Do you subscribe to TV service from the local cable company?

If so, you probably don’t need to worry. If you are a cable TV subscriber, no additional equipment beyond what you are using now should be necessary to continue viewing local stations. However, depending upon what type of programming package you subscribe to, you might not be able to view these channels exactly as they are broadcast using the new DTV standard. Cable companies often offer a cheap “basic cable” tier, which is only available in analog. While you won’t need any new equipment to continue viewing programming, you may also not be getting a high-quality digital picture in such a programming tier. If you want to watch local TV stations in High-Definition (HDTV), you will need an HDTV ready TV tuner. This is assuming that there are local stations in your area that offer HDTV programming and that the cable company passes this signal along without down-converting it to a picture of lesser quality. Call your cable TV provider to see if HDTV programming is indeed available in your area.

Do you subscribe to TV service from DirecTV or DISH Networks?

In 90% of the country, DirecTV and DISH Networks offer local TV channels via satellite. If this is the case, you should not need any additional equipment to continue viewing local TV stations. If you happen to live in a rural area (like where we live in Humboldt County) you might be out of luck when it comes to receiving local TV stations via satellite, since neither DISH nor DirecTV carry them. If you want to watch local TV stations in addition to satellite programming, you will need separate equipment. Keep reading for more info. HDTV programming is available in selected markets. You will need an HDTV capable TV if you want to watch these channels in high-definition though.

Do you have an outdoor TV antenna?

If you have an outdoor TV antenna that is mounted on a mast or other structure, you will need to make sure that it is capable of picking up UHF TV signals in addition to the “old” VHF band. Stations will be using different frequencies for the broadcast of digital television signals. Most of them will be in the UHF band. If your current antenna only picks-up (old) channels 2-13, you will likely need to upgrade to a new antenna.

Do you use “rabbit ears” to receive local TV stations?

Unfortunately, most people who currently receive a strong signal via rabbit ears or an antenna that is built-in to many older TV sets will need to upgrade to an outdoor antenna in order to continue receiving over-the-air signals. Why? Because many local TV stations are now broadcasting DTV signals using less power than they did before. Plus, the new digital television standard does not perform well at all in weak-reception situations. If you had marginal analog TV reception before, you will likely have NO digital TV reception now. Find a qualified, local installer for advice on what type of antenna you will need.

Do you have a newer, HDTV-ready TV set?

If so, congratulations! You should be able to watch local TV stations in both DTV and HDTV formats, assuming that you have an antenna that can receive signals from local TV stations reliably. HDTV reception is only available from stations that broadcast in high-definition. With others, you will receive DTV programming in standard digital TV resolution. The new DTV standard gives a better quality picture than you would receive in analog, but it isn’t the same thing as HDTV.

Do you have an older, analog TV set?

This is where things start to get expensive. Most TV sets that are more than 2-3 years old only receive channels in analog format. They are not capable of receiving digital television signals over the air without a special converter box. HDTV is not viewable on older, analog TV sets, due to their design. So, if you want high-definition, you will need to buy a new HDTV-ready TV set. If you wish to continue receiving broadcast television stations that have converted their signals to digital, you will need to purchase a DTV converter box. These are sold in electronics and appliance stores, and range in price from around $50 to well over $200. Pricing generally depends upon what type of extra features are available. Many have built-in program guides and other bells and whistles that will increase the cost. The converter box needs to be connected between your TV set and an external antenna. If you have an antenna built-in to your TV set, you will need to purchase a new outdoor antenna or an indoor antenna that is capable of receiving very weak signals. Regardless of your location, an outdoor antenna is always the better choice.

How do I know which channels I can receive?

Newer HDTV-ready TV sets and DTV converter boxes can scan all available frequencies to find what channels are available to you in digital or analog formats. If you have scanned through all available frequencies and not found any channels, you will likely need a better antenna and/or amplifier to improve your reception. There is no guarantee that you will be able to continue viewing your local stations. New transmitters may be using less power or be aiming the signal in a different direction than they were previously. Unfortunately, the only way to know for sure if you will be able to receive a signal is trial-and-error. There is no foolproof method of determining what signals will be available to you beforehand.

What type of antenna do I need?

If you have to ask, you probably should rely on a professional to pick an antenna for you. Retailers such as Radio Shack are typically NOT the best place to go to for advice. In many cases, you will be dealing with salespeople who know little more than you do about TV reception. So, unless you happen to know one of these people personally, I would not recommend relying upon their advice. Your best source of information is local TV antenna installer. Look in the yellow pages under “television” or “antennas” to find one. If you don’t see any listings in your area, the best place to look is in the listings for “satellite television”. Most professional TV antenna installers also install satellite TV equipment. Chances are that any company that has been in the business for 10+ years or installs C-Band or FTA (free-to-air) receivers either installs local TV antennas as well, or knows of someone who does. It is definitely worth a phone call. If you still can’t find anyone locally, I would suggest contacting a mail-order provider that specializes in selling antennas and that has technicians available to give advice. One retailer I would highly recommend is Solid Signal.

What else will I need?

Depending upon your location, you may need an external amplifier or amplified antenna in order to continue receiving a watchable TV signal.These are generally available at Radio Shack or other electronics retailers. If you are installing an outdoor antenna for the first time, you will also need to purchase an appropriate length of coaxial cable to connect the antenna to the TV or DTV converter box. High-quality, well-shielded RG-6 is usually the best bet when it comes to cable. We recommend using cable made by quality manufacturers, such as Belden. It is definitely worth the extra few cents per foot to purchase high-quality cable.

Be sure to check out the rest of our website at HDTV for more information on the digital TV transition, including tips on antennas, where to get free coupons for DTV converter boxes and much more.

I’ve most likely read over 100 articles that have been written about the conversion to digital television over the past two weeks. These stories have ranged from a couple of sentences in a small-town newspaper to a feature story in the New York Times. They are all remarkably similar in nature, unfortunately. Poorly researched, uninformative and in some cases little more than a flimsy literary excuse for writing copy that pushes their own, personal political agendas. There seems to be very little that is professional about professional journalism these days. Is it any wonder that more and more Americans are turning to such outlets as blogs, Twitter and even entertainment shows for their “news fix” and are increasingly turning their backs on traditional news outlets?

One of my favorite quotes by one dimwitted reporter stated that, “digital signals don’t travel as far as analog signals”. The laws of physics aside, wouldn’t you think that someone at that newspaper would have caught such a ridiculous statement before it made its way to the internet, let alone to print? Unfortunately, things like math, science and just plain common sense don’t seem to have much place in today’s newsrooms.

With television, at least there is the argument that TV stations are only giving the public what it is they want. “If it bleeds, it leads”, is a popular slogan associated with local television newscasts. Ratings drive the type of coverage that TV stations give to stories. So, television viewers have no one to blame but themselves if their local TV news is saturated with sex and violence.

On the opposite end of the spectrum are most of today’s newspapers, which seem to have no interest whatsoever in giving the public what it is they want. Rather, there seems to be a type of contempt for public opinion among those that consider themselves the media elite. Their mindset seems to be that the public isn’t qualified to dictate how the news is covered and that they are somehow above answering to anyone.

While declining subscriptions to their publications should be motivating them to rethink this philosophy, it seems to have had the exact, opposite effect. Rather than conceding to public pressure to change their ways, local newspapers now seem to be on a mission to blackmail the public into submission by threatening to start charging subscriptions for what has previously been free online content. The public will just have to get used to their declining standards or face losing access to the news altogether, so far as the newspapers are concerned.

Back to the DTV conversion… It’s safe to say that you shouldn’t believe everything you read, whether it be on the internet or in print. The internet provides the public with a vast catalog of (mostly accurate) information. When in doubt, check the facts from multiple, reliable sources. When it comes to accuracy and fairness in reporting, it seems that the public needs to fend for itself more than ever these days.

To put it mildly, web sites belonging to local digital (and analog) television stations in Northern California are nearly all but useless, when it comes to finding helpful information, especially of a technical nature. With the sole exception of our local DTV PBS affiliate KEET, most local TV stations look as if they haven’t had a major website redesign in years, or have farmed-out web development to some third-party who has no interest in providing the community with any information at all.

Local NBC TV affiliate KIEM, has not made any major changes to their website in years. Last I checked, their only contact e-mail was being directed at the now-defunct local ISP Humboldt Internet. I have attempted to contact them in the past for information via e-mail, but have never received any type of reply. At first glance, it looks as if the station might be moving into the 21st century by offering streaming video of their nightly newscast. However, newscasts available on the site are usually outdated, often not adding any new material for several days at a time. To make matters worse, the station seems to be relying on some trashy third-party called VEOH to provide its streaming services. Why trashy? Just try clicking on the menu to watch any of KIEM’s previous newscasts. You’ll immediately be transported to a page that seems to specialize in streaming soft-core porn clips. As of last night, next to KIEM’s footage on VEOH are clips from the Marilyn Chambers hardcore XXX rated porn movie Behind the Green Door as well as nightly clips from The Naked News. Every single time I have viewed any of KIEM’s news broadcasts on this site, I have been bombarded with thumbnail images of pornography. The only part of KIEM’s website that seems to be updated regularly is Jim Bernard’s weather forecast. I’m guessing that Jim probably has to upload everything himself. There is also a link on the homepage to a video describing how to hook-up a DTV converter box. When you click on it, there are thumbnail previews of video clips titled “Two Girls, One Shower” and “How To Breast Feed“. Other than that, there isn’t much useful or up-to-date information to be found on the DTV switch, or anything else.

KAEF-TV, Channel 29, by contrast, offers nothing. No website. No technical information. Nothing. Their sister station KRCR in Redding has a website, but that is it. This local ABC affiliate is pretty much just a signal pumped-in from out of town, and they seem to have little to no interest in the local community or its viewers. If you want any information on DTV, HDTV or the digital television transition, you’ll need to keep looking.

This brings us to Eureka Television Group, which for some reason the Federal Communications Commission is allowing to own the majority of broadcast television stations in Humboldt County. ETG operates KVIQ (CBS), KBVU (Fox), KUVU (The CW), KEMY (MyNetwork) and KEUV (Univision). As of today, the site’s information page on the digital TV transition was last updated “Wednesday, 18 June 2008″. Yes, it’s been almost a year since they have added any new information. The rest of the site is pretty much useless. Some TV programming listings and what looks to be some syndicated, national news that is automatically added to the site via an RSS feed. No e-mail links or contact info, other than phone numbers. The “about us” page was last updated in 2006, and gives a brief bio of the station’s current owner Chester Smith. The only problem here is, Smith died in August of 2008.

The last stop on this mind-numbing journey through Humboldt County’s DTV broadcasters is local PBS affiliate KEET. Fortunately, KEET seems to be the exception to the rule among local digital TV broadcasters. Besides updated programming listings and offering wealth of information about PBS programming, you will find full contact information, along with updated news on the local DTV transition. Strangely, they even reply to e-mails! Going even further than that, KEET has actually gone out of their way to educate the public on DTV issues and seems to be the only broadcaster in the area that makes an effort to keep viewers and the local media informed as to what they are doing. Seeing as they are reliant upon public donations, one would expect them to want to keep the public tuned-in. It’s sad that they seem to be the only local broadcaster going so far out of their way to keep local residents informed though.

In closing, the Internet provides a fantasic opportunity for local television stations to keep the public informed on the DTV transition, as well as many other subjects. In most TV markets, stations take full-advantage of this fact. Updating a website is certainly much cheaper than providing airtime on their stations. Alas, KIEM is the only DTV station in the area that even bothers doing a local newscast anymore, so it appears that most local stations are not very interested in providing viewers with much more than straight “entertainment” these days.

UPDATE: As of this writing in mid-December of 2009, KIEM-TV’s website seems to be abandoned. The last newscast that was uploaded to the site was on October 12th. That was over two months ago. The contact e-mail address for the news department is now a @hotmail.com address. There are some error messages on pages due to broken scripts. I haven’t watched any of the local TV channels in months now, so I have no idea if they are even still on the air. Nothing surprises me anymore in Humboldt County.

The bill still needs to be approved by the U.S. Congress before it is signed into law by President Obama. Both the President and Congress have indicated their willingness to see the law passed. The original deadline for the transition to digital television was February 17th.

“Delaying the upcoming DTV switch is the right thing to do,” said Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., author of the bill to push back the deadline. “I firmly believe that our nation is not yet ready to make this transition at this time.”

It is presumed (details on the bill are not public yet) that the bill also allocates an additional $25 million in funding to The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which is the government agency responsible for dispersing $40 discount coupons for set top CECB converter boxes. The converter boxes allow those with analog television sets to decode the DTV or HDTV signals for viewing, albeit with degraded picture and sound quality. To get on the waiting list for coupons, U.S. residents may call 1-888-DTV-2009 or visit the TV Converter Box Coupon Program at http://www.dtv2009.gov.

Up until today, the looming DTV transition deadline in February and the current shortage of coupons sent by the government had created a miniature black market for the items. Ads on Craigslist.Org and auctions on eBay had been demanding higher and higher prices. This should put a quick end to most of these ads, which were being quickly deleted by each of the two websites. It is currently against federal law for anyone to sell DTV converter coupons.

That being said, there is an excellent story written by a reporter for the Associated Press (AP) that is making the rounds in syndication this morning. It offers some great perspective as to why it is such a bad idea to push back the February 2009 switchover date to digital television (DTV).

One factor that the mainstream media has never brought-up before is just how much it is costing TV broadcasters to simulcast both digital and analog signals prior to the switchover date. According to the article, one ABC-TV affiliate spends in excess of $20,000 a month on electricity alone for the old analog transmitter, on top of what they are spending on electricity for their new HDTV transmitter. So, pushing the DTV switchover date back for four months could cost TV stations upwards of $80,000. That may be a drop in the bucket for TV stations in larger markets, but in markets like Humboldt County where margins for broadcasters are already razor thin, that kind of money is no trivial matter.

Another fascinating statistic… the waiting list for $40 digital television converter (CECB) coupons has swollen to 2.6 million people. At this rate, even the additional $25 million that the government is planning on putting into the coupon program may not be enough to satisfy consumer demand. So, if you aren’t yet on the waiting list and still need a DTV converter box coupon, you should get on the list right-away, because there likely will not be enough to go around for everyone.

You can read the original AP article HERE.

After penning a request to Congress two weeks ago to push back the official transition date to digital television, it seems that both the House and U.S. Senate are prepared to do just that. The below paragraph from Friday’s Washington Post pretty much sums it up:

“Key senators have reached a compromise on a bill that would delay the nation’s switch to all-digital television from next month until June 12. A vote on the legislation is expected early next week.”

As if that weren’t enough, there is also talk that an additional $250 Million may be on its way to help bail out the government’s $40 coupon program, which helps consumers to pay for CECB digital television converter boxes. Assuming that each person gets two $40 coupons, the $250 million might cover the cost of providing DTV converter boxes to the current backlog of coupon requests, which last numbered well over 1 million.

Of course, the companies that manufacture these DTV converter boxes will most likely be caught off-guard by these new developments, and there is just no telling whether or not they will resume production to the level where everyone will be able to find one before June.

So, it seems that next month’s deadline may be more than a bit anticlimactic. Of course, broadcasters still have the right to switch everything over to digital television and eliminate their analog signals at any time. The bill would only push back the date at which switching to DTV would be mandatory for TV stations. I expect that quite a few broadcasters will actually opt to stick with the February deadline, since it has been in the works for so long.

“ President-elect Barack Obama is urging Congress to postpone the Feb. 17 switch from analog to digital television broadcasting, arguing that too many Americans who rely on analog TV sets to pick up over-the-air channels won’t be ready.”

You can read the rest of the article here:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,478005,00.html

On another note, it seems that the federal government has run out of money for DTV converter coupons. As of earlier this month, anyone calling 1-800-DTV-2009
or trying to obtain one via the web at http://www.dtv2009.gov will only be put on a waiting list to receive their coupons. The waiting list is only possible due to the expiration of unused coupons that have already been issued. At the moment, over 1 million people are already on the waiting list. Since the current coupons expire in 90 days, the waiting list scenario can only last for another 3 months or so, unless Congress decides to provide additional funding for more coupons.

Unless Congress decides to delay the February 17, 2009 transition date (unlikely), the odds are that over a million people will not receive coupons by the time that the switch to DTV takes place. Leave it to the federal government to screw-up yet another massive project. Perhaps, our tax dollars would be wiser spent outsourcing jobs like this to private industry in the future?

In any event, short of an act of Congress, next month’s mandatory switch to digital television (DTV) will likely go on as scheduled.

As most of us know by now, there are no more coupons left. At this point, all one can do is get on a waiting list with more than 1 million people ahead of you. Unless Congress decides to provide additional funding (not likely), most people on the waiting list will be waiting forever. I think it’s safe to say at this point that anyone needing a DTV converter box is on their own. Unless you already have an un-expired coupon already, you are most likely out of luck.

The good news is, as the current supply of non digital televisions slowly work their way to the junk piles to be replaced by HDTV ready TV sets, you will eventually see the existing converter boxes make their way to yard sales, flea markets and (of course) eBay. Being the transitional technology it is, DTV converter boxes will eventually end-up becoming an obsolete piece of equipment that almost no one will need to own. So, if you don’t mind waiting awhile, you will eventually be able to buy these things for next to nothing.

For those of you who would like some “face time” with a representative of the FCC, there will be a digital conversion workshop at the offices of the Area 1 Agency on Aging in Eureka, CA, on Thursday, January 15, 2009 at 11 a.m. The A1AA is located at 434 Seventh Street.

The bottom line is, TV stations like KIEM-TV probably can’t justify the cost of spending tens of thousands of dollars to upgrade small translators like those in Orleans, which reach only a handful of viewers. While the FCC pedals its “No TV left behind” rhetoric to the public, the economics of the situation does not bode well for either broadcasters or rural TV viewers. While financial aid has been made available to the public via TV converter coupons, TV stations in small markets and those serving rural communities via translators are getting no such help from the federal government.

In light of recent events with the economy, the federal government’s mandate that TV stations cease broadcasting their analog signals in February is dripping with irony. On one hand you have the federal government handing over hundreds of billions of dollars to banks and automakers with few or no strings attached so that they may continue selling Americans overpriced cars and high-interest loans. On the other hand, we have the Federal Communications Commission forcing for-profit businesses to cease offering a free service to the public that actually pays for itself. Here’s the real punchline though… part of the motivation for forcing broadcasters to cease transmitting analog signals in the VHF band is so that the government can turn around and auction off those same frequencies for billions of dollars. Much of that money may end up being spent on bailing out banks and automakers.

Obviously, the FCC could not have foreseen the current economic crisis and the resulting overwhelming lack of enthusiasm that consumers are currently showing when it comes to paying for upgrades to their TV sets. The unfolding scandals plaguing the FCC are only likely to grow worse when thousands of Americans eventually lose access to television programming in February though.

The website seems to have a fairly large selection of DTV converters, as well as a handful of HDTV-ready antennas. Shipping looks to be a flat $9.95 per order. The cheapest converter they currently have available is $52.95. When you add-in shipping charges, that would make the cheapest digital television converter you can buy from them come out to about $23 after using your coupon. Depending upon where you live, the $9.95 price for shipping can be balanced against the fact that they do not charge sales taxes in most states. In high tax states like California, ordering two converters at a time from them would be only slightly more expensive than if you had bought the units (at the same price) locally and had to pay the sales taxes.

One potential problem that you might have ordering from this site is one that pretty much all retailers have in common these days. Many of the models listed are out of stock, and quantities are limited. Also limited are the number of DTV converters that provide analog pass-through capabilities. As we have stated in previous articles, this is a key feature that most DTV converters are currently missing. Not having this feature will leave you unable to view channels that are still broadcasting in analog. Quite a number of translators and LPTV stations in the local area are currently in analog and will STAY in analog for some time to come. These stations are exempt from FCC rules mandating the switch to digital television. Almost half of the TV stations in Humboldt County are classified as LPTV, or low-power television. The percentage is much higher if you count the numerous low power translators scattered throughout Humboldt, Trinity, Mendocino and Del Norte Counties in Northern California.

Needless to say, we would recommend holding off on ordering a CECB converter box until you can get one with analog pass-through capabilities. You may have to check websites and retailers regularly to find any in stock, but it is definitely worth the wait in areas like Humboldt County, where there are so many stations continuing to broadcast in analog.

Another good place to look online for DTV converters is SolidSignal.Com. We have always had excellent service when ordering from this company and we highly recommend them. In addition to selling the CECB digital to analog converters, they also sell a large selection of DTV-ready antennas, cabling and accessories. You can also find gear for DirecTV, Dish Network and other satellite TV equipment as well. SolidSignal.Com is able to process government coupons for DTV converters now, so you should be able to order these products online and still get your $40 discount without any hassles.

As always, if you haven’t applied for your free government coupons yet, be sure to do so. You can apply directly online through the government’s website at DTV2009.GOV .

The key feature I am talking about is something called analog pass-through, and it is not available on the majority of DTV converters that initially hit the market this year. Exactly what does this feature do? It allows those who install their DTV converters to continue watching analog broadcasts in addition to DTV signals.

You may have been mistakenly led to believe that all TV stations in the U.S. will go completely digital after February 2009. That isn’t the case. In fact, in many areas of the country a large number of stations will NEVER go digital. These channels are referred to as Low Power Television, or LPTV, stations. In essence, LPTV stations broadcast analog signals at power levels below that of larger “full power” broadcasters. In urban areas, many of these channels are occupied by religious broadcasters, shopping networks and a variety of independent stations. In rural areas such as Humboldt County though, these stations can be network affiliates and others who want to avoid the expense of going digital.

Without the analog pass-through feature on your converter box, you will not only immediately lose reception of local TV stations that are still in analog, but you will permanently lose access to all LPTV stations, unless they decide to go digital themselves one day.

Humboldt County currently has a number of LPTV stations, which are in addition to low-power analog translators that serve the most rural areas. Local LPTV stations currently consist of The Trinity Broadcast Network on UHF channel 47, KUVU (The CW) on channel 35, Univision on channel 31 and KEMY (MyTV network affiliate) on channel 33. Without the analog pass-through feature on your DTV converter, you will lose all access to these channels. The only way to watch them over-the-air would be to use some type of antenna selector switch, install two separate TV antennas or by manually swapping cables each time you want to choose between digital and analog stations.

So, when can we expect these LPTV broadcasters to switch to DTV or even HDTV? I’m tempted to say never, but never is a long time. Perhaps not during my lifetime though, since there is little to no incentive for these broadcasters to do so. As the vast majority of those in Humboldt County tune-in these channels via cable television, it simply is not cost effective at present for them to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on digital broadcasting equipment to reach a relative handful of additional viewers. In fact, one could make the argument that it would actually be cheaper for those stations to pay for your subscription to cable TV than it would be to buy new transmitters for each station.

The Federal Communications Commission, which is the brainchild behind DTV and HDTV regulation, currently has no plans to force LPTV broadcasters to switch to DTV. Therefore, after February 29th, 2009, almost half of TV stations in Humboldt County will actually continue to broadcast in standard analog with no announced plans to switch to digital at all. In fact, Humboldt County will likely be one of the few communities in the United States with nearly as many local channels broadcasting in analog as digital after 2008.

With the majority of those who watch television in Humboldt County either subscribing to cable or satellite television, it would seem that the transition to DTV will have less of an impact in Humboldt County than possibly any other location in the U.S. When you take into consideration the fact that NO local channels have announced plans to broadcast in HDTV, it would seem that little change will be noticed in our area come February 2009.

First of all, filling out the online form is easy. There are a minimal number of questions. You can fill out the entire form online at http://www.DTV209.gov . It takes only a few minutes. You can also call their toll-free number at 1-888-DTV-2009. You will be walked through the application status over the telephone. Either way, the application process asks pretty much the same questions, and you will get your coupons just as fast one way as the other.

There are some “catches” with the application process. Considering the fact that this program is administered by the federal government, the whole system runs fairly smoothly though. The biggest “catch” is the fact that if you want to get the coupons in the first place, YOU HAVE TO APPLY FOR THEM! You won’t get them automatically if you fail to apply. There are only a limited number of coupons that are being produced, although the feds won’t tell us the exact number. Either way, availability is on a first-come, first-served basis. Once they are gone, they’re gone.

The second “catch” can be a bit of a pain for many rural Americans. This is rather ironic, since those in rural areas are the ones most directly affected by over the air signal reception of DTV signals. In a nutshell, you will have to give the government a physical “street” mailing address in order to get your coupons mailed to you. You can NOT use a PO Box as a mailing address. You can NOT use a business address to send your coupons to. You can NOT use a service such as Mailboxes, Etc., The UPS Store or other private mailbox provider. You can NOT have the coupons shipped to you overseas or to any domestic address that does not match-up with a (very buggy) database of residential addresses maintained by the U.S. Postal Service. This is a rather unforgiving process, unfortunately. You will need to enter your street address information EXACTLY as it appears in the USPS database, otherwise your application will be rejected. So, what do you do if you live in a remote area and you do not have a “street address” that is serviced by the U.S. Postal Service? At this point, insofar as we can tell, you are just out of luck. Sorry.

The same goes for any legitimate street address that the USPS has “mucked-up” in their database. From previous experience, I can tell you that this database is horribly inaccurate in many cases. For example, the business address that I have used for 10 years to receive postal mail, UPS shipments, FedEx deliveries, freight deliveries, my income tax and voting materials, driver’s license, etc. does not exist at all in the USPS database. Funny, I still get mail there every single day though. Go figure! In cases like this, you may want to try calling their toll-free phone number at 1-888-DTV-2009 instead, since you will not get anywhere with the online application system.

So, you’ve called or filled-out the DTV converter box application online. Now, what? Sit. Wait. Check your mailbox again, and be prepared to wait a bit longer. A very informal survey we did recently indicated that it took approximately 20-30 days for consumers to receive their DTV converter box coupons in the mail. You will eventually receive a standard sized #10 envelope with a couple of pages of information and (usually) two “coupons”. They don’t look like your average coupon though. They look more like credit cards. There is a mag stripe on the back of each plastic card, as well as a serial number on the front. The mailing will most likely come from TV Converter Box Coupon Program, PO Box 2000, Portland, OR 97208-2000.

The first page (see above) contains your name and address, the coupon(s) and a list of local retailers where you can supposedly buy a CECB digital TV converter box. These locations are most likely automatically generated from a database that matches your zip code to that of nearby registered CECB converter box retailers. It is far from a complete list though. The one we received (see above) listed eight locations in Humboldt County where the digital television converters are available. They consisted of SEARS, Radio Shack, K-Mart and Target. We do not have a Best Buy, Circuit City, Wal-Mart or a number of other participating electronics chain stores in our area, or they most likely would have been listed first.

The second page (see left) contains some general information about the DTV converter box program. This page also has a list of the most recently approved CECB DTV converter box models that are eligible for the program, although we are guessing that the list will probably be less than 100% up-to-date by the time you get it. Lastly, the insert contains a list of about a dozen or so mail order and online retailers that will accept the coupons and who presumably have the decoders in stock. If you want to read the entire list, see the end of this article for a link to download a digital copy of the insert, which you can print out for yourself.

Lastly, and most importantly!!! If you take away only a single fact to remember from this entire article, it should definitely be to take a close look at the expiration date on each coupon. At most, you will only have 90 days in order to use your $40 DTV converter coupons before they expire. Once they expire, they are absolutely worthless. The government will not give you an extension or re-issue you new coupons. In other words, use them, or lose them! You have 90 days to use the coupons from the day the coupons are printed, NOT from the day that you receive them. As with most bulk mailers, this agency quite likely only sends out their mailings once per week in order to get a bulk discount from the U.S. Postal Service. So, you may find that up to two weeks has been shaved off the 90 days you have to spend the coupons by the time you actually receive them. The government has caught quite a bit of flack over the entire 90 day expiration date issue, but it’s too late for them to make any changes to the program at this point. So, buyer (and taxpayer) beware!

Below are links to graphic copies of the materials you will receive once you register to receive your free government Digital Television (DTV) converters, or CECB boxes. They have been “Photoshopped” to remove certain parts of the serial numbers. Needless to say, you can’t just print these pages out on your inkjet printer and try to pass them off as real coupons. Each DTV converter box coupon has it’s own individual serial number and mag stripe. The information on these pages is for reference and display purposes only.

Free DTV Coupon Insert Page1

Free DTV Coupon Insert Page 2

We will soon publish an updated list of online retailers that can actually process the $40 DTV digital converter box coupons via the Internet. Most online retailers have no way to accept these coupons at present, and most likely never will. A handful of companies have stepped forward to fill this gap, and they are the only ones you should consider buying from online, since you will most likely be overcharged (no discount given) if you try ordering from a merchant that hasn’t made special provisions to deal with these specific coupons.

UPDATE: President Obama and the U.S. Congress officially extended the deadline for broadcasters to switch to DTV to June 12, 2009. You can keep applying for coupons via phone or the Internet until that time. Keep in mind that the extension is basically voluntary, meaning that broadcasters can switch their signals to DTV and STOP broadcasting in analog anytime that they want to. There are very few stations that are waiting until June to make the jump to DTV, due to the high cost associated with simulcasting both digital and analog signals. So, chances are that the only analog broadcasts still remaining in your area are most likely that of translators and low-power (LPTV) stations, which are not required to transition to digital, anyway.

Stay tuned!!!

• 84% of people surveyed know that the transition is happening.
• Almost one-half of those who need to do something to still watch TV on some or all of their sets had inadequate plans or no plans to address that problem.
• While more than one-half of those polled knew about the government’s converter-box-subsidy program, only one-third of those knew how to get the boxes.
• One-third of those who didn’t need the converter boxes or coupons were going to apply for them anyway.
• Some 464,000 ($40 Government) coupons have already expired without being used, or about 58% of the 800,000 that already reached their expiration dates.
• The NTIA’s Bernadette McGuire-Rivera stated that the NTIA has decertified about one-dozen retailers — she called them “bad apples” — that were putting consumers on waiting lists for boxes, getting them to “swipe” their cards so that they could collect the $40 subsidy and then keeping them waiting for boxes that never arrived.

More information on the report is available at Broadcasting and Cable Magazine.

The site requires you to enter either a street address or optionally latitude and longitude. This is of great help in situations for residents in rural areas, many of which do not have “real” street addresses. To find your exact latitude and longitude you can either use a GPS receiver or consult a detailed area map to find the coordinates.

As we expected, an outdoor, directional antenna is suggested for most situations, even for those within line-of-sight of a broadcast tower. Those in more remote locations are advised to use a high-gain directional antenna with a mast-mounted pre-amp. Even these are no guarantee that you will still be able to receive digital television programming though. I would take this site’s suggestions as the MINIMAL installation you will need in order to view a watchable picture.

As is the case in our own suggestions, the site advises that “bigger is better” when it comes to antennas. Optimal placement outdoors at as high a position as possible is another key factor.

The website is sponsored by the Consumer Electronics Association and the National Association of Broadcasters.