Digital dilemma: Customers preparing for mandatory Feb. 17 switchover
As the television broadcasting switch from analog to digital looms, it appears local residents preparing for the change are about evenly split between buying a converter box so their existing sets will still work and buying a new TV.
“A lot of people are switching over to digital TVs because it’s $60 for a converter box, which is 10 to 20 percent of a new TV,” said Ted Thelin, a home theater salesman at Best Buy in DeKalb. “People are upgrading. ... It’s only $400 for a new flat-panel TV, and it’s bigger than what they already have.”
But both Thelin and John Riley, an electronics manager at Paulsen Appliance & Electronics in Sycamore, noted that a fair number of people are buying converter boxes as well.
Congress mandated the digital switchover “ which happens at midnight Feb. 17 “ as a public safety measure, according to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
The change will free up portions of the nation’s airwaves for use by emergency responders. Some TV channels will be turned over to police and fire departments for emergency communication and others will be auctioned to companies to provide new wireless services.
If people wish to keep an analog TV, they must purchase a converter box. Converter boxes cost $40-$80 on average and plug into the TV to keep it working after Feb. 17, when analog TV broadcasting ceases.
People wanting to purchase the box could get a $40 government coupon. However, it was announced Tuesday that because the program reached its funding ceiling, coupons are now accepted on a first-come-first-served basis as funds become available from expiring coupons.
The fact that there’s now a waiting list for coupons is not surprising to local electronics salespeople, who say that the demand for converter boxes gets higher as the date gets nearer.
The majority of customers who have bought converter boxes at RadioShack in Sycamore have used a coupon, store manager Ken Neumann said. The boxes have been high in demand for the last six to eight months, he said.
Besides buying a converter box for their analog TV, people have two other options to ensure they’re ready for digital “ they can sign up for cable or satellite service, or purchase a digital TV.
TV prices are very low right now, making it easier for some to make the bigger purchase.
“TVs are selling fantastic,” Riley said. “It’s the only part of the economy not getting destroyed lately.”
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, sales at appliance and electronic stores in September 2008 were up 5 percent from the previous year. Sales topped $47 billion, according to the Census Bureau.
A big part of a salesperson’s job is to provide answers, local salespeople said.
“A lot of people are looking for education,” Riley said. “’Do I need it? What’s gonna happen if I don’t put it on? Do I have to buy a new TV?’ “ a lot of questions basically.”
Neumann said that most people just want to know what the digital conversion is and how it will affect them. Thelin added that many people aren’t familiar with terms, which can lead to confusion of what they’re getting Feb. 17.
“They think that when digital comes, everyone gets free [high definition], and that’s not the case,” Thelin said. “Analog and digital are a different way of sending the same information. Digital is better signal, better quality, so there’s better reception.”
What can I do with my old analog TV?
Analog TVs must be recycled; they cannot go to the landfill, said DeKalb County Solid Wastes Coordinator Christel Springmire.
An electronics recycling event will be held in the spring, though a date has not yet been scheduled. Call the DeKalb County Health Department at 815-758-6673 at a later date for recycling event information.
DeKalb Iron & Metal Co., 900 Oak St. in DeKalb, accepts analog TVs for recycling. Call 815-758-2458 for more information. A 50 cent per pound charge may apply.
On the Net
For more information on the Feb. 17 digital conversion, call 1-888-DTV-2009 or visit www.dtv2009.gov.