Engadget HD discovers how the FCC left early HDTV adopters in the cold

Ringing in the new year, the FCC started their digital TV voucher program yesterday. But all of the early HDTV adopters who were hoping to use a voucher to help offset the cost of a OTA HD set-top-box for their "HD Ready" HDTV are out of luck. So if you're the early adopter type, head over to Engadget HD for the full scoop.

[Jonathan Bergeron @ Jan 2nd 2008 12:44PM]

How would I check to see if one my tv's is analog only?

[AMDROCKS>Fanboi @ Jan 2nd 2008 1:34PM]

Does it take bunny ears to get reception? Is it High Definition? Is it a widescreen or standard?
If you need bunny ears then it is probably an analog tv. If it says HD or Widescreen on it I'd bet you have a digital tv. You'd only need a digital reciever if you want to keep your TV signal.

[Irfan @ Jan 2nd 2008 5:27PM]

we have an older HDTV. bunny ears get analog TV. no ATSC tuner means no picture, at all, without a box. So why wouldnt those TVs get a coupon? The TV is in my moms house and she doesnt get HD cable... yes i know its going to waste.. but still - its a TV without a digital tuner so it is useless without a box... its a "digital" tv without a digital tuner... why should that not qualify? its just as useless as a 1975 CRT without a box.

[Ryan @ Jan 2nd 2008 12:45PM]

seeing as this program is designed to keep old analog sets working, I don't see the big deal

If your telling me that someone didn't or wouldn't get a HD STB for their 'HD-ready' display until a $40 coupon came along, well, that's just crazy.

[Pine @ Jan 2nd 2008 12:57PM]

HDTV isn't a requirement by the government, only the switch to digital which is what they're willing to shell out for. They're assisting people to meet the mandate they created, not the bonus offering of broadcast stations of HD. This program is mainly for those who receive TV only over the air. After March, those are the only people that can apply for the voucher anyways.

If you want to nitpick about it, the voucher also doesn't cover any receiver that has any other bells and whistles like DVR or a DVD player built in. It's just the converter, no bells and whistles.

(Yes I posted this comment on a similar story as well)

[Yayaja @ Jan 2nd 2008 12:55PM]

"left early HDTV adopters in the cold"

Early adopters are generally rich and impatient. Being "left out in the cold" is probably not one of their major concerns.

[Andir3.0 @ Jan 2nd 2008 1:42PM]

Not if there's a new "cold powered" coat that just hit the market.

[sk8rpro @ Jan 2nd 2008 12:57PM]

I'm trying to understand the whole point of these articles. Isn't the whole point so you can keep receiving broadcast television?

I don't understand because all my family has is a standard analog television.

Is Engadget saying the early adopters of HDTV's can't receive television? In other words, are the first consumers of HDTV screwed?

[cduran01 @ Jan 2nd 2008 2:05PM]

All analog TV users NEED to get the for their TV in order to receive ANY over the air broadcasts next year period.

The problem with early HD owners is that their TVs didn't come with a digital over the air receiver built in, to get digital HDTV over the air they need a digital HDTV receiver box. Whats happening here is that the FCC is not giving vouchers for these boxes, they are just giving vouchers for people who own regular non-HD analog TVs.

[JL @ Jan 2nd 2008 1:12PM]

Even if OTA isn't your primary tv viewing method, having a converter would
be a good thing for those times your service isn't working properly. I have had
DirectTV and comcast and there are those times that they're not working.. I like
still being able to switch to OTA when the need arises. Knowing I have a backup
for when analog goes away is a comfort.

[Goreged Bushed @ Jan 2nd 2008 1:43PM]

BEWARNED>>>>

You should not be telling people to apply for the conversion box coupons as of now, the stupid list of approved boxes by the government are no where to be bought. They are not available, and no one knows when they will be, which means any one that applies for a coupon, today, and do not use it within 90 days are screwed, no replacement coupon for them.

[Ben @ Jan 2nd 2008 1:44PM]

You are misinformed.

They won't issue vouchers till the boxes are available, and they expire 90 days after that.

[Ben @ Jan 2nd 2008 1:25PM]

Given the last name in the form, the middle initial should have been 'N'

[Blake @ Jan 2nd 2008 3:22PM]

This sucks.. OTA is how I view TV (free and in HD baby). I don't watch TONS of TV, I rent HD-DVDs from Netflix... I have 3 LCD TVs in my house and only one has a built in Digital tuner, the other 2 are analog tuners. So I am the type of person that is disappointed in this news.

[rutsy5 @ Jan 2nd 2008 4:11PM]

Um, having 3 LCD TVs in your house is a good indication that you have no need to save $40. The coupons are for people who will have difficulty upgrading, which is why they don't have them for rich HD TV owners

[Blake @ Jan 2nd 2008 4:27PM]

I'm a budget shopper. All 3 of my LCDs smallest being 23" largest being 47" I was able to get for under $1500 for ALL of them. The 2 smaller ones were used. That's over a few years time... If the government is cutting the signal, they should supply the digital tuners to everyone for a discount. Some people spend $1500 on one part for their hot rod yet still have 3 old CRT TVs in their house. I spent it on upgrading to LCDs.. I am as entitled to a discount as much as them.

[sk8rpro @ Jan 2nd 2008 4:37PM]

@rutsy5, I'm with Blake here. Even if people could afford them, here another aspect - us taxpayers should get something what our tax-dollars are going toward. So long as we have the need (in the sense we have no cable, and the televisions receive analog signals) for the receiver, we have every right to order it.

[chris fredette @ Jan 2nd 2008 4:41PM]

This is not a problem for you either. If you are getting HD over the airwaves right now you already have a ATSC tuner that will still work next year. If you have a TV with a ATSC non-HD tuner it will work too.
The other two TV's with analog tuners could never get HD anyway so you will need a convert box for them and they will work exactly like they do now but with a box.

[Sean O @ Jan 2nd 2008 4:55PM]

Humvees without armor, overcrowded prisons, children without healthcare, levees bursting, bridges collapsing, and a record national debt.

But at least we can afford to subsidize people's television equipment.

[shaun @ Jan 2nd 2008 5:45PM]

...said the man using his computer to connect to the Internet.


Seriously though, while poverty, debt, etc. are all highly important... this is why the government has so many different different branches/offices/budgets, etc.

Sure its easy to criticize the way money is spent, but it is also unfair (and probably illegal) for the Government to take a frequency spectrum that so many millions of TVs (purchased with hard earned money) require, auction that spectrum off, then leave those people in the dust--or even putting the financial burden on them to upgrade their now-useless TVs.

Looking at some of your old posts, I doubt you care... seems like you just come to engadget to troll.

[Lord @ Jan 3rd 2008 12:16PM]

Yes, the HD Ready crowd is screwed again. But if you can't program these converters, so are the older VCR/DVR crowd. Two years is a ways off, but given what little there is out there besides HDTVs, perhaps it will need to be delayed.