How will the 2009 fcc digital compliance effect my life or save me money?

Question

I have recently cancelled my sallelite service which is in all digital.My service went from being $40 to almost $60 in a few short months. I have decided to get basic cable only which is only $35. In 2009 what will happen if I don't have an HDTV and do not rent the digital box? It will 10.50 per box. I hear they have digital converter boxes but there is not a firm price on those yet. The government is offering $40 coupons but that must mean the boxes are probably around $100. I heard they were going to be about $200? I need some good web sites on this. I am trying to figure how does this make my life better and how will it save me money? (or will it cost me more money?)

Also where can I find an inexpensive hand held hdtv for under $100? I just bought a hand held a year a go so I am really angry that I will have to buy another in a year or so.

I just get very scared when there are severe storms and toronados so I need to make sure I have acess to tv. I am going to keep up on the latest info regarding the digital switch over. I am going to buy a hand held that is digital compatible and will probably get basic cable. Basic cable though does not provide digital cable. I guess I will have to spend about $140 on this. I hate parting with my money unless it is something that I want not forced on me.

Answer 1

1) The cable companies must continue to carry analog versions of the locally available Over The Air TV until 2012 or provide converters for analog sets. There's no telling what the cable companies swill do regarding the anaslog channels in their standard package that aren't covered because they aren't available OTA. They will probably try to push customers to upgrade to digital boxes, but you don't have to. The converter boxes you are talking about are for OTA digital signals from an antenna. The coupons are for $40 off a box that will cost aroiund $60. There is one converter available now, but you should wait until the coupons become available in January. If you stick with cable, you can't use/don't need the converter.


See this FCC site for more details.
http://www.dtv.gov/

Update
There are no small HDTVs available, let alone a handheld.
As time goes on, there probably will be DTV handhelds. I don't understand why you're talking about getting cable.
If you can get TV on a handheld, you should be able to get TV on your present sets using the converters and an antenna, or from basic cable without any converter. Basic cable will still be analog until at least 2012, or the cable company will supply you a converter. As far as storm warnings are concerned-get a radio with the weather service station.

Answer 2

>How will the 2009 fcc digital compliance effect my life

It appears that the greatest affect is for it to trigger anger & worrying in you.

>how will it save me money?

The only way this would happen is if you stopped paying for cable or satellite TV service. I once went a year without TV as part of some spiritual development I was going through.

> I am trying to figure how does this make my life better

It might lead you to insights about your worrying about things you can't change and why you blow some things out of proportion.

>or will it cost me more money?

It will either cost you a little bit of money or a large amount of money, it's up to you.

Let me address a misconception in your new question. The US is changing to a digital TV broadcast system (DTV), not- I repeat not a "HDTV" system. Some of the digital broadcasts are in "HD" but if you watch a "HD" program with an old TV, the converter converts the the HD signal to the best resolution the old TV can display. which is about as good as what you get from a DVD player.

The $40 off coupons that the government is going to start giving out in Jan 08 are for over the air (OTA) broadcasts only, they have nothing to do with cable service. There is already a model available for $60, so with a coupon it will be about $20 each.

Cable companies are required to maintain analog service until at least 2012. (The 2009 date is only for over the air broadcasts.) Cable companies can (and many will) do this by changing their cable system to all digital and providing analog customers a cable converter box. You would have to ask your local cable company if they are going to do this and whether there will be a charge for these converters.

>Also where can I find an inexpensive hand held hdtv for under $100?

Assuming you mean a hand held DTV since HDTV doesn't make any sense in that small of a screen.. At the present time there aren't any. By 2/09 there might be.