This idiotic changeover, which is being orchestrated by an evil cabal of electronics manufacturers [who are now all outside the US], the networks and the wireless industry is a disaster beyond belief!
If this is so important, then there isn't any reason that analog sets should still be sold. Yet in yesterday's paper, I saw analog sets still being advertised!
Congress has to step in & delay this by five years to give people a chance to "use up" their analog TV's.
It's going to be fascinating when this happens & millions of poorer people can't watch TV.
Of course the nets don't want us to record & time shift anything, so there still aren't any digital DVD recorders out at a decent price.
Exactly why haven't they been available for months?
14 months ago you could buy DVD recorders without a tuner for under $50.

@Unindicted Co-conspirator

Your tin-Foil hat will continue to receive analog reception, no worries!

Can anyone answer this question; why is it we can provide much improved technology yet television programs become worse with each passing year? Where is the creativity to go along with the technology?

First a series of 'conservative' administrations decree a regulatory change. Then issue a government-funded license for converter box manufacturers to pad the price of their product by an additional $40. Go figure.

I agree with the 50 year video vet -- the creativity and intelligence of television, in general, has remarkably declined.

Mandating digital TV broadcasting IS a smart move, but the forces that are trying to control the airwaves should NOT dictate public policy. The FCC needs to do something more useful than print coupons. How about providing for fair community channel access? Since digital technology is actually less expensive to operate than analog, how about mandating that media providers offer High Definition TV (at least 720p or 1080i) at the same cost as the current standard definition TV? How about forcing media providers to offer "à la carte" channel selection to consumers at a cost per channel no greater than the current highest cost-per-channel bundles? This allows everyone a fair deal, and will probably solve the problem of crappy channels when users themselves filter out the chaff. Otherwise, whatever the FCC does with the airwaves won't matter. If consumers continue to be given crappy and increasingly expensive media feeds, then they will switch to services that offer what a person wants, when they want it, at a reasonable price. This is not the over-hyped, ultra-high-priced "on-demand" cable feed, this is Apple's iTunes store. Until cable & satellite programming revise their offerings and high-price bundling, consumers are best advised to move to a digital service that actually serves the user.

Converters of this type have been used for many years by Tele communications. My experiences with AT&T engineering taught me a lot. Conversion from dig too analog is just as easy as the other way around.
We are all still suffering from the mistakes of the past. RCA three gun color was set as a standard when it should have went too the Lawrence standard. Single gun rather than three. Same as usual politicians and the old buy me mentality had a lot too do with it.
I saw in my lifetime the switch from digital too analog and then back too digital in the Telephone industry. The old digital was mechanical. Then switched too analog. Then back too digital.
The conversion hype is phoney and will cost everyone headaches for sure. Digital too analog can be done in one IC Chip. Low cost one at that.

This really sound like the 1999 to 2000 scare. I was in radio shack a week ago and they had A to D converters for like $10. Real simple communiteis can buy these over the air converters in bulk and hand them out free to people. the frequency should not be changing so all that should be needed the TV antenna plugged into a simple A to D converter and then plug that into the TV. If the TV is too old and only has rabitt ears, then some nice group can give these poor people new TVS with the capibility already inside for around the $100 you are talking about.

When the programing we have to suffer thru to even watch TV is so BAD why would anyone care? 57 channels and nothing is on!

the only thing i know all of this cost money to me

Agreeing to "Apple TV for Me" response to the "à la carte" channel slections for customers, should have been looked into by congress a long time ago. This item alone would stimulate customer service competation between media providers to serve the customers intrest and not just the greed of blind propheteering media investers.

Now that everyone is thinking "Green" - When the digital changeover takes place - we must put into place a strong recycling program to take the lead and other toxic substances out of the old TV sets before they land up in the landfills in a big way!

I have been following the analog to digital conversion story for a while. I finally realized that it will be an issue for me and any other Canadians living close to the border who use an antenna to catch the US stations. From Montreal I can catch CBS, NBC, ABC, 2 PBS stations (NY & VT) and FOX. Who needs cable or satellite ;-) ? I will have to make a trip to my local Radio Shack to see if I can get an A to D converter, otherwise I guess it's a short trip to Plattsburgh, NY (1hr) or an on-line order.

I'm surprised none of the Canadian media outlets have not caught on. I guess I'll have to be "Chicken Little" and let them know the sky will be falling in 2009 ;-).

Too much effort for too poor people, what for? For them to watch too poor programing, that's it! What else?

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