Digital Television Conversion

By HWC Editor

Starting on February 17, 2009 at midnight all television broadcasts will be switched over to high definition digital format. Although the signals will be better and the picture clearer, the switch over will not work well for those still receiving television broadcasts through an antenna on a standard definition television. If you have cable or satellite or own a convertor box or HDTV you will have no problems when the switch over occurs.

If you need or want a convertor box there is a Federal Coupon Program to help reduce or pay for the cost of up to two convertor boxes per family. Each coupon is worth $40 a piece and is available online at dtv2009.gov. Coupons will only be available until March 31, 2009 . To purchase a convertor box simply take your coupon once you receive it and take it to any retail store that sells consumer electronics.

To understand HDTV or digital broadcasting formats you should understand that an analog signal that your standard definition television uses right now is 480i (480 lines interlaced) which stands for the amount of colored lines on the screen. With a DTV (Digital Television) the resolution is 780i or 780p which means that there are now 780 lines on the screen. With an HDTV (High Definition Television) the resolution is 1080i or 1080p which means that there are 1080 lines on the screen, that is why HDTV is the best and highest resolution pictures for television at this time.

Another fact that is not mentioned very often is that some cable and satellite stations in areas that already have local cable stations can be viewed with an HDTV and an HD antenna for free. There are even special HD only stations which are broadcast strictly in HD over the air.

To learn more or purchase HD equipment try these links below:

DTV2009.gov
Antennaweb.org