DTV Transition: Converter Boxes & Coupons
If you want to keep your old analog television, a converter box is your answer to survive the DTV transition. A converter box has one job to do and that is to receive digital signals, convert them back to the analog format, and then send them to your television.
You won’t have to take your TV to the repair shop to have a converter box installed because it sits on top of your television set. The average converter box is about the size of a paperback book (6.5-inches wide by 9-inches long and 1.8-inches thick) and weighs just two pounds. You’ll hardly notice it is there.
hhgregg sells an Apex model converter box which is perfect for the DTV transition. The converter box is on the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) list of coupon eligible converter boxes. To view the details on hhgregg’s Apex DT250A converter box, click here. Here’s an example of what the converter box looks like:
Apex Digital TV Tuner Converter Box – Model DT250A
There are other benefits to a converter box than just converting the signal from digital to analog. Some of the benefits are:
- The screen of your old cathode-ray tube TV will never look better, no more fuzzy analog channels.
- Find out what’s on TV at the touch of a button with on-screen programming information.
- Some digital TV stations have sub-channels which have new and different programs not available with the over-the-air reception you used to receive.
CONVERTER BOXES – Not Created Equal
A benefit to using a converter box now instead of waiting until the digital transition actually takes place is the analog pass-through feature available on higher-end converter boxes. This gives you the best of both worlds, watching digital and analog television, while waiting for the calendar to turn pages to the DTV deadline.
If your converter box does not have the analog pass-through feature, you will need to either have a splitter installed or physically disconnect the box every single time you go from digital to analog and back again. Save yourself the time and the headache by purchasing hhgregg’s Apex converter box, which is equipped with analog pass-through technology.
CONVERTER BOX COUPONS
Converter boxes are probably the least expensive way to continue enjoying television with $40 coupons available from the NTIA. To apply for coupons through the TV Converter Box Coupon Program, click here. If you do not have internet access, you can call 1-888-388-2009 (voice) or 1-877-530-2634 (TTY). Both calls are toll-free.
You can request up to two $40 coupons per U.S. household to assist in the purchase of up to two digital-to-analog converter boxes. Coupons cannot be combined to purchase a single converter box (which would also result in cash change being returned to the customer). The coupons cannot be used to cover sales tax or purchase any other products, even if they are related to television (e.g., cables).
The coupons have the physical appearance of the plastic credit/debit cards or gift cards already widely used in the retail industry (complete with magnetic strip). Unlike the credit/debit cards or gift cards you’re used to, the converter box coupon does not store data and will not carry a stored value balance. To view a list of coupon eligible converter boxes, click here. Here’s an example of what the coupon looks like:
Also of note, the coupons will be mailed via the U.S. Postal Service and will expire within 90-days of the date they are mailed (expiration date will be printed on the coupons). The last day to apply for coupons is Tuesday, March 31, 2009, so don’t delay and apply for your coupons. To view an extensive list of FAQs on acquiring coupons and their usage, click here.
FINAL THOUGHTS
If you decide after the DTV transition has been completed that you want to terminate your pay television services (e.g., cable, satellite, etc.), you will still be able to indefinitely view free, over-the-air digital broadcasting with a converter box. With the TV Converter Box Coupon Program ending on Tuesday, March 31, 2009, and the unknown availability of converter boxes in general after the DTV transition, you can future proof your television from becoming obsolete by purchasing a converter box now and stowing it away.
If you want to learn more about the DTV transition, click here.
Still have questions? – feel free to speak with an hhgregg associate. We offer the best-educated associates in the business who are smart enough to make it simple. Price and Advice Guaranteed!
