Network television content will begin broadcasting with a digital rather than analog signal in 2009. Electronics retailers, with some prodding from the Federal Communications Commission, are making sure consumers are ready for the switch.
Starting May 25, the FCC will require all retailers that sell analog televisions to tell consumers the equipment will no longer receive network broadcast signals starting February 2009. At that point, consumers will have to either own a digital television or buy a converter to get the signals.
“Such notice should ensure that consumers are making a fully informed decision about the television that they seek to purchase before bringing it home,” FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said.
The switch will not affect customers who have cable. The government will require cable companies to make sure customers get the channels even if they are not digital subscribers. The FCC announced Friday it is seeking comment on proposals that would regulate how cable companies do this.
When people shop for a new television, most are unfamiliar with the federally mandated switch to digital or have misconceptions about it, according to Mike Gray, home theater supervisor at Best Buy’s Bailey’s Crossroads branch. Customers often assume they will need a high-definition television, rather than just a digital one to receive any content, or do not realize converters will be available, Gray said. Best Buy, though, sells few analog televisions, only offering three models; Gray hasn’t seen any sold recently.
Most manufacturers haven’t produced digital converters yet; Best Buy sells one by Samsung, but more will come as the deadline approaches, Gray said. Though both digital and high-definition televisions will receive the signals in 2009, Gray said the majority of his customers buy high-definition televisions because all the big screen and flat panel models at Best Buy are high-definition. Some customers buy smaller digital televisions, the quality of which Gray likened to a DVD.
