Digital TV Converter Coupons Coveted

Jennifer Jackson, of Arlington, hooks up a digital converter box. She is impressed with the better picture and sound quality, but she experiences reception glitches when airplanes fly by her building. (By Kim Hart -- The Washington Post)
Buy Photo

At the Best Buy in Alexandria's Landmark Mall, converter box sales dropped off during the holidays as consumers focused more on gift items such as game consoles and laptops, said store manager Luis Castillo.

"But now they're reminding themselves of the switch and traffic is starting to pick back up," he said. "A good amount of people are choosing to stay with the TV they have because there's nothing wrong with it," he said, adding that others are using the digital transition as an excuse to upgrade to a flat-screen TV.

Castillo said antennas have also been selling well, especially flat antennas that are not as visible as the traditional "rabbit ears."

In addition to a converter box, some TV watchers may need to get a more powerful antenna to receive the digital signals, according to the Federal Communications Commission. Digital signals do not travel as far as analog signals, and viewers in hilly or rural areas could have trouble tuning in. An analog picture gets fuzzier as signals get weaker, but digital signals either come in clearly or not at all. So viewers on the edge of a TV station's coverage area could lose their picture.

And stations are not required to replicate existing analog coverage areas with digital broadcasts. In a report released last week, the FCC said 196, or 11 percent of the nation's 1,749 full-power stations, will have a signal that reaches at least 2 percent fewer viewers than their current analog signals. The rest are expected to reach more people after the transition.

To fill in coverage gaps, stations can use translators, or repeaters, to extend the signal, use another station's digital airwaves to retransmit a signal or change its antenna pattern. Subscribers to satellite or cable services should not lose any stations.

Sen. Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.) introduced legislation this month asking Congress to give consumers an additional allowance to help offset the cost of a new antenna, should they need one. He is also pushing cable companies to offer a low-priced basic cable service to viewers who lose at least one station because of the switch. Most consumers will not know if they need a stronger roof-top antenna until the transition occurs.

"It would be traumatic and outrageous to create a transition program and the result of that being millions of low-income citizens losing what they have today," Sanders said. "There should be money in the stimulus package for it."

Sedmak of the NTIA said officials are encouraging family members and friends to help one another make the switch, whether it's with ordering a coupon or setting up a converter box.

To order a coupon, visit https://www.dtv2009.gov/ or call 1-888-DTV-2009.