Go Digital 2009 is fast approaching, and more and more commercials are telling everyone it’s coming, but how many are telling you what to expect? I’ve seen at least 10 commercials in the last week telling people not to worry. Or, he tells you to go to a website that confuses you rather than explaining anything to you. Has that happened to you? A lot of people I’ve talked to still think it has to do with HDTVs. The fact is that it has NOTHING to do with HD in any way.
So what’s the deal? It’s actually simple. Cable TV will no longer be available directly from the wall to the back of your TV. This is because the Federal Government will take over analog signals. You will need a digital converter box for each TV you want to have service on. All the others will be snow.
Example: Let’s say you have cable TV on 4 TVs in your house. Maybe one has a digital converter box and the other 3 are “regular” cable. (It means no box, just cable from the wall.) when Feb. 17 hits, those 3 TVs will no longer display a picture. Hence the term “converter box”. This box converts the signal from analog (which will be removed), to digital. Now if you want to keep your cable on all of those TVs, you’ll need to buy digital converter boxes for each of those other 3 TVs. They range from $40-$85 each. Cable companies would go out of business if they had to upgrade everyone’s equipment, which is why they force their own customers to buy these converter boxes. Now, you can apply for 2 coupons that help offset the cost of these converter boxes by $40 each, but how many people are so obsessed with cable that they go out and buy their own equipment and then pay higher digital cable prices? ? on EVERY TV. Have you ever researched the prices of various televisions in digital cable?
You can ask, “Okay, so what do I need to do to prepare and what are my options?” Big question! You can do what I suggested earlier in this article, or you can check your options with satellite TV. There are two main satellite television operators. Dish Network and DirecTV. There are clear differences between prices and equipment options. Both have 3 to 4 times more HD channels and are 100% digital, so no changes are necessary when the 2009 DTV conversion arrives. In fact, the truth is that satellite TV has been 100% digital for 15 years, and cable will be forced to go all-digital in 2009. Wow, a little behind in the technological times, huh? But, their prices seem to be futuristic. Sad, funny and true. However, there IS a clear winner among satellite TV providers. One offers 1 free HD receiver upgrade, the other offers 3 HD receiver upgrades. One offers 1 free DVR, the other offers 2 free DVRs. 1 is about $25-$40 less per month than the other. Curious? Many others are too. Just gather the facts yourself and compare apples to apples, then make the best decision you can.