Slew of retailers to carry TV converter boxes; coupon requests open in 2008

Yeah, we pretty much expected every big box retailer known to man to carry these things, but just in case you were worried about locating a TV converter box in preparation for the upcoming cutover, here's some comforting news. Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Circuit City, Kmart, RadioShack, Target, Sears and Sam's Club are all on the list to carry equipment necessary for analog TV owners to receive OTA programming after February 2009, and just in case one of the aforementioned giants aren't anywhere near you, around 100 more smaller retailers have been certified to stock 'em. Also of note, you can start the new year off right by reminding your great grandparents (or other family members, too) that they can go on and apply for up to two coupons -- which should arrive around six weeks later -- worth $40 apiece to purchase the required boxes. Or, of course, you could just pick them up a new television this holiday season and be done with it.

[Via BroadcastingCable]

[Nick Gold @ Dec 12th 2007 8:20PM]

DIE NTSC DIE DIE DIE!!!! BRING ON ATSC!!!! GIMME MY DTV!!!!

[Valgas @ Dec 12th 2007 9:06PM]

So how is this OTA digital tv thing going to work? One of them there set top boxes comes with a ant tanna thats I gots to stick out the winda?

[Ralph L Webb @ Mar 9th 2008 9:08AM]

The analog/digital converter boxes will NOT work if you get your TV from a cable company (e.g., Comcast, Time-Warner,etc.) They work ONLY if you get your TV from an antenna. I bought the Magnavox and plugged my Comcast cable connector into the box. After completing the autoscan process, the TV shows
"no signal." I called Comcast and discussed this. They confirm that you cannot use these boxes if your TV is from cable. WHAT A MESS!

[Michael Marquez @ Dec 12th 2007 8:33PM]

what are the size of these things, DVD player size or DVD box size?

[Jacob @ Dec 14th 2007 9:00PM]

judging by the size of the box compared to the s-video port on it id say about as big as a small dvd player...

[x20mar @ Dec 12th 2007 8:53PM]

It's taken this long for these set top boxes to come out in the States? We (the UK) have had these things for years!

[AndrewNeo @ Dec 12th 2007 9:03PM]

We have had no need for them - not all areas even have digital cable, let alone the fact that analog is still existant so most people don't have a reason to complain. In 2009 our analog over-the-air is being shut off so all the people with rabbit-ears antennas are stuck with dead air without these boxes.

For note, though, it's also been mandated that all new TVs (after 2006 or 07, don't remember) have ATSC tuners so people buying new TVs won't need STBs.

[m @ Dec 13th 2007 1:25AM]

here's what i don't understand: will the coupons work on new TVs, too, or just the boxes? even the smallest HD sets are still around $300. and how far towards a box will that $40 take you--or in other words, what do they cost? the electronics companies are going to be happy, but i'm concerned that the people who can least afford it are going to get screwed. and once people figure out what's going on, i think there's going to be trouble. if she were alive, my grandmother would have been PISSED.

[Brian @ Dec 13th 2007 3:06AM]

If you're referring to FreeView, keep in mind that there really isn't anything analagous in the US. Generally digital stations have the same content as their analog counterparts, with a few exceptions (weather and some other programming on subcarriers).

Note that nearly all of the people in the US get their TV through satellite (Dish Network and DirecTV have more than 30 million subscribers together) or cable.

[tcc3 @ Dec 13th 2007 9:23AM]

Oh so when digital tv's were over a grand they were too much, now that they are under $500 they're still too much? Quit being a cheap bastard. TV's have always been several hundred dollars. The late 90's and early 00's when you could get a CRT TV for $100 was an anomaly.

[russell @ Mar 8th 2008 5:28PM]

yes but here TV is still free over the air. no guys in little white trucks riding around trying to catch some one that hasn't paid the tax.

[AndrewNeo @ Dec 12th 2007 9:01PM]

Please please tell us that the coupons won't be given out to people until they're -aware- that if you have cable these aren't nessicary? I don't know how many older adults that I know that think they need to worry about the digital conversion in 2009 when all of them already have cable.

[Hammond X @ Dec 12th 2007 10:10PM]

Yeah, all us old geezers don't know nothin' 'bout all that there new fangled interweb and high-defimashun teleo-vision yet. Probably never will, neither.

[sgt_easton @ Dec 12th 2007 10:29PM]

I can remember two arguments in the past month where I tried to explain to people (one middle aged, other elderly) that because they have cable TV and a dish, they don't need one of these. They both refused to listen.

[AlexL @ Dec 12th 2007 10:42PM]

I'm surprised that these are really relevant in this day and age. I've always assumed that nearly every household have cable or satellite of some sort. Is OTA broadcasts really any issue at all? Where are some statistics on the number of households that actually rely on OTA broadcasts?

[Slappywag @ Dec 12th 2007 11:04PM]

That same mentality stole Monday Night Football and put it on ESPN out of the reach of every poor sucker without cable or satellite.

[Jeremy W @ Dec 12th 2007 11:17PM]

ESPN had Sunday Night Football previously, and that is essentially what has become MNF. NBC's SNF is the marquee game of the week now.

[John @ Jul 24th 2008 5:34PM]

Hardly everyone has cable/satellite. 20 to 30 million households get broadcast.

http://www.dtvanswers.com/dtv_affected.html

[Tim in Augusta @ Feb 11th 2008 12:29PM]

In my entire life, I've only had cable television when it was included in my rent for a few years.

[Nightowl @ Mar 10th 2008 4:33PM]

Alexl I'm one of the very few who still use rabbit ears or roof antenna with sets purchased in 2004 and prior. I'm just too cheap to spend loads of cash each month for basic cable. I prefer just renting a movie for $1.49 when I feel like it. I don't mind spending $10 on a converter box for my 32" TV.

[Eagle117 @ Dec 12th 2007 10:47PM]

We dumped our cable a year ago and have been using OTA ASTC exclusively with my Media Center PC and it has been fine. Sure, I miss Discovery channel, but NBC, CBS, CW, and FOX have more than enough TV to watch. And I'm saving $100/month.

[m @ Dec 13th 2007 1:24AM]

i'm with you, only i'm done watching broadcast TV, period. i'm not against watching TV, but you can see almost anything you like on either DVD or streaming nowadays. why pay for channels you never even watch? isn't that why they invented commercials?

[BigEd @ Dec 13th 2007 7:04AM]

For people that have only NTSC TV's it would be a good idea to have one of these digital converter STB's in case of emergency. You never know when your might need TV in case of a storm or something (or when comcast goes out during the Superbowl)

[Bombaclaat @ Dec 13th 2007 10:39AM]

I use vista media center, 2 atsc, 2 ntsc tuners. OTA HD looks so good on my ED plasma. lol. plus i get standard cable for $12.

[elektrolad @ Jan 3rd 2008 12:29AM]

Some of us prefer not to watch much tv and don't subscribe to cable or satellite.