Digital Television Will Require Converters for Some in Connecticut River Valley

REGIONAL - On Feb. 17, 2009 analog broadcast television will cease, replaced by digital television, which will leave some wondering what happened when they see only snow after turning on their television.

While the transition to digital television has some fearing they need to buy new television sets, this is not true.

Those who work at Shore Television and Appliance are assuring shoppers that the digital change is not as scary as they first thought.

Joan Wrynn, who works at the Old Saybrook store, said that those who will be most affected by the conversion have older televisions and use antennas, both outside antennas and "rabbit ears", to receive off-air television signals.

They will have to purchase a $50 to $75 digital-to-analog converter box but can receive up to two $40 coupons toward the purchase of two converter boxes from the federal government.

While Wrynn said Shore Television and Appliance will not be selling the converter boxes, shoppers can visit Radio Shack, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, or Circuit City to purchase them.

Wrynn recommends shoppers to visit www.dtv.gov for more information.

Most televisions sold in the past year or two have digital tuners which will not require a digital-to-analog converter box, Wrynn said.

Those unsure of whether their television has a digital tuner should consult their television manual or go to the television manufacturer's Web site.

Shore Television and Appliance, with stores in Old Saybrook, Clinton, and Colchester, has been selling televisions with digital tuners for quite a while.
Those antenna owners with older televisions may also need to purchase a new antenna.

They can visit www.antennaweb.org for more information on choosing an antenna to best meet their needs.

The switch to all-digital broadcasting will free up parts of the broadcast spectrum for public safety communications and for consumer advanced wireless services.

Customers will also benefit by the changeover because they will receive improved picture and sound quality, increased interactive video and data services, and the ability to receive multiple programs from the same channel.

For example, those watching analog Channel 3 can only see one program at one time but with digital the station could broadcast one digital program on Channel 3-1, another on Channel 3-2, another on Channel 3-3, and so on.

Wrynn confirmed that those who subscribe to satellite services, such as DirecTV and Dish Network, will not be affected by the change since those companies will upgrade their equipment to receive the digital broadcast stations.

A customer service representative at the Comcast cable office in Clinton said the change will require those without a cable box to obtain one.

However, those with existing cable boxes will not be affected.

More information for Comcast customers is available at www.comcast.com.

Comcast cable serves all towns in the Pictorial Gazette coverage area including Essex, Chester, Deep River, Lyme, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, and Westbrook.
Those who already own digital televisions or plan to purchase one should keep in mind that digital television is "backward compatible."

This means that existing analog equipment including VCR's, DVD players, camcorders, and video game systems will work on digital televisions.