Analog TVs Disappearing from Store Shelves
Fri Oct 19, 2007 10:17AM EDT
See Comments (21)
Best Buy is pulling the last of its analog TVs off its big-box store shelves. Not terribly surprising news, but definitely a signal that high-definition is becoming the signal of choice.
While Best Buy may be the first mega retailer to get out of the analog set business, we can expect others to follow as a 2009 federal deadline approaches for broadcasters to switch from analog to digital signals. For those who still have analog TVs when the switchover occurs, converter boxes will be available to turn a digital signal back to analog so the TVs still work.
Despite the looming deadline, the market didn't like Best Buy's move, Forbes.com reports. The retailer's stock price dropped 90 cents a share after the decision was announced. And while sales of flat-panel HDTVs are still on the rise, the growth in sales slowed in the second quarter of 2007. Which could mean some good sales leads for consumers if the earnings success of Best Buy and other retailers becomes more wedded to HDTV sales.
Truth be told, when most consumers are ready to buy a new TV, they will be looking for a good deal on an HDTV. I've been on the phone this week with my parents, who have been researching HDTVs and are close to making the switch to a 42-inch LCD TV.
Anyone out there sad you may not be able to find a new analog TV one day soon at your neighborhood big-box electronics store? I don't think so, but if I'm wrong, let me know.
LINK: Best Buy A Digital TV [Forbes.com]
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7 Posted by itsonlyskin7 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:25PM EDT Report Abuse
ha this just makes me feel poor.
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8 Posted by lesa.gilbert@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 6:49PM EDT Report Abuse
All over the nation people are up to their eyeballs in credit card debt and now we're going to HAVE to buy hugely expensive TVs to get cheap entertainment. I don't know about most people but I can't write a check for a several hundred to several thousand dollars to buy a TV so I would have to go the credit card route. Since the Feds are pushing this do they want to make interest free loans so we can all go buy digital TVs?
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9 Posted by l_a_derrick on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:01PM EDT Report Abuse
Please don't be alarmist. Many analog television owners won’t need a converter: 85 percent of Americans now get all their television from cable or satellite providers, so for the most part the change-over won’t affect them. If you have cable or satellity, you do not need a converter or new TV. BTW, digital and HDTV are NOT the same. People will NOT have buy a converter. The govt is providing funds for converter boxes, so those who wish to keep their old sets can. From http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/digitaltv.html "Between January 1, 2008, and March 31, 2009, all U.S. households will be able to request up to two coupons, worth $40 each, to be used toward the future purchase of eligible digital-to-analog converter boxes. Eligible converter boxes are for the conversion of over-the-air digital television signals, and therefore are not intended for analog TVs connected to a paid provider such as cable or satellite TV service. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is administering the coupon program. For more information, visit the NTIA website at http://www.ntia.doc.gov. The Commission’s DTV website, www.dtv.gov, also provides information for consumers on the upcoming digital-to-analog converter box coupon program. More detailed information regarding NTIA’s coupon program, what digital-to-analog converter boxes will be eligible, where and when they may be purchased, and the related costs involved will be provided by the Commission and NTIA as the commencement of the coupon program on January 1, 2008, approaches."
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10 Posted by rocrichroc@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:47PM EDT Report Abuse
Can we presume that the Cable Company's and Satellite will provide analog signals for a while. I'm not ready for the big buck transfer to Digital. My big 42" analog still does a its job. Best Buy hasn't made too many good decisions lately. If you go into one, you are probably the only customer in the store.
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11 Posted by mike11daniels on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:19PM EDT Report Abuse
In my opinion they should just leave well enough alone.You can by a 36" Analog for about $300.You can by a 15" LCD/HDTV for about $500.Whats the point,as far as the converter box goes it will probabbly cost a couple hundred dollars.Not everyone can afford this.It makes no sense for this change to take place.
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12 Posted by suleeto on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:47PM EDT Report Abuse
You all should quit yer whinin'... this sort of thing has happened for years... the cassette people complained because car manufacturers stopped selling cars with tape decks and went to CD players. Should we stay analog for the next 10 years just to keep everyone happy? Digital signal has been out now for some time. The deadline the government set is reasonable. The converters will probably be inexpensive. It's far easier to convert a digital signal to analog.
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13 Posted by godsinventor on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:10PM EDT Report Abuse
Hey! People! Settle Down! HDTV Technology prices will more than likely go down 75% over the next 2 years (possibly even the next year). And to those up to their eyeballs in credit card debt, you never should have gone their.
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14 Posted by jcm757@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:30PM EDT Report Abuse
I could not agree more with texxi48. Isn't America a land of choices? Why should anyone mandate that we buy anything that is more expensive than what we can comfortably afford? I don't understand this at all. I am all for "new technology" but only if I want it and can afford it. I am very fond of TV but I also want to eat, keep warm, pay bills, go to the doctor, put gold (I mean gas) in my car, etc. It would be nice to see a big screen TV in my home but would I still have a home after buying an HDTV?
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15 Posted by compa_nc on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:28PM EDT Report Abuse
I'm already using a digital tuner (converter) hooked up to a standard TV. I'm bothered by the poor reception with digital signals. I don't have cable or a sat connection so it's over the air reception for me. With digital TV it's an all or nothing situation as far as reception goes. Those stations that I can pickup produce a perfect (static free/ghost free) picture but many channels that were at least watchable with analog are not receivable with digital.
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16 Posted by eltread on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:53PM EDT Report Abuse
I was under the impression that we could still get "rabbit ears" for an analog t.v.?
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17 Posted by eltread on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:53PM EDT Report Abuse
Thank you ytech; I thought the govn had told them that we still had to have free access. Well, almost free!
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18 Posted by hallo_its_me_05 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:15PM EDT Report Abuse
I'm the kind of person who does not purchase an item simply because it's the latest fad. I've still got a TV console built in the 1950's that is a piece of furniture as well as a source of entertainment. It's been in my family for years. It's built STRONG and was made to LAST and, more importantly, it STILL WORKS!!! So why should I toss it out and get one of these new-fangled flat-screen TVs (which wouldn't go with the rest of my antique "decor") simply because "someone" has decided we must all go digital? Perhaps I should just go back to listening to the radio -- the way we used to. By the way, I've still got one of those from the 40's.
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19 Posted by seanwd11 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:10PM EDT Report Abuse
^^^ Hallo also has a working cotton gin and moonshine still if you want to give that a go too...but he only uses it for 'decor' :) The switch to digital is great. All the bandwidth freed up from the dial will be used for better cell phone reception, possibly a dedicated Wi-Fi better emergency response systems, etc, etc. It's short sighted to live in the past when a better system of transmission is out there. It doesn't mean upgrading to a new $1200 TV. It mean using your old (even 1950's old) TV with a convertor box attached for a measly $50. The pluses far outweigh the negatives at the end of the arguement.
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20 Posted by jimmyntana1 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:35PM EDT Report Abuse
Just as a note to all those screaming too expensive. I bought my JVC 32 in Analog TV in 2000 for 600 Bucks. My brother bought his Vizio 32 in High Def tv at wal mart for 700 bucks. Yep all that money right out the window for HDTV. It is sooo much more expensive! Think about it, my tv new almost 8 years ago cost about what my brothers same sized hdtv cost today. I remember when my parents spent 2000 dollars on their 32 in CONSOLE tv in the early 90's. If you are going to spend the money to buy the really nice sony because you want something along the same lines in 'QUALITY' as your 10 year old 1500 dollar Sony Wega well guess what it is still there and you are still going to pay for it. This has been public knowledge for more than a decade. Accept it. The government wants its LF airwaves back. If more people were buying them now the price would be dropping faster than what it is. LCD is cheaper than the tube by more than half. The cost currently is associated as profit for the people that want the latest and greatest. Just like when DVD players came out and cost over 500 bucks. I thought when I bought mine it was as cheap as it was going to get at 450 dollars. Guess I was wrong since my daughter has a dvd player with a 10 lcd screen that cost under 200.
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21 Posted by puzzle552000 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:22PM EDT Report Abuse
It hope that it is true that if you have cable converter box, that you don't need the digital converter box also.
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6 Posted by ytech_dorydevlin on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:58PM EDT Report Abuse
The converter boxes are expected to cost between $50 and $75 each. But there will be a government program offering all U.S. households two $40 coupons toward the purchase of the boxes between Jan. 1, 2008 and March 31, 2009.