I inherited an older Sony color TV from my folks, a really good Trinitron, and it works pretty well with the rabbit ears I’ve hooked up, but I’m anxious that it’s going to become obsolete when TV signals go all-digital. Legitimate worry, or will my TV work just fine over the next few years until it dies?
It’s been creeping up on us for a couple of years here in the United States, but you’re right, in February of 2009, all television broadcasts will officially switch over to all-digital signals. Specifically, February 18, 2009 (why they didn’t pick January 1 or even February 1 is unclear, but that’s the gov’t for ya).
Once that happens, your rabbit ears antenna and older Sony analog TV are going to cease receiving anything that’ll be viewable. You can switch to cable (because cable converter boxes can output analog signals to your TV from a digital source) or satellite (for the same reason), but if you don’t change anything you’ll be in trouble.
The good news is that the government is offering a $40 coupon that you can apply to the cost of a converter box: a digital to analog TV converter box is your third option, and they’ll cost approximately $50 each. The net difference of $10 is well worth letting your Sony continue to work in the next few years.
Now, how do you get that snazzy coupon? You can call and request a coupon at 888-388-2009 or you can visit the DTV 2009.gov Web site.
The first 22 million requests received will get a coupon (if you’re keeping track, that represents a potential liability of $88 million to ensure people can keep getting their soap operas and crime drama) then the remaining coupons in the program will be allocated to people that don’t have a pay service (e.g., cable or satellite).
This program is all administered by the Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, by the way.
Godo luck to you. I used to have a Sony Trinitron, actually, but now I have a Sony LCD digital HDTV and, well, it’s an upgrade. 🙂
I’m so glad we don’t need these stupid convert boxes anymore! Just plug in your antenna and you’re good to go. Unless everyone starts getting rid of built-in tuners like Vizio is apparently starting to do…
I don’t see any answers to these questions ! I’m going NUTS !!! I am home bound on disability and the T.V. is my life line . The last “help” site I went to answered questions as if I was a T.v. repairman and I didn’t understand a thing that was said !!!! How do you get any help in layman’s terms ??? I have a roof antena and rabbit ears and I used to get 40 channels for a few months , Now , tonight I have NOTHING ! spent over an hour making tiny , slight adjustments and waiting . NOTHING !!! I wonder if the cable ,dish ,direct tv companys have made a deal with the government to force us all to buy into one of them , REALLY ! This is B.S. !!!!
Looking at all of these un-answered questions….I am thinking Dave is either dead…or in Jail. lol….I have a question too…but I won’t bother….
Not dead. Not in jail. What’s your question, Patty? 🙂
Hi Dave, I purchased RCA DTA800B1 digital converter box and hooked it up. Everything worked fine for about an hour when the picture started breaking up, digitally fragmenting/buffering. I retuned the box and hooked another brand up, and pretty much the exact same thing happened, what gives?
I have a digital television and presently have cable. I am considering discontinuing my cable subscription – can I use a digital converter on this television? thanks
perhaps someone can guide..I have an older off brand tv with coaxial port on back. I hooked my motolrola converter box to my tv. I hooke my digital antenae to converter box. problem is I get no signal when I check the antenae. The tv works great when I hook it up to dish. I am trying to recieve a channel not shown by dish anymore in my area.
Patrice, a modern TV should be digital ready, so what I would suggest – and this is going to sound weird – is to hook up your TV to the cable coming into your house, then let it “search for channels”. You might well have a fair number of channels sitting there for public access without a converter box or subscription, channels with weird channel numbers like “96.1”. Good luck.
Dave, I have a 2009 Vizio, and wondered if a digital TV converter would work as an antenna. I just discontinued my cable service and currently have nothing at all on my tv. Any guidance you could provide would be greatly appreciated!
Don’t think a TV converter by itself will work as an antenna, but I believe it’ll let you hook up a modern, digital antenna (well, digital / HD ready antenna) to your 2009 Vizio…
I have just bought a brand new flat screen tv. And with no cable, will I need a converter box and rabbit ears? I live in an apartment and comcast is the only cable company around. With their high price hikes, I cancelled them. Thanks for any information you can provide!
I friend of mine has a 13″ RCA True Flat DTV. He doesn’t have cable and this tv is cable ready. He bought a digital converter and an antenna we scanned the channels and we can only get one channel it is channel 7. Is there anything you can suggest or what are we doing wrong.
thank you,
Dotty
Hi davei have a question about the digital adapters for Time Warner Cable. I moved into the house i currently live in about 3yrs ago. The landlord at the time told us we didn’t need to pay for cable because he’s had it hooked up for free for almost 18years. my house was sold and we have a new landlord now and he as well knows about the free cable. my question is, will i be able to get an adapter or because im not a time warner customer will i get in trouble for having free cable even though it wasn’t me that hooked it up? (I was told by my landlord that he cancled his survice with them years ago and TWC never disconnected. I don’t know how true that is but that is what i was told. thanks Dave.
WHY CAN’T THE CONVERTER BOXES BE TURNED OFF?????
I have just bought a brand new flat screen tv. And with no cable, will I need a converter box and rabbit ears? I live in an apartment and comcast is the only cable company around. With there price hikes, I had to drop them. Can anyone help me. Please email me at julie.harnisch@yahoo.com
You Americans are lucky. We have to pay $50 plus taxes for the boxes because our government just left us high and dry.
I’m really angry over this because a lot of Canadians can’t afford these boxes. They just want us to throw our TV’s away so they can retrieve the gold out of them, so when I finally break down and chuck mine out I’m going to smash it first and make sure it goes into the dump instead of the recycle bin. The government isn’t going to profit from me twice.
Hi! I am moving to Brazil and would like to take a LED Sony TV with me.Do I need buy a converter box since tvs there are built on PALM mode? Does it make tv work properly?
Thank you for your help!
Marcia
I am trying to hook a box without instructions. Can you tell me how or where to get manual/instructions.
Also, we were told that with the new TV we have, we should be able to pick up several stations with just rabbit ears. Can you tell me anything about that?
Thanks in advance for any info.
I have a Sanyo TV Model DP42647 that I bought in Nov 2007 and now it has black streaks down the middle of the screen like “falling rain”.It is a LCDHDTV, is the screen going bad?
If you have a traditional antenna, Arkie, you’ll only be able to record programs on your VCR if it has its own built-in tuner. If so, then you’ll want to hook it up:
Antenna –> VCR –> TV
If you want to add a DVD player I think you’d want this:
Antenna –> VCR –> DVD –> TV
Because in my experience, DVD players generally don’t have tuners built into them any more. Good luck!
I have a HD TV, I connect to rabbit ears through my VCR/DVD. Problem is I want to record TV programs on the VCR, how do I accomplish this?
I have rabbit ears connected to an VCR/DVD combo then to and HD TV. How dow I record channels?