The Daily Gamecock

Issue date: 2/26/08 Section: The Mix

Media Credit: Special to The Daily Gamecock Next year, all cable providers will switch over to digital signals, requiring some people to get converter boxes.

At midnight next Feb. 17, all analog television transmissions will stop, and TV signals will become digital. If you have any kind of digital cable or satellite service, or you get your reception from an antenna but have a digital receiver inside your TV, you won't notice.

If you use an antenna for an analog TV, you will need a converter box. Those run $50 to $70, and government discount coupons worth $40 are available. Each household can get two coupons, but sellers accept only one coupon per converter.

Also, digital transmission is already going on, so you can switch at any time.

After that, it gets a bit more detailed, and I'm going to break down the questions into a few basic categories:

Converter boxes

Every TV in the house needs its own digital connection, either through cable, satellite or a converter.

The boxes are supposed to be very easy to connect, and you shouldn't need to pay for help. The boxes are becoming available at most major electronics retailers.

Cable

If you have cable, you won't have to get a converter or shop for other equipment. But that doesn't mean your cable company won't force a change on you, and if they do, they'll come to you.

If you have digital cable now, nothing more is needed. But, if you have an analog box or analog cable through a wall connection, it will depend on your company.

Some cable companies will let you keep the analog equipment, and they'll convert the signal for you. But many companies are switching to all-digital - because it's better for them - meaning they'll bring you a digital box.

If they do go all-digital, each TV in the house will need its own box.

Will that cost you more? It depends on what level of service you take. The basic analog and digital packages cost the same right now. But let's be realistic: How often do changes not end up costing more?

VCRs

If the VCR just sits there and plays tapes of movies that your kids watch 10 times a week, you don't need to bother with anything.

If you get your TV from an antenna and record with your VCR, you'll need a converter box leading into the VCR, but you shouldn't need another box for your TV in most cases.

Continued...

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