I hope you have heard. In about a month, the broadcast of analog TV signals is going to end. Instead only digital signals shall be broadcast. Therefore old TVs which only process analog signals will no longer work.The government has come out with a TV Converter Box Coupon Program. This allows you to buy a device that can convert the new digital signals to the analog signals required by old TVs. The coupon is a discount on the price of these devices.
As soon as I heard about this, I signed up to get my coupons. It was a good thing that I did. They have run out of coupons for now. I did delay in actually going out to buy my converter boxes. However the coupons expire 3 months after they are issued. so today I bought two devices. The coupons take $40 off the price of the converters. Unfortunately they cost $60 each at my local Radio Shack. But hey, I saved some money.
I have no immediate need for these boxes. My cable company transmits the TV signals I need to work with all my TVs. However you never know when you might need to view TV over the air. So I bought a couple converter boxes. I might have been able to save some money by shopping at Walmart instead of Radio Shack.
The real question in my mind is why are they discontinuing the transmission of analog TV signals. On the surface it seems like a scam to force me to buy a new TV, pay for cable TV service, or purchase a converter. I would be more up in arms if they did not provide the coupon program. Time to investigate this whole move to digital signals a bit further.
