Reader Mail: DTV Converter Box Coupons?

Reader fran284 writers: I heard that the government will be handing out coupons for anyone who needs a digital TV converter box; when can we get them? And how do I apply? And where can I buy a box? I know time's running out before analog TV signals go off for good.

Fran: Good timing on your question; some new details about the DTV converter box coupons have just emerged, including a list of retailers where the boxes will go on sale. But first, a little background.

You've got until Feb. 17, 2009, until U.S. TV stations turn off their analog TV broadcasts for good. (Check out Robin Raskin's DTV transition primer for all the details.) By that date, unless you have a digital TV (like a new HDTV set), you'll need a digital-to-analog converter box (which will cost between $50 and $70 each) to keep watching over-the-air broadcasts on your old analog TV. If you're watching TV over satellite or cable, your current set-top box should tide you over come the DTV transition (and the FCC just mandated that cable carriers must support analog TVs until at least 2012).

Anyway, you can start applying for $40 coupons (up to two per applicant, with each coupon good for a single converter) on January 1 at this web site, and Broadcast & Cable is reporting that the coupons themselves will be handed out starting Feb. 17, a year to the day before the DTV changeover goes into effect. By then, DTV converter boxes should start appearing at big-name retailers such as Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Circuit City, Kmart, Sears, and Target, according to Engadget HD (and yes, they'll honor the coupons).

Still have questions? Check out the official DTV transition web site for more details.

Related:
NTIA to Begin Distributing DTV-to-Analog Converter-Box Coupons Feb. 17 [Broadcast & Cable]
Slew of retailers to carry TV converter boxes; coupon requests open in 2008 [Engadget HD]