February NewsBrief
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More noise and scrutiny is coming with regard to the February deadline
to ditch analog TV's and convert to digital television sets. Consumeraffairs.com reporter
Dawn Carlson clarifies the issue and discusses the ramifications of the changeover
in terms of cost and environmental impact.
In this April 2007 article, Dawn Carlson elaborates on the now
mainstream media news of analog to digital TV conversion. Any television set manufactured
before 2003 likely falls into the analog TV bucket. Generally, these are TV's that
run using antenna (rabbit ears). A small percentage of the overall population owns
older TV's. The Federal Government will offer vouchers or rebates so that analog
TV owners can more cost effectively obtain a converter box - priced at $50 - $70 each.
The reason for the conversion has its roots in the "Digital Television
Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005" which aides public safety responders contact
each other faster and more reliably. The digital signal is more powerful and travels
better over longer distances. Analog is more cumbersome and takes up more "space".
Emergency personnel will be able to communicate more efficiently with less disruption
during national emergencies, for example, like Hurricane Katrina.
Digital TV's allow better quality sound and picture quality and the
frequencies allow for more channels to be created. The negative is the impact on the
environment which will create a glut of unwanted TV's at one time. Some states charge
consumers for TV disposal and recyclers charge as well because there is no resale or reuse value.
The deadline for the switchover is February 17, 2009.
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