America is Going to DTV in 2009, Will You be Ready for the Future of Television?

On February 17, 2009, an extraordinary change will take place that will affect the way television is broadcasted to viewers in the United States; all major television broadcasters will cease transmitting signals in analog and start transmitting their broadcasts in digital signal (DTV). If you are not an avid television viewer who knows all about public and network broadcasts, you might be asking: "What on earth does this mean?" This means that if you do not currently watch television through a cable or satellite provider, and are using rabbit ears or antennas, that are not equipped with a digital signal converter box, you will not be able to watch TV. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has a website devoted to informing and helping the public acclimate to this change. The official website is: http://www.dtv.gov/ .
America is going to DTV, what's next? In the months of January and February 2009, another extraordinary event will take place that is directly effected by this revolutionary change in American television; the Internet will be flooded by television viewers who are anxious to know how effectively the change will take place, and by other viewers who procrastinated in buying the necessary digital converter box that will allow them to watch their favorite shows, movies, news broadcasts, and sporting events.

Why will the government switch the television signal to digital?

According to the FCC website, digital television offers better picture and sound quality, more channels, more programming choices for viewers and an opportunity for public safety departments to communicate more effectively during emergencies. For over 50 years, television broadcasters transmitted their signals to viewers' TVs using analog signals, which the FCC has recently decided are either outdated or not efficient enough. For more information on why the government is making the switch, click here.

How can I make the transition to DTV smoothly?

The FCC also provides information and a special coupon offer on their website to make sure the DTV transition goes smoothly for television viewers who do not already have cable or satellite. Some televisions are already equipped with digital capabilities, but others (usually 10 years old or older) are only analog signal capable. In order to help the American citizens who do not have digitally equipped TVs, and don't have cable or satellite, the U.S. government is offering two forty dollar coupons to each American household to help families buy the digital converter box that is necessary to receive DTV signals. For more information on how the FCC is trying to make the transition smooth, and/or the TV digital converter box, television viewers can visit the following website: www.dtv2009.gov , or call: 1-888-388-2009 (voice) or 1-877-530-2634 (TTY).

Why will the Internet be flooded by television viewers in 2009?

Faithful television viewers do not want to go with out television. If the TV viewers haven't already subscribed to a cable or satellite provider, they are going to make darn sure that their TVs are digitally ready and the FCC has made an Internet site available to the television viewers in order to make the change from analog to digital a smooth one. Since more and more Americans are looking towards the Internet to do business or find information in a convenient manner, it only seems appropriate that the FCC's website will become a very efficient and necessary tool for Americans to use; in order to keep their favorite source of entertainment and news readily accessible to them through television. The procrastinators of the United States of America will ultimately flood the Internet, looking for a way to convert their analog TVs in to digital TVs so that they won't miss out on television all together. Since this change won't take place until February 17, 2009, procrastinators will do what they do best, and wait until the last minute (months of January and February) to clue in to the extraordinary change in television that will be DTV. The most popular Internet search topic of 2009 for television viewers will be DTV!