DTV Converter Box

The DTV converter box is called many things:  

• TV converter box
• Digital TV converter box
• Digital converter box
• Digital-to-analog converter box
• HDTV converter box

They all mean the same thing.  

At midnight , February 17, 2009 , in the United States , all full power broadcast television stations will stop broadcasting analog signals and broadcast only digital television (DTV).  On that day, if you are receiving your signal over the air, your old analog TV will not work unless you have purchased a DTV converter box.

This TV converter box will convert the broadcast digital signal to the analog signal that your TV was designed to receive so it will still work.  This applies to the TV signal that you receive over the air on an antenna.

The Federal Government decided to do this for this stated reason:

An important benefit of the switch to all-digital broadcasting is that it will free up parts of the valuable broadcast spectrum for public safety communications (such as police, fire departments, and rescue squads). Also, some of the spectrum will be auctioned to companies that will be able to provide consumers with more advanced wireless services (such as wireless broadband).

The auction brought the US Government $19.592 billion (with a “B”) from the auction of the spectrum.  This income is paying for the two $40 coupons that the government is giving to each family toward the purchase of the digital-to- analog converter boxes.  

The coupons can be requested between January 1, 2008 and March 31, 2009 (while supplies last) by going to https://www.dtv2009.gov.  There you will be lead through the process to determine if you need digital TV converter box.  

So you know the questions and the results from your answers, here they are.  

Question 1 – Do you have a TV set in your household receiving broadcast using an antenna, such as “rabbit ears” or a rooftop antenna?  

If you answer “yes” to question 1, you will be asked question 2.  

If you answer “no” you will get this message:  

You do not need a TV converter box.  Cable and satellite subscribers should check with their providers before February 17, 2009 to see how they are handling the transition.  TV’s connected to cable, satellite, or other pay TV service will not require a TV converter box from this program.  

Question 2 – Do you have a television with a built-in digital tuner?  

If you answer ‘no”, you will be told:  

You need a TV converter box.  Since you receive your TV over-the-air, and do not have a digital ready television, you will need a converter box to receive television after February 19, 2009 .  Click here to apply for a coupon.  

If you answer “yes”, you will be told:  

You do not need a converter box for this TV set.  Your TV set has a digital turner already built in and will likely continue to receive programming as usual after the transition on February 19, 2009 .  If you have another TV set in your household that does not have a built-in digital tuner, you will need a TV converter box for this TV to continue to receive your programs after February 19, 2009 .  

How do you apply for a coupon?  

You can apply on-line, call an 888 number, mail the application, fax the application, or if you are hard of hearing, you can dial special numbers. TTY service is also available.  

Here is a picture of the top of the on-line coupon application page.  

If you think you might need a DTV converter box, go to https://www.dtv2009.gov and apply.

Price Converter Boxes

Here are some converter boxes from Amazon.  Use these as a price comparison, but do not buy the DTV converter box from Amazon since it is not accepting the $40 government coupon.

Buy in store from Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Circuit City where the coupons are accepted.