I went to the DTV website https://www.dtv2009.gov/VendorSearch.aspx to search for a vendor and lo and behold the first online retailer had a $40 converter. I said it once and i'll say it again: No tears for ya when you are watching static on Feb 17. The resources have been there for you for over a year.
If you are getting a decent signal OTA then on feb 17 you will get a great picture wih your converter On Fri, Jan 9, 2009 at 7:06 PM, Tom Wolper <[email protected]> wrote: > > On Fri, Jan 9, 2009 at 5:47 PM, pedegars <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > Really?! Even though the street price of the converter boxes hasn't > > yet matched the redemption value of the NTIA coupon cards (remember, > > the boxes were initially promised as 'nearly free' with the coupons)? > > Even though the coupons themselves have an automatic 90-day expiration > > date--from the time they are mailed out--which is almost never > > mentioned in the promotional PSAs? > > Even though reception of ATSC signals (with or without a converter > > box) may not, and in fact, most assuredly won't, match the reception > > of the current NTSC signals? Even though the people who might be most > > in need of a converter box may have the least amount of awareness or > > technical education about what "the switch" entails (eg, the elderly, > > the handicapped, people in sparsely-populated areas---or even the > > average viewer who's not a member of this list)? > > > > There are a lot of places in this country where good TV reception > > depends on a lot more than a bent wire coat hanger and some aluminum > > foil. Those places deserve far more than static or--as is often > > currently the case--a snowy picture (something that won't even be > > possible in an all-ATSC world). > > Having gone through the switchover - an off-brand converter box sells > for $45 at Target, or $5 with a gov't coupon. I don't know if that > qualifies as almost free, but $5 is cheap enough for anybody who wants > to avoid buying a new TV or recorder with an ATSC tuner or hook up to > cable. > > I hooked up the upstairs TV to a box with a rabbit ears antenna (<2 > minutes effort) and scanned for digital channels. I have no > complaints. The only channel lost is our ABC affiliate which barely > came in even though we live in the city, and now doesn't come in at > all. > > I got a converter box for the main downstairs TV and then got a flier > from Comcast saying if I ordered broadband or digital telephone from > them, they'd throw in a free year of basic cable. I did my sums of > land line + DSL vs cable modem + cell phone and came up with big > savings for the latter (without adding in the TV). > > I know a number of people are going to be stuck in the dark on Feb 19. > I don't know what it will be as a percentage of the general > population, except that it will be small. In the short term a rebate > program from the gov't makes more sense than a new coupon program. I > have a feeling a lot of people got coupons and bought converters and > will find out they didn't need them. That will create a market for > second-hand converter boxes, although the people who never found a way > to get the word about the changeover also don't have a way to find out > about where to get a used box. > > Tom W > > > > -- There's a moment after you cast the die but before it hits the table. Breathe wrong and you'll change the way it lands --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Like TV only smarter. You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
