SAN DIEGO -- The government wants to give you a coupon worth $40 to help you continue watching television.
LINK: Digital TV Converter Box Coupon (https://www.dtv2009.gov/)
The government has mandated that television stations change the way they broadcast their signals by Feb. 17, 2009. Stations then must shut off their analog broadcasts and replace them with a digital signal. If you have an older TV set, you will have to buy a digital converter box if you want to continue watching broadcast television.
New digital television sets are able to receive and display the new digital format without a converter. Cable and satellite TV subscribers probably won't need the converter either. But if you get your television signal from a house antenna or rabbit ears, you may need a converter to continue watching.
The boxes cost anywhere from $60 to $150, and the federal government will send you a $40 coupon to help buy one.
The coupons are available now, but that doesn't mean you should rush out and get one. The coupon is only good for 90 days, and the change to digital TV signals doesn't happen for more than a year. That means you have more than a year to shop around and get a digital signal converter.
At this point, electronic stores are just beginning to get the converter boxes, so there is little selection. But that will change as the conversion deadline approaches.
You can use the same old antenna with a set-top converter, or you can buy a new television that is ready to work with the new digital broadcast standard.
LINK: Digital TV Converter Box Coupon (https://www.dtv2009.gov/)
