The converter boxes are expected to cost between $50 and $70 and will be available at most major electronics retail stores. Starting Tuesday, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration will begin accepting requests for two $40 coupons per household to be used toward the purchase of the boxes.
Viewers who have satellite or cable service will not need a box.
Um, I can't get digital channels on my cable. And nobody will have shit to say until they realize they should be making hd tvs at a cheaper price. Did you know that there is no such thing as 1080i, its really 720p?
To request a coupon, consumers can apply online at http://www.dtv2009.gov starting Tuesday. The government also has set up a 24-hour hotline to take requests, 1-888-DTV-2009 (1-888-388-2009).
Congress, in ordering the transition to digital broadcasting, set aside $1.5 billion for the coupon program, which will fund 33.5 million coupons and other costs.
The giveaway basically works under the honor system.
The first 22 million coupons will go to all households that request them. That includes a residence that gets cable service for one television but has a spare TV that still uses an antenna, for example.
The rest of the coupons, however, are meant only for those who do not subscribe to a pay-television service.
The Nielsen Co. estimates that 14.3 million households, or about 13 percent of the 112.8 million total television households in the nation, rely on over-the-air television broadcasts for programming.
Why go digital? So you can be better share what you are watching with programmers and advertisers. I will wait for 27" widescreen 1080p with hdtv tuner that is under 200 bucks. That I can use as a monitor and a tv with a antenna. I live within 50 miles of the broadcast towers and hd on cable and satellite is compressed and not true hd anyway.
