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DTV update: Who needs a free digital converter coupon?

March 3rd, 2009, 8:41 am by

The clocks have been reset. Budgets have been approved. TV broadcasts are (finally) going digital on June 12. Most of the nation is ready but there are still millions who are hoping to get one of those government-issued coupons, good for $40 off a digital converter box.

New numbers out Monday show 4.3 million people are on the waiting list for a coupon. This includes 153,646 households in the Orange County and Los Angeles area, or 6.3 percent of the total. This is the highest percentage across the country — higher than New York City’s 6.1 percent, Chicago’s 4 percent, Dallas’ 2.5 percent and Boston’s 1.4 percent. Check out the official stats yourself on this PDF file HERE.

The coupon program ran out of money in January but thanks to the economic stimulus bill, millions more will be added to the program. When? Dunno. The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which manages the coupon program, has not yet announced when it will start sending out more coupons.

But thanks to reader Elvin P Miali, I have two coupons to give away to the first readers who simply ask. These expire in April so if you need one, send me an e-mail or comment on the blog. I’ll give the coupons to the first two readers who request one. (Remember, you don’t need a converter box is you already have a digital TV or pay for cable or satellite. Read more about what you will need at my “Guide to the 2009 digital TV transition.”)

If there are other readers out there who have valid coupons and no longer need them, I’d be happy to unload them to the needy. Send me an e-mail.

Everyone should expect to see more ads and education efforts by TV stations and organizations, like the National Association of Broadcasters. The NAB relaunched an updated campaign on Monday with TV commercials, ads on buses and in gas stations and the web. In all, the group and its member stations have invested more than $1.2 billion on informing consumers about the DTV transition, said Linda Yun, an NAB spokesperson.

More digital TV transition news: Check out the Gadgetress Guide to the Digital TV transition.

Latest headlines:

Posted in: Video & TV • • • • • | 6 Comments »

Today is NOT digital TV transition day

February 17th, 2009, 12:01 am by

I was looking forward to today because it meant an end to writing about the transition to digital TV broadcasts. But no. That’s not happening for another four months, thanks to politicians who just approved the delay earlier this month.

So … four more months of watching DTV prep scroll across the bottom of the TV screen. Four more months of converter-box coupons. Four more months of procrastination.

Here is the latest regarding the digital TV transition:

1. On Feb. 11, Barack Obama signed the law to delay the digital transition till June 12. But as part of the law, stations are allowed to switch to digital after today.

2. Some 421 stations will turn off their analog signal today. Nearly 220 already have. That leaves approximately 1,149 full-power stations nationwide that plan to broadcast through June 12. If you’re wondering about your favorite channel, here’s the rundown: Major network owned and operated channels will stay on till June. Beyond that, the FCC identified 106 channels nationwide that still planned to switch today and persuaded 43 not to switch, leaving 20 markets nationwide with potential problems.  According to the FCC, only three stations in the Los Angeles region will ditch analog after today — and from the chart below, they are not major stations: Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Video & TV • • • • | 6 Comments »

Law to delay digital TV transition to June 2009 pending

January 16th, 2009, 11:18 am by

**UPDATE, 12:35 p.m.**: AP is reporting that Senate Republicans have blocked the proposed bill to delay the the February 2009 digital transition to June. Democrats, however, say they will try again next week. This comes after President-elect Barack Obama once again urged Congress on Friday to delay the transition. Reason to block delay: It would cause too much confusion among consumers and would delay transferring those analog airwaves for emergency purposes.

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With President-elect Obama urging a delay to the planned Feb. 17 transition to digital TV, the bureaucrats are making things happen.

Sen. Jay Rockefeller introduced his bill to delay the transition for four months until June 12, 2009. 

“I firmly believe that our nation is not yet ready to make this transition,” Rockefeller said in a press release.

On the House of Representatives’ side, Rep. Henry Waxman from California introduced a similar bill to delay the DTV transition.

Besides postponing the deadline, a delay will reform the coupon giveaway. According to the senator, 2 million Americans are still waiting for their $40 coupon, good for discounts on digital  converter boxes that are need to upgrade older analog TVs to the digital age. The $1.3 billion committed to the transition has been used up. A delay would give the new administration time to find more money to put into the coupon program. 

(One note: Anyone can buy a digital converter box without a coupon. You just won’t get the discount. Prices start around $40.) 

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In Orange County and Los Angeles, 9.5 percent of TV-watching households aren’t prepared, according to a December report from The Nielsen Company, the TV research company. Approximately 535,000 households, or 9.5 percent, of folks in the region do not have a digital television, converter box or cable or satellite service.

On Thursday, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission began implementing the “Short-term Analog Flash and Emergency Readiness Act,” or SAFER, which permits analog TV service for 30 days after the Feb. 17 deadline.  

During the 30 days, TV networks can voluntarily use the analog airwaves to air public safety information and DTV transition tips on how to restore TV service. The FCC Order has 826 stations that are eligible to continue broadcasting during those 30 days. Stations not on the list are encouraged to work with other stations in the community to support the extension. Eligible stations in Orange County include:

TV Station Analog
Channel		 Digital
Channel
KNBC 4 36
KTLA 5 31
KWHY 22 42
KTBN 40 23

More on the digital TV transition at gadgetress.freedomblogging.com/dtv/

Posted in: Video & TV • • • • • | 6 Comments »

Waiting list begins for Digital TV converter coupons

January 6th, 2009, 8:26 am by

Get your questions answered about the Feb. 2009 transition to digital TVIf you’ve been waiting for the last minute to convert your TV to digital, it may be too late to get the free $40 coupon. The government-issued coupon, which offers $40 off a digital converter box, has reached its $1.34 billion capacity and remaining consumers will now be put on a waiting list, as of Jan. 4.

The Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration has offered the coupon discounts for nearly a year to help consumers prepare for the digital TV transition. On Feb. 17,  the major TV networks will switch to an all digital broadcast.

If you have cable, satellite or other paid TV service, you don’t need to do a thing. People with newer digital TVs are also not affected. But consumers who rely on an analog TV and antenna  will see a blank screen after the deadline. Some networks will broadcast  DTV transition information for an additional 30 days over the analog airwaves.

Consumers can apply for coupons online at www.DTV2009.gov, by phone at 1-888-DTV-2009 (1-888-388-2009), via fax at 1-877-DTV-4ME2 (1-877-388-4632) or by mail to P.O. Box 2000, Portland, OR 97208-2000. Deaf or hard of hearing callers may dial 1-877-530-2634 (English TTY) or 1-866-495-1161 (Spanish TTY). Nursing home residents may apply with the paper application available downloadable at www.DTV2009.gov.

If you missed out on the coupon, you can still buy a digital converter box, which are priced between $40 to $80. Here’s a list of places that sell DTV boxes: https://www.dtv2009.gov/VendorSearch.aspx.

Related posts:

Posted in: Video & TV • • | 1 Comment »

Eat cheaper: Sale on Restaurant.com vouchers

November 20th, 2008, 3:06 pm by

Deal spotting: I’m in the midst of trying Restaurant.com for the first time because of this incredible deal posted on FatWallet offering an 80 percent discount on the company’s gift certificates. Use FatWallet’s link to get to the site and then type the code “SURPRISE” to get 80 percent off your purchase. The special deal ends today.

I just tried it and the code works. As for Restaurant.com, we’ll have to see. The  Arlington, Ill., company has a strange business model. It sells discount coupons to local eateries. Restrictions vary based on the restaurant.

Example, at Cask ‘n’ Cleaver in Orange, you would pay $10 for a $20 coupon off $35 purchase. Restrictions are the coupon can only be used Sunday to Thursday and dine-in only. Alcohol and beverage are extra. Also, for all restaurants, you’re supposed to use a coupon only once a month per restaurant. I bought one for Cask ‘n’ Cleaver, and paid $2. (My co-worker, Fast Food Maven, wrote about the site last year.)

While I’d often perused Restaurant.com for information — they offer menus to many restaurants — I never bothered to buy a coupon. It just felt odd to pay for a coupon. But the FatWallet deal did me in. I got a $100 coupon for a local steakhouse for $8 (instead of $40). Now, hopefully I’ll bother to go to see if it really works out.

For those wondering, the issues with the company vary. In FatWallet’s forums, comments mention the unreliability of the site when trying to order and that restaurant owners don’t get a cut of the money (!!).  Over at XPBargains, commenters remind users to read the fine print. But for the most part, people do say Restaurant.com works. I’ll post an udpate after I’ve actually experienced the whole process.

I know this isn’t a typical Gadgetress post, but in keeping with the Alt+Save theme, plus it’s an online site, I figured, why not share the bargain with readers?

More on deals:

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DTV converter box coupon expired? Apex Digital offers $10

November 18th, 2008, 12:16 am by

For all the folks out there who did let their government-issued TV converter box coupons expire, it may have some value after all. I spotted an offer over at Apex Digital, giving a $10 discount for expired coupons if you buy its converter box. 

While it’s only 25 percent of the $40 coupon, it’s better than nothing. You can also purchase the $59.99 DTV250 converter box online at the Apex store HERE.

I bet we’ll start seeing more of offers like this as retailers attempt to clear out the boxes and consumers realize they are holding expired coupons.

The $40 government-issued coupons are still available. But they expire 90 days after they are mailed. Millions of consumers have let their coupon expire. If that’s your case, ask a friend who doesn’t need a converter box —  most Americans don’t need one because they either have a digital TV or pay the cable company or other service to do the conversion.

If you’re hanging on to an aging analog TV and rabbit-ear antennas, you’ll need to buy a converter box after Feb. 17, 2009. After that, major TV stations will broadcast only in digital — a signal that is incompatible with analog TVs. 

By the way, the $10 discount brings the price of the Apex box to $49.99, which is the same price that Best Buy is currently selling the box for. Best Buy, however, doesn’t accept the converter box coupons online. You’ll need to visit your local store.

TigerDirect.com also has the box for sale — and it accepts the coupon online. Right now, the Apex DTV250 is $40, plus shipping.

Don’t know how to install that converter box? Read, “How to install that digital converter box.”

More on the digital TV transition at gadgetress.freedomblogging.com/dtv/ 
Most recent DTV transition stories:

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Posted in: Video & TV • • • • | 9 Comments »

99 days until the digital TV transition changes TV

November 11th, 2008, 8:30 am by

Just 99 days to go until TV watching as we know it evolves into a purely digital form.

The countdown began yesterday at the 100-day mark and all sorts of events took place. TV commercials reminding consumers about the deadline started. Stations began airing a countdown clock. Ads are covering 1,200 buses around the nation. And various cities, including the Los Angeles area, plan to conduct shut-off tests to help viewers determine if they’re ready.

For those just tuning in, on Feb. 17, 2009, the major TV networks will switch to digital broadcasts. That means that people who use an antenna to watch TV will likely get no more service after Feb. 17. The exceptions are if the TV is a digital TV, TV service comes from cable or another paid source or you bought one of those digital converter boxes (two $40 coupons are available at www.DTV2009.gov). See my “Guide to the 2009 Digital TV transition.”

Digital converter boxes are now widely sold across the country, including online at stores like Amazon.com. 

And don’t forget, the coupons expire 90 days after they are mailed. As of last Wednesday, 13.5 million coupons have been redeemed. But another 7.8 million coupons are active and waiting to be redeemed or expire.

There are still plenty of coupons available. According to the Department of Commerce, which is the U.S. agency that is handling the coupon distribution, 50.5 million coupons can be available. People just need to ask (Apply for a coupon at dtv2009.gov or call 1-888-DTV2009).

Past stories that may help: 

Posted in: Video & TV • • • | 5 Comments »

50% more coupons available for digital TV converter box program

October 2nd, 2008, 12:29 pm by

Get your questions answered about the Feb. 2009 transition to digital TVThe agency that handles the coupon program for the digital TV converter boxes has upped the number of potential coupons to 50.5 million, which is 50 percent more than the 33.5 million the National Telecommuniciations and Information Administration had available over the summer. 

Meredith Baker, NTIA secretary, said earlier this week that the agency asked the Department of Commerce and received $7 million more to fund the program. The agency can also go back and request more, if neccessary. 

“At this point, we’ve ordered 44.5 million coupons. Our estimates are based on what we see in ordering and redemption rates,” she said, adding that they can order up to 50.5 million. “…We have asked for flexibility.”

The coupons offer a $40 discount on digital converter boxes, which are necessary for older analog TVs that rely on antennas to get TV signals. After Feb. 17, 2009, major TV stations will switch to digital broadcasts and end their analog broadcasts. With a converter box, which sells for $40 and up, older TVs will still work (consumers who subscribe to paid TV service like cable TV don’t need to worry about this).

As of Oct. 1, 11.2 million coupons have been redeemed, while 8.9 million have expired. The coupons expire 90 days after they are mailed, under the law. Once coupons expire, recipients cannot apply for a new one. No legislation is pending to change that.

Baker said that it’s now taking between two to four weeks for coupons to arrive. Since consumers must then go buy a converter box and install it, the agency is estimating that the whole process takes six weeks and urges consumers to apply for their coupons before the end of the year to make the Feb. 17 deadline. Read the NTIA’s “Apply, Try, Buy” tip sheet.

Other DTV updates:

* There is now a battery-powered digital converter box. The Wineguard RC-DT09A Digital to Analog Converter Box (pictured at right) is $62.99 and eligible for the coupon discount. More information HERE.

* Consumers can call the Federal Communications Commission for more information or help, at 1-888-CALL-FCC (888-225-5322)

* If you lost, misplaced or let your coupon expire, you cannot apply for another one. The government encourages those folks to ask a friend or family member who won’t need their coupon. Also suggested: Ask your local church or community group to see if a program has been set up to handle this.

Related:

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