US TV Changes
 

Some of you may be aware that starting in Feb. in the US you will need a digital converter to watch any/all TV. The US government is giving out coupons (2 @ $40) on a first come first serve basis.

Here is the # to get yours

1-888-388-2009

I already ordered mine. :D

I think that is February 2009.
Here's the horse's mouth I checked.
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/digitaltv.html


I was hoping somebody would start a thread about this. I have a lot of questions on what is really going on. I'll watch for the 'pearls of Pixies' to drop. ;)

This site seems to have a lot of information about the topic too.

http://www.dtv.gov/

PF, as she said, getting in early.

She probably wants the $40 to go shopping for my Valentine's gift. That's what I'd bet. :)

My bad- the coupon program begins this year


http://www.ntia.doc.gov/

http://www.ntia.doc.gov/dtvcoupon/D...tion_120607.pdf

What will happen to the millions of sets peeps throw out as opposed to buying boxes?

Probably the same thing that is happening to the millions that die each year now :hair:.

Yessir! Most of them.

The only TV that is being effected by this is broadcast TV if you get your TV from either cable or a dish it will not be effeted.

I have to use a converter now with my digi cable. I thought it had not been decided who would be responsible for descrambling at the cable/dish level????

My mailman left an envelope today. :)

Those who requested the digital signal converter box coupons will be getting a plastic credit card type coupon that has a valid date. They come with a second sheet that gives you online sources for information and lists the many brand of converters they will be accepted against.

It took about 10 weeks from the time I ordered and it looks like you will have about 10 weeks to cash them in. So if you planning to partake in the program, remember there is about a 20 week window.

Just after X-mas our 52" TV took a shit. So we had a 27" back-up just gatherng dust upstairs and we brought it down, temporarily, till we could recover from the holiday spend. Two days later that one took a shit too!

We bit the bullet and went TV shopping. I found a clearance set that just happened to match my criteria. I had just read Consumer Report and knew we wanted one of the top 2 televisions (ie: Sony and Panasonic, respectively). We stumbled on a clearance set in, of all places, Wal-Mart. It had been on sale and then marked down again for clearance. I LOVED the picture out of all the display models. So we tested it out. I asked if I got more money off for it being the display. Can't hurt to ask...right? The answer was yes, another 10%. I started doing my guzinta's and the savings was remarkable.

We now own a 42", Panasonic, plasma, HD, flat screen, wall mountable television. It is the first time I have ever been ahead of the times in my life!!!

$1,399.00 - original retail
$999.00 - sale price
$849.00 - clearance
$84.90 - extra 10% saved
$764.10 - FINAL COST before tax

No need for a converter anymore!

My luck is not usually that ^^^ good!

WOW! :) Great deal there sexy lady. :thumb:

Well PF, if Lixy walked in there dressed like in her AV I would have given her anything she wanted!!!! :)

Yippee! Now we don't need no stinkin' converter box ... we'll just all go over to Lixy's and watch her new TV. :D

All are welcome!

What you need is a video recorder with the decoder.

we have the digi boxes here for some time and australia was very slow in the take up of these, the picture quality was only a little better because of the resoloution of the standard tv's but the sound was 5.1, last year we bit the bullet after out std tv bit the dust and purchased a 46" LCD High Definition TV that has the digi tuner built in, the tv was expensive but it was worth evey penny as the high def digital tv shits all over standard tv both in tota;;y amzing picture quality and true 5.1 surround sound, one of the local country channels just plays scenery and it looks like you can just reach out abd touch it.

that's awesome moose! I have a high def tv, and am about to have high def satellite installed, I'm super excited.

:Ddon't get too excited. i've noticed that all the high def tv and satellite do is make you realize how shitty most pictures are. i never used to notice but now that damn tv points out every flaw. and with all the extra satellites that the dish needs to find, there are more little hiccups than there ever used to be.

hi-def is the biggest racket since pyramid scams. but don't tell my husband. he's the one who spent 5634879263987$ on it; therefore it's perfect. :p

^^^ :rofl:

I believe digital (DTV) and hi def (HDTV) are two very different things and a LOT of HD sets are being sold to people they see chocking on the smoke screen they keep throwing up.

yes the DTV and the HDTV are different and the first thing you notice is the quality of the picture, a tv with a HDTV tuner will allow you to watch both
DTV and HDTV so as we do you can flick between the 2, it is however a waste of time to get a HDTV box if you have a standard TV as the HDTV requires a higher resoloution tv, the big con in oz was a lot of tv's that are suppose to be HDTV ready are infact not as they are not high res tv's but smart arse marketing people stated that as you can plud a HDTV set top box into the they are ready, just like a vista capable pc will run vista