Welcome to this weeks edition of Baby Boomer Technology – The Move To Digital TV

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This is your host, Denise Boomer and Dr. Bee Boomer, welcoming you to this weeks edition of the Baby Boomer Technology on PodcastForBoomers.com.

This week we are talking about The Move To Digital TV.

D-day is February 18th this year. That is the day all TV signals will be digital only.

So what does that mean for you? If you currently get your TV stations through either cable or satellite, you do not need to do anything. If you only use in indoor or outdoor antenna to get your TV signal, you need to act fast or your TV will not work after February 18th.

If you need to upgrade to digital TV you can get a converter box that will allow your TV to continue working after February 18th. The box cost from $50.00 up. You can request a coupon worth $40.00 toward the converter box from www.dtv2009.gov or call 888-388-2009. Recent news is that the government has run out of coupons. It may be worth your time to try anyway. You never know or find someone who has not used their coupon. The coupons, if you can find one, do have an expiration date.

With the converter box your old TV should work. You should not need to buy a new TV. However if the converter box doesn't work, you may need a new antenna. Digital signals are all or nothing. That means if the signal is too weak you will see nothing on you TV. If you got the channel before you may need a new digital antenna to get it now.

Of course you could sign up for cable or satellite TV and not need the converter. All of that is covered by the cable or satellite company's equipment. But if your TV is really old, you may be forced to buy a new one.

President elect Obama has asked for a delay in the mandatory change over to digital signals. So the February 18 deadline may be postponed. We will have to wait and see.

Thanks for listening.
Remember your comments are always welcome.
Stay active!
Until the next time, this is your host Dr. Bee Boomer and Denise Boomer saying good bye!

Update

After we finished recording this post, we discovered that the transition date will most likely be posponed.  For more information go to http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=133683

Dr. Bee Boomer