With the proposed shutoff date for over-the-air analog broadcasts slated for Feb. 17, 2009, consumers are facing several choices about how they will eventually receive television in their homes.
And, according to industry experts, consumers should already be educating themselves about the new technology to ensure that they make the best decision for their viewing tastes ? and budget.
“There is a lot of information out there for consumers,” said Megan Pollock, a spokeswoman with the Consumer Electronics Association. “The first step … is to learn what?s going on.
“Once the research is done, they need to think about how they?re receiving TV signals. That really will determine what their next step is.”
Pollock said consumers who receive most or all of their television programming from cable or satellite services will not be required to make equipment changes. Consumers who use an analog television set with an antenna to receive over-the-air programming will need to either buy a new digital television or purchase a converter box that will convert digital broadcast signals into a form that can be displayed on an analog television.
Mark Richer, president of the Advanced Television Systems Committee, the organization that set the digital television standards for the United States, said that no matter what choice a consumer makes, there should be an option to suit most budgets.
He said the price of converter boxes is expected to be $50 in 2009 and that the federal government has mandated legislation that would provide subsidies to people in need on a first-come, first-served basis.
“The good news is there will be a cost-effective solution for all consumers depending on what they want to do,” Richer said. “Consumers really have a great array of products to choose from, and that?s going to continue to happen over the next couple of years.”
Pollack said that so far, consumers have greeted the pending transition with excitement, and that from 1998 to 2005, more than 32 million digital televisions have been purchased. She added that as prices continue to decline, more consumers are likely to purchase digital sets.
Robbie Baldwin, a personal shopping assistant for Best Buy Co., said that while consumers who purchase the converter boxes for their analog televisions will be able to receive programming, the picture quality will not be nearly as clear as that from a digital television.
“If you?re going to keep your TV, you?re still going to get a decent picture quality, but if you?re really looking for that home theater experience, you really should think about the full digital television,” Baldwin said.
Important DTV dates
» July 1: All new televisions 25 inches or larger must have DTV tuners or be DTV-ready.
» March 1, 2007: All new televisions 13 inches or larger must have DTV tuners or be DTV-ready.
What is HDTV?
» DTV is not synonymous with HDTV. HDTV is the classification applied only to the highest-quality formats defined under the DTV standard.
