so how old does your tv have to be for it not to go off air in 2009?

Question

because i have an old tv and i want to be certain if i should buy a new digital tv so to speak

i've heard the gov. is switching to digital-only signal in 2009 so ALL analog tv's will be cutt-off

Answer 1

(Almost) All analog over-the-air (OTA) TV signals will be cut off in the US on 2/17/09, but this does not mean that your old TV won't work.

There are converter boxes that allow old TVs to receive the new digital (ATSC) channels. Starting 1/1/08 the US government will start giving away $40 off coupons to help people buy these converters. The expected price in Jan 08 is $20 ($60 without the coupon).

Hooking up the converter will be similar to hooking up a cable box with its own remote control. It is likely that the picture quality you get with the converter box will be better than what you get now.
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>"But as stated by other person, any tv will work, but only thru a convertor box. So you'll be forced to use ONLY one channel a time, whether you have cable, satellite tv, or not."

If you buy two converter boxes, you could use one to watch live TV while using the other one as an external tuner to record on an old analog VCR or DVD recorder. Unfortunately, it will only record whatever channel you manually set on the second converter box. Walmart now has DVD recorders with digital tuners starting at $145; since these can be programed to record any OTA channel, they are a bit more practical.

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Technically it wouldn't be that difficult to add programming capability to one of these converter boxes. The box could use something caller an IR blaster (sort of like a universal remote control) to tell an old VCR or DVD recorder when to record programs. I'm not aware of any company planning to release a model like this. I suspect that most manufacturers are scrambling to get basic models on the shelves by 1/1/08.

Answer 2

Well, you didn't say how old your tv is. If it's more than 5 yrs old, you might consider getting a new one, just because the technology is so much better. I'd suggest a nice size LCD, because they're light and thin, and the colors are incredibly crisp and bright.

But as stated by other person, any tv will work, but only thru a convertor box. So you'll be forced to use ONLY one channel a time, whether you have cable, satellite tv, or not. YOu won't be able to record on one channel, and watch another.....
which I think is criminal. The technology exists to change that. The tv/media companies just don't want to share it.

But yes, your old tv will work. If you already have satellite tv, then there should be no problem for you. If you have normal cable, then you'd have to switch to the digital package. If you watch only over-the-air (meaning FREE) channels, then you'll have to use the convertor.