"D" = digital, dilemma
Digital TV? HDTV? Direct TV?
After February 17, 2009, about 22 million consumers who watch broadcast television --- using an antenna to pull signals from the air --- will need a digital converter to continue watching their soaps and sitcoms on an older TV set.
But according to Mixed Signals, a report from the Maryland Public Interest Research Group, consumers can't rely on retailers for information about the transition, including the $40 coupons the federal government is giving away to help people buy converters. Check out my story about it here.
Nationally, about 40 percent of staff did not know when the transition would take place, and one in five clerks tried to convince secret shoppers to purchase a new television or a converter box with additional features that would disqualify it from the coupon program.
Also, more than a third of stores were still selling analog televisions, which will be obsolete after the conversion without a converter. But at nearly 70 percent of those shops, sets had hard-to-read or incorrect labels.
Steve Hannan, executive director of the Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition, says that part of the confusion stems from a mix-up between digital television and high definition, or HDTV, which is a digital television format that offers enhanced picture quality.
Direct TV is a satellite cable provider, and no, you don't need that either.
Here's the bottom line:
1. You don't have to buy a new television --- certainly not a "high-definition", or HD, TV. Nor do you need to subscribe to cable television.
2. You can find accurate information about the transition --- including definitions for all of these terms --- and apply for the coupon at https://www.dtv2009.gov/ or by calling the Coupon Program 24-hour hotline at 1-888-DTV-2009 (1-888-388-2009).
3. Cable and satellite television viewers don't have to do anything differently.
4. Older sets, even without the converters, will work just fine with the rest of your AV equipment, such as video game consoles and DVD players.
Comments
This comment is also poor:
"You should put a warning ... about these televisions' ability to work" after next February, Neumann said."
The tvs will work fine if they are connected to a cable box, satellite box or a digital converter box. For some people it may be cheaper to buy an analog tv and a converter box than a digital tv.
I'm not recommending this but the tv will work.
Also if you think this is confusing, wait until people buy HD tvs and try to get them to work with their stereos and try to figure out how to interconnect everything.
Not to mention the horrible quality of Directv HD receivers. I'm on my 2nd, one friend is on his 3rd and another friend is on his 7th.
HD is great and I love my 50" Panasonic Plasma tv (720p) but it is far from consumer friendly.
Try to explain why a 1080p tv won't improve you picture in most cases since no cable or satellite company has sufficient bandwidth now or any time in the near future.
Or how you have to use HDMI or component cables to get HD content from a receiver.
Another big consumer ripoff is High Definition Antennas. You can use your old UHF/VHF antenna or buy a cheap one from Radio Shack and receiver a HD tv signal. There is no need to spend a lot of money on a "special" HD antenna.
Finally we have the big ripoff with the excessive prices on HDMI and other cables at places like Best Buy. You can buy high quality ones online at sites like monoprice.com for $10-15 rather than $70+ in stores.
You need to do your research and be leery of what any sales person will tell you. In most cases they either don't know or earn bonuses on selling the high markup items.
Rich
Posted by: Rich | February 13, 2008 8:16 PM