We need a new TV for our living room. Since signals are going to be in DIGITAL in 2009, is it a good idea to get a ANALOG set because alot of places are getting rid of them?? or go with a digital at a higher price.
We already have two analog sets , so would have to get a Digital to Analog box anyway. We have cable TV but don't have a cable box, but still get all of the channels we need. We don't have a need for 'renting' a box from the cable company just for HD or premium channels.
It dosen't matter to us weather we get a tube or plasma or whatever... we are on a fixed income and just want thing the way they are now, but don't want to have a new tv that is useless in Feb 2009. Please help if you have insite on this subject. Thanks
2007-09-22 00:11:02 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Consumer Electronics ➔ TVs
Your TV won't be useless in 2009. You will be able to buy converters for each TV (if you have VCRs or DVD recorders, they'll need converters too) that you're using for over the air TV. In January, you can apply for two coupons from the Government good for $40 each off of two converters which will cost about $60 each. Anything above two, you'll have to pay the total price. If your TV is from cable, the FCC just announced a rule that the cable companies must furnish any of your local over the air programming in analog form, or supply converters, until 2012. However, they don't have to continue to supply any of the other analog programming you may now be receiving, like discovery, TLC Etc. What the cable companies will choose to do is not known, but it's likely that they will drop the additional analog programming. If you buy a digital TV, you will get an ATSC tuner that will allow you to get over the air digital TV. If you get one with a QAM tuner, youy'll be able to get any of yoiur cable companies non-premium digital programming, without a cable box. You also will get an NTSC tuner which brings in over the air and cable analog TV. The NTSC and ATSC are standard-the QAM is not-not all TVs have it. Good luck!
2007-09-22 01:58:13 · answer #1 · answered by jjki_11738 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
>don't want to have a new tv that is useless in Feb 2009.
No TV that you buy will be useless in Feb 2009. Even if you buy an analog TV, they will work with a converter box. Except for some old stock that is being cleared out, all new TVs being made for the US market have both digital (ATSC) and analog tuners built in to them.
Used analog TVs are real cheap these days; the prices I've seen on old analog TVs that are being cleared out haven't been all that great.
>It dosen't matter to us weather we get a tube or plasma or whatever... we are on a fixed income
CRT TVs are still much cheaper than plasma & LCD TVs. For around $250 you can give a nice 27" CRT TV with both digital and analog tuners.
The government is requiring that cable companies keep supplying analog service until 2012. They may however, replace your current direct connection with their own analog converter box before then. So as long as you only use cable you are covered until at least 2012. The 2/17/2009 date is for over the air broadcasts only. The cheap converter boxes that are coming on the market in Jan 2008 are for over the air broadcasts, not necessarily for cable service.
When looking for a new TV, keep in mind that there are two types of digital TV tuners. ATSC tuners are for all over the air broadcasts, QAM tuners are used for some digital cable channels.
You may want to ask your cable company if they are going to use unencrypted QAM in their cable system. Once analog cable service goes away, the only way to get cable service with a direct connection to your TV will be either having a QAM tuner built in or something called "cable card".
If your cable company is going to use QAM, it would be a good idea to make sure your new TV includes a QAM tuner.
Old type OTA TV signals = NTSC = "Analog TV"
New type OTA TV signals = ATSC = "Digital TV" = DTV
Digital signals used on some cable systems = QAM
OTA = "Over the Air" = stuff you get through your TV antenna
2007-09-22 02:48:55 · answer #2 · answered by Stephen P 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If she has a television with a digital tuner and is watching over the air broadcast television, with an antenna, she ought to already be waiting to view DTV announces. If she is watching with cable or satellite tv for pc, no converter is needed, those amenities will proceed to offer as they have been. The DTV time shrink is for broadcast television only. If the television says something like DTV-waiting or HDTV-waiting, and no tuner improve has been made, it does not have a digital tuner and could not get DTV announces. carry out a channel test. There must be some stations with channel numbers with a significant and minor, alongside with 7.a million and seven.2.
2016-11-06 01:55:16 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋