Comments on: Don't sign up for your $40 DTV converter box coupon--yet

While you can sign up for a $40 DTV converter box coupon now, those coupons expire three months after they are mailed, which may make it smarter to wait a few months until better, cheaper boxes become available.

[xaxain]

I was at walmart this weekend and they had 2 units both of them were $40. One was an RCA unit and I can't remember what the other unit was but, I have seen then for $40.

[Improviz]

Every discussion or story about the DTV conversion should state, in bold letters right at the beginning: IF YOU HAVE CABLE OR SATELLITE THIS DOES NOT CONCERN YOU. YOU WILL NOT NEED A CONVERTER.

This ONLY applies to people who get their TV over the air from an antenna. I don't know anyone who doesn't have at least basic cable. I realize there are parts of the country, like the 9th Ward in New Orleans, that are maybe not wired for cable. And maybe economically disadvantaged people do not have cable. But really, responsible journalism demands that you try to stop a huge wave of people running out and buying these who don't need them and can't use them if they do buy them.

[Davy123online]

Whole bunches of us in Chicago have access to more than a dozen stations via the airwaves and do not have cable. BTW, the coupons have not yet shipped.

[Crash2100]

I could not agree more. Every time I see one of those ads telling people they're going need a digital tv tuner by 2009, I wonder how many clueless cable subscribers see that and think that they need to go buy something.

[Gamerx178]

For One I lived in New Orleans most of my life (up until now, and I didn't live in the 9th ward, But I went to elementary school there) but the whole city has Cox Cable so that Probably is a lie. And also I know some people who are older and just don't want to pay the cash or some who just do have the money or see the point in baying cable/Satellite.

[cornba11]

What of the hundreds of thousands of viewers who are lucky enough to be within a hundred miles of Canadian cities. They will still be able to listen to news shows with less than half the bias of U.S. counterparts. Any new TV sets manufactured after this year will no longer be able to tune them. Keeping our old TV's with NTSC tuners will allow us to continue to watch
PEAPOD

[Betty L. Porter]

I don't know where you've been hiding your head, but some of us do NOT have the need for basic cable, etc., and still are using our roof top antenna even though I live in So. California, in a highly populated area where all the cable, dish, etc. are available. I can only watch ONE channel at a time and I have all the variety I want from my roof top. So there! Some of us also who are very low fixed incomes can't really justify cable, dish, etc., extra in our budget. I'm sure from reading what you said, you have no consideration for those of use that are satisfied with our roof top antennas and like many are spoiled by not knowing what it is to live within a low income and/or our means. I am very affended by your comments and NO I don't live in the 9th Ward. A little compassion would be nice!!!

[paulp575]

Comment on Improviz's comment --

Or many folks in the western part of the US.

Have you ever heard of LPTV station? It's called "low power TV". Yes, there is such a thing. And for many folks here in eastern WA, that's the only way they can (afford) to get TV.

They are what's known in the industry as "translators." Many are located in areas where signals from over the air towers can not get into - ever heard of mountains and valleys? So For some folks the only way is for their translators (LPTV) stations to get the signals into their valleys!

You really need to get educated before making such biased statements!

[sumodad]

What will the "translators" be translating when the TV stations stop broadcasting analog signals? Would they be using the same spectrum and broadcasting digital signals in analog?

[Ralf+1]

I heard from the FCC that low power TV stations are NOT required to transition to digital next February. If that is true of the repeaters you view, you too may not need a converter box. But if you do get a box, make sure it can pass through an analog signal from LPTV.

Rochester

[libertyforall1776]

Umm, how are these coupons funded? This would seem to be legalized theft -- government stealing tax dollars and redistributing it to others.

If you accept the coupons, you are stealing from others.

[CDFOX]

the government mandated this change. they SHOULD subsidize it. especially for those who value their hard earned dollars and choose not to spend a fortune on a bunch of channels they won't watch anyway. or who don't want to contribute to the pile of TVs that are going to be trashed for no good reason. there's no such thing as 'basic' cable any more that's priced reasonably here in Akron Ohio.

[DougBP]

Isn't one of the many functions of government to redistribute wealth? Most of us are doing OK and still need a hand once in a while. Some folks simply can not look after themselves for one reason or another and need the government to give them a little assistance.

[big guy]

dishnetwork sells a off the air converter box for 40 dollars.

[msilbey]

More details from the NTIA acting administrator here: http://connectedhome2go.com/2008/03/24/little-known-updates-on-the-dtv-transition/. Including info on when the NTIA may run out of its initial funding for the program.

libertyforall- seriously? No, I mean it. Seriously?

[dwebb5]

Liberty..... The government already has the money from the BIG sale.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/industry/4246037.html

Get a grip, be informed.

[edmicman]

Doh, so what if we already got a couple coupons? Is it limited to so many per person or per household?

I have cable, but until I rerun coax in my house...somehow....I still have rabbit ears in the bedroom. My parents still use rabbit ears, and the inlaws have satellite but have to use an antenna for their local channels. I'm the A/V liason in the family and would like to know what I'm up against.

So, should I just bit the bullet and get one now (I've got 90 days....when's this Echostar one coming out??), or can my wife get another set? Sigh......

Also annoying....these are going to basically act like the cable boxes of olde, right? Meaning you'll have to use the TV remote to control volume, and the DTV box to control channel? It's hardly worth a universal remote for an older TV setup, though, too.

[rich966]

"Each household can request a maximum of two coupons. Each coupon may be applied towards the purchase of a single converter box. The coupons can be ordered one at a time or both at the same time."
- https://www.dtv2009.gov/FAQ.aspx

Therefore, take the number of houses that relatives will let you send coupons to, multiply that by two, that is the number of coupons that you can get.

I applied for it before they started mailing them out, and just got mine yesterday, seems like about a month for it to process (I applied online).

I think you will be okay to wait till this summer or fall to see how they converter box market is shaping up.

[AnthonyNYC]

well 90 days from shipment of coupon, does anyone know how long a coupon takes once applied for?
Is it 8-12 weeks like a rebate? Or longer like the free DVD offers.
If it takes 3 months just to get the coupon then I wouldn't wait if you can get $40 units around the summer.

[bgrimsle]

Couple of comments on previous posts:

Many people, perhaps most, that have satellite or cable also have 1 or more secondary TV's that are not connected.

Most LPTV stations will continue broadcasting in analog after the deadline, they are not currently required to switch over.

[lfsaum]

I'm curious about the quality of the RF front ends of these converter boxes, as far as their ability to receive weak signals, etc. since if a signal is too weak, the digital nature of the signal means that the channel is lost.
Will you be doing reception comparisons / sensitivity tests?

[dlstone63]

Here's the best strategy:

Since you can apply for 2 coupons, and if you need only one converter box, order one now in order to lock in a coupon. If the coupon expires before you get the box that you want, you can then order the second coupon that you are entitled to, assuming that the coupons are still available. (If you are worried about coupons not being available, then order the second coupon before the first one expires.)

See below for the actual statement from the Gov. website listed above:

If a consumer requests only one coupon and it expires before it is used, then they can apply for a second coupon. Once two coupons have been issued to that household, the consumer will no longer be eligible to request any more coupons. Coupons expire 90 days after they are mailed.

[chris72sax]

How cheap can you be? Pony up the $40, get a satelite dish, or sign up for a library card. Most of you don't even need this coupon. If you can't afford this yourself, maybe you need to be using your extra time working on your job skills and not watching "Desperate Housewives."

[King Homie]

well maybe not everyone is as well off as you seem to express, what about the elderly that are on Social Security and not much more? They are the ones that will be hurt more than anyone. We work all of our lives for the so called golden years and then the Government and Television Industry come up with these ideas and make them MADATORY and guess who gets the shaft, John Q Public.

[jw55]

I'm sorry that your world view is so narrow that you can't understand that for many people $40 is a significant expense and remember that if there is more than one tv in the house a person will need more than one box so start multiplying that $40. Many people are on fixed incomes because they are retired or disabled and they literally do not have the option of finding ways to up their income and they certainly can not afford a satellite dish. Other people have good jobs and good incomes but also have significant financial obligations. I'm really happy for you that you have the financial resources to respond independently to the forced obsolescence of our tvs, but many people can not and there is, believe it or not, a value to society as a whole not to cut off a significant portion of the American population from receiving tv signals when the change to digital goes in to effect.

[menotbug]

In reply to the post "Every discussion or story about the DTV conversion should state, in bold letters right at the beginning: IF YOU HAVE CABLE OR SATELLITE THIS DOES NOT CONCERN YOU. YOU WILL NOT NEED A CONVERTER." this is not entirely true - it still CAN concern you. Consider this, if you don't have a relatively new tv which already has a digital ATSC tuner built into it then if you're cable goes out, you have NO WAY to get a tv signal. This could be a big deal during an emergency! So, if you're not sure, check your manual to see if any of your tv's have an ATSC tuner built-in. If so, you're good to go if your cable goes out. If not (and if you don't expect to get a new tv soon) you might want to consider getting one of these coupons for a converter box as a backup. But I do agree that not everyone needs to rush out to get these unless you are certain you need it. We really don't need millions of these things getting dumped into landfills in the future.

On another note, I hope Echostar has the sense to go ahead and start accepting orders for their converter box soon. Otherwise, there are going to be a LOT of people who ordered their coupon as soon as they became available and so will have them expire before this new Echostar box is ready. I for one would like to get one but my coupon will be expired by then. And speaking of these paltry 90 day expirations, how is it right that there are all these military people serving their country overseas who are going to get shafted on this??? If you order the coupon and get shipped overseas before you get a chance to use it then you are S.O.L. This 90 day rule smacks of the tactics used by these sleazy rebate companies and others just trying to get one over on the consumer. It's not acceptable that our own government is doing this. These should have longer expirations!!!

[jw55]

A few years ago I was looking at my monthly bills and the only expense that was expendable was cable so I got rid of it and have been happily using rabbit ears ever since. I logged on to the website to order coupons as soon as it was up and running. It didn't inform you about the 90 day limit on the coupons until after you had placed your order for coupons. If I had known ahead of time about the expiration date I would have waited for just the reasons stated in this column. I have bought the Zenith box and it works pretty good. I will need to buy another, but my remaining coupon expires at the end of May so I probably will have to decide to get another Zenith with the coupon or wait and pay full price for a potentially better unit later in the year.

[menotbug]

Apparently the government is considering whether or not to extend the expiration. But this has been going on for at least a couple months and they still haven't actually decided to yet. Obviously they need encouragement. I would suggest everyone email their congressman and do whatever else you can think of to help this effort. I think it is especially bad that many military people ordered these coupons when they first heard about them (because it was being made clear they were first-come-first-serve but NOT being made clear they expired in 90 days) and then some of these guys and gals get deployed overseas to serve their country while in the meantime their coupons come and expire. And this sort of situation must also be happening to other Americans as well. For example, your coupon arrives right as your company is sending you to one of its foreign branches to for a several month project. Or your coupon arrives right as you have some health problem that hospitalizes you for several months. Etc etc etc. Our decision makers need to be strongly encouraged to do the right thing and extend the expirations of these coupons!!!

[cabprint]

You must be a big city person. I live only 3 miles from town and not one person outside of the city limits along my road has cable. There must be millions of people who don't live in a town but are in the country and don't have satallite or cable. I pass at least 150 houses going to any of the citys or towns nearby all in the country and the majority not farming.
New housing in subdivisions outside of cities and don't have cable and many don't have satallite.

[midnightwalker84]

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[midnightwalker84]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ei2wwnKIlQ4

if you want to see the best DTV - DVR Box ( EchoStar TR-50 ) than take the time to look at this Vid,... Price is said to be $40,..

[enailor]

I have 2 coupons and will wait until the newest and greatest converters come to market. If they expire, who cares? I can have a neighbor or friend that has cable order more for me since they won't use them. And since the ones I have would have expired, the money would go back into the big funds to go to someone else.

No need to stress!

[prometheamoth]

Oh goddy, let your coupon expire so the next people on the list can get some coupons we will actually USE! Thanks a lot. We are waiting. We can't get a coupon until yours expire and the govenment re-allocates the funds (hello, 2010) SO now our emergency tv won't work during hurricane season this year. Thanks.

[bugm3n0t]

dang, menotbug -- the government is _giving away money for free_.

The fact that you are getting all up in arms about (really, pretty loose) expiration dates is probably why governments always end up hating their people.