The Shawnee Dispatch / Days numbered for rabbit ears

Archive for Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Televisions with antennas are the sets of choice in Gay Clemenson’s Shawnee home. She knows that will have to change next year when the analog signal will fade and digital signal will officially be the norm through a Federal Communications Commission rule.

By Caroline Boyer

May 14, 2008

Since moving to Shawnee from Liberty, Mo., Gay Clemenson hasn’t had much use for cable or satellite services for her television.

“The reception is phenomenal — the channels come in so much clearer in Shawnee,” the director of Shawnee Town said. “In Liberty, I lived downhill in a valley, and I didn’t get anything without cable.”

However, in less than a year, she knows she likely will choose one or the other, when her older televisions will be unable to pick up the over-the-air signals.

“I probably will get cable by then,” she said. “I’m just doing my research, deciding what’s the best option.”

On Feb. 17, 2009, television stations will switch from analog to digital broadcasting, and many consumers who rely on antennas or “rabbit ears” will find that their older televisions will not be able to work with the new digital signals. Converter boxes will be necessary for such televisions, and the government is offering coupons so each home can get one or two for free.

Analog televisions should continue to work with cable, satellite, VCRs, DVD players, camcorders, video game consoles and other devices for many years. However, cable and satellite subscribers may need new DTV equipment and should check with their cable or satellite company.

Cheryn Swanson of Shawnee has satellite service, but the digital switch is causing another concern for her; the small, portable television she and her husband use in their RV camper works with an antenna.

“So when we’re out in a park somewhere, we can pick up a few stations — sometimes,” Swanson said.

The couple usually makes use of the small television’s VCR, Swanson said, and they are trying to determine if getting a converter box will be necessary.

“We’re not real sure about that; we’re trying to find the manual for the TV, because it’s not that old,” she said. “We may have to get a box for it.”

According to the Federal Communication Commission’s Web site, dtv.gov, for the past 50 years, analog television has been used to transmit conventional television signals, so most televisions only can receive analog signals. But analog signals vary continuously, creating fluctuations in color and brightness.

In 1996, Congress approved allowing broadcast TV stations to have an additional channel so they could start a digital broadcast channel. Congress later decided the last day for analog broadcasts would be Feb. 17, 2009.

Old televisions will need some additional technology to properly show the digital signals over the air. Consumers will need to buy a digital-to-analog converter box for analog televisions, though they won’t need to pay for all of them.

Since Jan. 1 this year and through March 31, 2009, each household in the country is eligible to request up to two $40 coupons through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to purchase a digital-to-analog converter box. The coupons expire 90 days after they are mailed.

To apply for a coupon, consumers can visit dtv2009.gov or call 1 (888) DTV-2009. Hearing-impaired consumers can use the TTY service at 1 (877) 530-2634 for English and 1 (866) 495-1161 for Spanish.

Coupons can be used to purchase converter boxes at Wal-Mart, Circuit City, RadioShack and Best Buy, as well as online at dtv.bsat.net or via telephone through RadioShack at 1-(877) 773-8848.

In Shawnee, the Wal-Mart Supercenter, 16100 W. 65th St., and the RadioShack, 6005 Nieman Rd., are listed as locations that will take coupons.

For those thinking of buying a new television, the FCC requires sellers to display a consumer alert if a television only has an analog broadcast tuner.