Question:
Dear Expert,
I've been hearing that all TVs older than 5 or 6 years old will be obsolete and stop working next year (February, 2009). If this is true then is everyone just going to throw out their current TVs? And wouldn't that be a bit of a mess for the environment and such?
My Sony Trinitron (12 years old, still going strong) has a great picture - better than a lot of my friends' new LCD sets - and I would hate to have to be forced into buying a new TV. What's the scoop?
-Joseph C.
Answer:
Hello, Joseph,
This is an issue that has been coming up more often now that the FCC's deadline for the end of analog terrestrial television transmission approaches. It is true that on February 17, 2009 (Actually February 18th at midnight), all analog broadcasts are scheduled to go offline. This includes the traditional VHF channels 2-13 and UHF channels 14-69. The wireless spectrum being used for those broadcasts is being auctioned off to the highest bidders to help raise money for the federal government. A portion is also going toward emergency broadcast frequencies so police and fire personnel can communicate better in the event of an emergency.
But this doesn't mean that your current TV will stop working (nor is it likely to explode) on February 17, 2009. If you have cable TV, Fios or satellite TV, your current set top box will still work after February 2009. Also if you have a recently-manufactured DVD recorder with a built-in ATSC tuner, then you're already ready for the transition. These new boxes all have standard analog outputs (coax, composite, S-video and/or component video) which are compatible with all current analog and digital TVs. Also, owners of televisions with built-in ATSC (Advanced Television Standards Committee) tuners have nothing to worry about either. The only people who will be affected by this transition are those with older analog televisions who rely on standard TV antennas to receive TV channels for free over the air.
The old "NTSC" (National Television Standards Committee) tuners built into older TVs, VCRs and DVD recorders will no longer work because there will no longer be any channels broadcast over the NTSC broadcast frequencies. But even owners of these older sets and devices are not going to be left completely out in the cold.
The federal government is offering up to two vouchers or coupons per household, each $40 in value, applicable toward purchase of a new digital tuner box. These boxes tune in the digital channels and output analog signals that older TVs can display. The boxes are expected to sell for between $40 and $70. So you can get one of these, use your existing antenna (as long as it receives UHF signals) and still watch TV on an older analog TV set after February, 2009.
In fact, you don't actually have to wait until 2009, as the vouchers are available for request now (link included below). However, once received they must be used within 90 days. National retailers, Wal-Mart, Circuit City, Best Buy and Radio Shack are all expected to participate in the program but eligible boxes are not widely available yet.
Unfortunately the government won't let you use the coupon as a credit toward a new HDTV, a DVD recorder with built-in digital tuner or an advanced HDTV tuner. It can only be used toward the purchase of a specific kind of standard definition digital tuner, certified by the NTIA (National Telecommunication and Information Administration) as eligible for the program. A current list of coupon-eligible converter boxes (CECBs) is available here.
You can read more about the transition, and apply for a voucher (or two) at http://www.dtv2009.gov/
Hope that helps.
Regards,
-Chris
