HDTV Changes

Youve all probably heard by now that the world of television will be changing in less than a year. But whats not so clear is exactly how it will change for you. Will you need an encoder available with help from a government grant? Or will your cable or dish provider allow you to enter this new era with your existing set? Commercial after commercial talks about the big switch from analog to digital. It all takes place February 17th 2009. And even after watching endless commercials, Mark Risley admits this topic still seems confusing to many viewers. Risley says the selling of converter boxes and the February deadline are government mandated in an effort to give viewers a higher quality product. "Weve been broadcasting analog broadcast since TV broadcast began. The government is requiring those broadcasters, our local broadcasters to switch to digital format." So what does this mean for you? If youre a cable user...nothing. You wont need to worry about a thing. But if you receive your signal from an antenna, there will be a switch. The people that rely on an off air antenna, whether it be outside your house, or a step top, or even built into the set, will need to purchase a converter box. Then its as simple as plugging in a few cords. After the antenna cord is plugged into the converter box half the battle is done. "This is the cable that came with it. All you have to do is plug it into antenna out and make sure its plugged into the input on your TV. Then press power, and youre free to watch whichever HDTV channel youd like." If you receive your signal from a satellite this method will work for you too. Or you can pay your cable company a few extra bucks, and they will beam the local broadcasts into your home through your existing satellite dish. Mark Risley, says most converter boxes will be similar in quality, but price may vary from fifty to a hundred dollars. You can request two coupons for forty dollars off a converter box from our government. We have that contact information posted on our webpage tristatehomepage.com. Just click on our "DTV Answers" link.