Americans are about to watch television in a very different way. Congress passed a law in 1996 that requires TV stations to switch from broadcasting television using analog signals to broadcasting using digital signals. This switch is intended to ultimately provide consumers a much better TV picture, to free up valuable frequencies for use by public safety agencies and create opportunities for new communication businesses. This analog to digital transition will take effect at midnight on February 18, 2009 -- when federal law will require TV broadcasters to cease any and all analog transmissions.

Individuals in the United States could be negatively affected by the DTV Transition if they own televisions equipped only to receive analog signals. Televisions with analog-only tuners that receive signals directly 'off air' (using a roof-top antenna or rabbit ears) will be unable to receive the new digital signals. If you have an analog TV, you must either:

• Purchase a device that converts the new digital signals to analog.
• Purchase a new TV set with digital tuning capability.
• Subscribe to cable TV or satellite service.

It is best to consult your owner's manual. Analog TV sets have NTSC tuners. NTSC tuners can receive analog signals only.

Digital TV sets have ATSC or QAM tuners. ATSC tuning will receive off-air digital signals. QAM tuning will receive cable TV digital signals. Digital TV sets may also have an NTSC tuner.

The only televisions that have DTV tuners are those that have been sold as having an integrated or 'built-in' DTV broadcast tuner. TV sets like this have been available since about 1998. HD sets sold as 'monitors' or 'HD-ready' are capable of displaying HDTV but do not have a built-in HDTV tuner. The FCC now requires that most TVs with analog tuners also be marketed with built-in or separate DTV or HDTV tuners, and this will soon be a requirement for all TVs - so most of the TVs you see in stores now will be DTV or HDTV 'built-in' products. Be sure to check, however, just in case one is not.

Effective May 25, 2007, a "Consumer Alert" label is supposed to appear "on or adjacent to" any television with only an 'analog' TV tuner, at the point of display for advertising or sale, whether in-store, in print, or on a website. This does not apply to monitors with no tuner. (Link to full text)

In an effort to assist Americans with the transition, the federal government has established a program to provide analog TV owners up to 2 coupons worth $40 each toward the cost of purchasing 'converter boxes' which would convert the new digital signals broadcast by TV stations into an analog signal that can be received by analog TV sets. These converters are expected to cost between $50 and $70 each. The coupons cannot be combined to buy a single product so some out-of-pocket expense by consumers is expected. Coupons may be requested starting January 1, 2008, and will expire 90 days from issuance. The last coupons will be sent out by March 31, 2009.

Unfortunately, only 33.5 million coupons will be provided by the federal government on a first-come, first-serve basis which means millions of Americans will end up having to pay the full cost of purchasing their converter boxes -- or new digital TVs - in order to continue receiving TV signals.

The Save Our Sets coalition has a proposal whereby Congress could act to prevent the tens of millions of analog TV sets in America's households from becoming obsolete overnight on February 17th, 2009 at no cost to America's consumers or the federal government.

Unfortunately, not much. While none of these converters are available at this time, they are supposed to be minimal by design. They will not display HDTV signals. They will not include outputs for home theater systems or other advanced features or functions (like a DVR). They probably will have no front panel display to show you the channel you are watching.

That's an open question. Most DTV Transition literature will tell you 'it is likely' cable and satellite providers will continue unchanged, but that is not definite. However, some broadcast TV station owners are demanding that cable operators be required to install a converter box on every TV set. Other broadcast stations are demanding a monthly 'per subscriber' fee for the right to change the digital signal to an analog signal (called downconversion) so consumers can continue to view it without a converter box. If these demands are met, it would lead to increased costs for US consumers and/or the installation of equipment they might not want.

As many as 120 million Americans could be negatively affected by this transition according to some estimates*.

The transition will take place at midnight on February 17, 2009.

Save Our Sets:

• is a nonpartisan advocacy group dedicated to creating a pro-consumer transition from analog to digital television.
• is concerned that millions of Americans will lose access to television in 2009 without substantive improvements in current federal law.
• is dedicated to preserving the massive investment US consumers have made in analog TV equipment without impairing the transition to digital broadcasting.
• believes US consumers have a right to continue to use their analog TV sets for a reasonable period of time without being forced to incur additional monthly fees or invest in new equipment.
• believes the transition to digital television is a positive one, but should be carried out with minimal negative repercussions for America's households.
• believes that US consumers right to continue using their existing sets out weights some televisions broadcast owners desire for increased revenues. should not to

Save Our Sets has devised a solution to prevent millions of American households from losing their television service. Under the Save Our Sets plan, a household that has only an analog television and meets certain requirements would be eligible to receive the same signals from their local TV stations -- that they received free over-the-air prior to the transition -- for free from their local cable, satellite, or other multi-channel video provider for another 7 years instead of having to buy a converter box or new equipment.

Your federal representatives will play a pivotal role in determining whether millions of American households will fork over hundreds of dollars in order to watch TV after the February 17, 2009 analog to digital transition. Protect your ability watch TV. If you own an analog TV set, please contact your U.S. representative and your U.S. Senators. You can write your federal representatives at the following link: http://www.house.gov/writerep/.