Updating Your Television Watching from Analog to Digital

The image of a television set with large unsightly rabbit ears on top, accompanied by the mandatory aluminum foil or clothes hanger attachments, is often touted as being the "old-fashioned" and out-of-date way of watching television. "Come on! Who would really watch television that way when instead you could have cable or satellite or a DISH network with a crystal-clear picture and no foil and hanger sculpture coming out of the top?" Believe it or not, there are those out there with no desire to pay to be able to watch television. Not even if you dangle the opportunity to watch HGTV, the DIY network, HBO, professional sports, or the Outdoor Channel in front of them.

There are actually 15.5 million households that use an antenna to watch their television, according to www.dtvfacts.com. For one reason or another they have chosen not to use cable, satellite, or some other pay-to-watch television service. Our household falls into the number of households that still use an antenna. When I heard that broadcast television would go the way of the dinosaur I was not sure what we would do. I was in shock to begin with. "Surely they would not do away with broadcast television! There must be others without satellite television out there. Will I really have to pay to be able to watch television now?"

Come to find out, my information was a bit off. They are not getting rid of broadcast television, but they are changing the signal type from analog to digital. My television, like many others, will not be able to understand the new digital signal. So what are the choices? Well, you could choose to go to cable or satellite or the DISH network. You could also buy a new television set that does understand the digital system. You could even give up television all together. That would be the cheapest answer to all this, though probably not the most popular. If none of those options appeal to you, there is one more option. A converter box will be available that will enable your current televisions to be used with the digital signal. This switch is referred to as the "digital TV transition on http://www.dtv.gov/consumercorner.html. There is even a coupon available to help offset some of the cost. It can be obtained from the previously listed webpage. The coupons are limited to 2 per household. I've even heard that there will be a limited number available, so don not delay too long to request yours if this is the case.

So for those of you trying to convince me to sign up for cable and a monthly bill because I will no longer be able to get my free television, there is no need to worry. I will still be able to get it. The world will not end. There will just be a one time cost of modernization, which was is inevitable after all. After a month or two I should break even . . . and I'll still be able to watch American Idol for free.