it gets, the less likely that is.
7 TVs of a certain age won't work -- even with a converter.
If you wanted to, you could watch an old black-and-white set with a digital converter box.
But why would you want to?
8 Digital broadcasting removes the static and creates a perfect picture.
Theoretically, reception should be better with digital TV.
But the difference is you won't see a picture gradually fade out. If you're not in a good reception area, the screen will go black. At the very least, folks trying to watch TV with a converter box could end up needing a better antenna.
A study released earlier this year by Centris, a Los Angeles- based market research firm, suggests that digital signals may not travel as far as analog signals, increasing the need for new antennas.
9 The digital transition creates extra channels that we'll all be able to watch come Feb. 17, 2009.
If you have basic cable, at least right now, the digital subchannels you can see over the air won't be available.
Some of them may be available with some additional level of service. Time Warner, for example, carries Weather Plus, the joint weather channel operated by NBC and WTMJ-TV (Channel 4) as a digital cable channel. It's Channel 4.2 over the air.
10 All TVs in stores right now are ready for the digital transition.
Nope. Analog sets are still being sold.
But federal regulations require that they be labeled so consumers know they'll need to be hooked up to a pay-TV service or a digital converter after the transition.
Just last month, the FCC fined Sears, Wal-Mart and other big retailers for selling analog sets without the warning label.
So shop carefully.
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