What to Do with Your Old TV Sets

When the TV went digital, most people had converted at least one set to receive the new digital signal. Unfortunately many TV's were abandoned due to the cost of buying both a converter box and a digital signal capable antenna for each TV not yet converted. There were four working TVs in my home and after the July 2009 conversion, that number was reduced to 1 working television and three paper weights.

My one working television was a 46 inch, high definition, home theater setup with the picture provided by Comcast Cable for a hefty cost. My wife found a use for one of the older sets by using it to play exercise DVDs with the old DVD player, which had been replaced on the HDTV with a Blue Ray player. My Daughter also uses this to play her DVD collection on occasion.

The set I have in the master bedroom used to be used when I wanted to watch one show and my wife wanted to watch something else. Now we just are starting to have to bite the bullet and settle on one show or the other. Even if I bought a converter and antenna, the shows which were received would still be quite limited. The solution, it seemed, was to get a second cable box, have it installed and pay an additional monthly fee for the second box. The cost to do this was reasonable provided we didn't spend the large sum of money to get a new HDTV for bedroom.

Comcast charges $25 to install a cable in a second room. Some people can do the installation by themselves and not have to pay for the installation. However, the two sets were on two different floors of my home and at the opposite end of the building. That was beyond what I was capable of doing. For $25 you would get a second cable box installed and only be charged a nominal monthly fee for its rental. For $3.95 per month you would get all the channels you currently receive on the large set. If you wanted to buy a high definition television for your second set the monthly rental for a cable HD box would be $7.95 per month.

Many people think that the older analog TVs cannot play digital television. In fact the older sets can play digital television provided you have a digital cable box feeding it a signal. These cable boxes convert the signals quite well and maximize what your televisions are capable of playing. Your picture will also be a lot better than the one you used to receive in its analog incarnation. However, do not expect it to play high definition shows. These television sets are not designed to play 720 or 1080P resolution.

It amazes me that many thrift shops are loaded with nice 19 inch TVs which they sell for only $5 each. This will be a good chance for me to upgrade my bedroom TV's from 13 inch to 19 inch with a great picture. In addition I will receive HBO, Stars, and the premium cable channels at no extra cost above what I already pay for my large set downstairs. On Demand is also included on you second television and is free with the exception of pay per view shows should you choose to watch any. All this for $3.95 per month.