Consumer Reports: Last-Minute DTV Details

March Issue Features Advice to Help Consumers Sort Out Confusion About the Transition to Digital Television

YONKERS, NY — With the digital television conversion just about two weeks away on Tuesday, February 17th, consumers may still be confused about what they need to ensure that they continue to receive uninterrupted television service. The March issue of Consumer Reports features last-minute advice on what consumers need to know regarding the digital TV transition and most importantly if they are indeed affected by it.

	…then you need to…
a subscription to cable, satellite or phone company TV service	do nothing. Subscribers to these services will continue to receive television service even if they have an analog TV.
a TV manufactured before 2005 and don’t subscribe to cable, satellite or a phone company TV service	check the owner’s manual to see if your set is analog or digital. If it’s analog, you’ll need to purchase a digital converter box and connect it to a UHF/VHF TV.
a TV manufactured in 2005 or later	check the owner’s manual to make sure it’s digital ready. Most models bought since 2006 should be. If it’s digital ready and you receive free, over-the-air-broadcast, you don’t have to do a thing.

How Consumers Can Keep Getting Free TV on Their Current Set

To continue receiving free, over-the-air broadcasts, consumers who do not subscribe to a cable, satellite or phone-company service and have an analog television will need to purchase a digital-to-analog converter box and connect it to a UHF/VHF antenna and the TV. A digital video recorder with a built-in digital tuner will also work, but it costs more and a government-issued coupon cannot be used towards its purchase.

Consumers whose TV’s have a built-in digital tuner (most sets bought since 2006 do), don’t need a converter box to pull in digital stations, but will need to connect a UHF/VHF antenna to their TV.

Getting a Coupon

Every household in American is eligible to receive two $40 government coupons to buy two digital-to-analog converter boxes, which cost $40 to $80 each. However, as of press time, the government had announced that funding for the coupon program had run out and that new requests would be filled on a first-come, first-served basis as older coupons expire.

Digital Converter Boxes

Consumer Reports has tested over 35 digital converter boxes and found that all were capable of pulling in the digital stations at its Yonkers, N.Y., lab, and in tests with progressively weaker signal levels. Several dozen digital-to-analog converter boxes are available online and at stores including Best Buy, Circuit City, RadioShack, Sears, Target and Walmart. Consumers must pay sales tax and most stores only have a few models to choose from; some Web sites carry more. The March issue of Consumer Reports includes a list of converters to consider and a guide for properly connecting converter boxes to an analog TV. Complete Ratings of the models Consumer Reports tested are available free online at www.ConsumerReports.org.

Digital Dead Zones

Consumers with an analog TV who have followed all the steps necessary to receive a digital signal come February 17th, may still be unable to get some stations. During the nation’s first DTV trial in Wilmington, N.C., last fall, many consumers couldn’t get digital versions of analog stations they’d gotten for years, even though the converters and antennas were set up correctly.

Beware of Marketing Ploys

Consumer Reports has found that some marketers are trying to cash in on the digital-TV transition. Some stores were telling Spanish-speaking customers that they needed to buy a converter box along with a new DTV, which is untrue. Also, some companies are pitching antennas as “digital ready,” implying that standard UHF/VHF antennas won’t work; they will. Cable companies were moving analog channels to digital tiers, then charging for digital boxes needed to get those channels; cable companies have since agreed to stop moving analog channels to digital tiers through February 2009.

The complete report on the digital television transition is available in the March 2009 issue of Consumer Reports, wherever magazines are sold. The story is also available free online at www.ConsumerReports.org. Visit www.ConsumerReports.org/dtv for more information on the digital television transition.

About Consumer Reports

Consumer Reports is a nonprofit membership organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. For 80 years, CR has provided evidence-based product testing and ratings, rigorous research, hard-hitting investigative journalism, public education, and steadfast policy action on behalf of consumers’ interests. Unconstrained by advertising or other commercial influences, CR has exposed landmark public health and safety issues and strives to be a catalyst for pro-consumer changes in the marketplace. From championing responsible auto safety standards, to winning food and water protections, to enhancing healthcare quality, to fighting back against predatory lenders in the financial markets, Consumer Reports has always been on the front lines, raising the voices of consumers.

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