The US Government is pulling the plug on analog TV: at midnight on February 17, 2009 - every full-power television station in America will turn off its analog transmitters and broadcast only digital TV signals, including HDTV. Many TV watchers won’t even notice the transition. Others will see their screens go blank forever—unless they prepare for it. In other words, Federal law mandates that February 17, 2009 is the last day of full-power analog television broadcasting, and February 18, 2009 is the first day without analog reception.

Broadcast stations in all U.S. markets are currently broadcasting in both analog and digital. After February 17, 2009, full-power television stations will broadcast in digital only.

If you ask why we are switching to DTV - we can give the following reasons:
- all-digital broadcasting will free up parts of the valuable broadcast spectrum
- some of the freed up frequencies will be used for advanced commercial wireless services for consumers
- it will also free valuable radio spectrum, some of which has been allocated to improve communications among fire and police departments and other first responders; the government would auction the rest of the spectrum for an estimated $10 billion, though private estimates put that number higher
- new technology promises super-sharp pictures and better sound.
- more programming choices for viewers
- Possibilities of HDTV
- Multicasting allows broadcast stations to offer several channels of digital programming at the same time, using the same amount of spectrum required for one analog program.
- You can expect some extra goodies, too; electronic program guides for one, make it easy to find and select programs you want to watch
- and it will also bring US in line with the rest of the world, which has already starting to phase out analog

Or, we can give you a short answer: because it is mandatory.

DTV: digital television
DTA: digital television adapter, or digital-to-analog converter (box). Is a device that receives, by means of an antenna, a DTV transmission, and converts that signal into an analog signal that can be displayed on an analog television.

For those who own analog TVs and want to continue receiving over-the-air programming, getting a set-top box will be an alternative to buying a new TV.

• All HDTV is DTV—but not vice versa. High-definition TVs display 720 or 1080 horizontal lines of video, and they have movie theater-like wide screens. But some “standard-definition” digital TVs may display only 480 lines, the same as analog TVs.
• To see true HDTV, you need an HDTV set and an HDTV signal/program. The signal could come over the air from an antenna, via satellite or cable, or from an HD DVD or Blu-ray Disc player. The highest-quality digital TV format, 1080 lines with progressive scan (1080p), is not (yet) standardized for a broadcast channel, so it’s only available on high-definition Blu-ray and HD DVD discs—at least for the time being.
• Any digital TV can display any of these formats, adapting the incoming signal to match its screen capabilities. For example, a TV with a 720-line display will automatically scale down incoming 1080-line signals and scale up incoming 480-line signals.

A NTSC tuner is a device that is used in the reception of analog TV signals (in USA).

An ATSC tuner is a device that is used in the reception of digital TV signals (DTV), including HDTV (High Definition TV) signals.

If you have an analog television, you will have to purchase a digital-to-analog set-top converter box to attach to your TV set to be able to view over-the-air digital program.

To summarize, to receive over-the-air digital programming you will need:
(1) a DTV (a TV with a digital tuner) or an analog TV connected to a digital-to-analog converter box and,
(2) a broadcast antenna (either a rooftop antenna or “rabbit ears” connected to your set).

In general, an antenna that provides quality reception of over-the-air analog TV broadcasting will work for digital TV broadcasting.

It's important to know that the February 17, 2009 deadline for the digital television transition only applies to full-power broadcast stations. Cable companies are not required by the government to transition their systems to digital, and can continue to deliver channels to their customers in analog. Cable companies are actually required by FCC rules to continue offering local broadcast stations to their customers in analog as long as they offer any analog service. This requirement will continue for at least three years after February 17, 2009. The Commission will decide in 2011 whether the requirement should be continued beyond February 17, 2012. This means that customers who receive analog cable service (without a cable set-top box) will be able to continue to do so.

It is also important to note that a cable set-top box is different from a digital-to-analog converter box. A digital-to-analog converter box is necessary only for analog televisions that receive their programming over-the-air using a rooftop antenna or "rabbit ears" connected to the set. A digital-to-analog converter box is not necessary for a TV connected to a paid television service such as a cable or satellite TV provider.

Legislation passed by the Senate also includes the plan to allocate as much as $1.5 billion for a “converter box” program to help people with older, analog TV sets that would lose their signal in the digital era. Consumer advocates say that is not enough money.

By early 2008, set-top converter boxes will be available for purchase at electronics retailers. The cost of the box is expected to range from $50-70.

Watching TV in the car: any car with mobile HDTV receivers?

Legislation passed by the Senate also includes the plan to allocate as much as $1.5 billion for a “converter box” program to help people with older, analog TV sets that would lose their signal in the digital era. Consumer advocates say that is not enough money.

Cable industry representatives say there is the potential for a service disruption for some of the 40 million cable customers without digital. If they still have an analog TV set in 2009, they could lose some stations.

Although it is the first country to turn off analogue television transmissions, over 70% of the country still receives analogue cable television services. Cable companies have only recently begun to roll out digital services in the Netherlands.

The UK preparing to turn off the analogue TV signals between 2008 and 2012
The timetable for analogue switch-off by region is:
2008: Border
2009: West Country, HTV Wales, Granada
2010: HTV West, Grampian, Scottish Television
2011: Yorkshire, Anglia, Central
2012: Meridian, Carlton/LWT (London), Tyne Tees, Ulster

The European Union plans for all member States to switch off their analogue signals by 2012.

Governments around the world are gradually making the switch to digital, with some Scandinavian countries and Belgium targeting a 2007 switch-off date. The target is 2011 in Japan. Australia's current switch-off target date is 2008.

Important question: are you aware of the Analog Television Broadcasting cut-off date?

Congress mandated that February 17, 2009 would be the last day for full-power television stations to broadcast in analog.

Consumers who have newer TV sets capable of receiving digital signals would not notice a change when the switch is made in 2009, nor should satellite television viewers and the roughly 26 million households with digital cable. Your cable or satellite company might have to replace your set-top box, if it hasn’t done so already.

If you receive cable or satellite television service, contact your cable or satellite provider about any additional components, such as a digital set-top box, that you may need to watch digital broadcast programming.

If you’re now receiving analog TV over the air using an indoor or outdoor antenna, you’ll need new equipment when broadcasting goes completely digital—the perfect excuse upgrading to a brand new HDTV with a bigger, wider screen. Or you can use an external digital tuner to pick up the digital transmissions and translate them into analog signals for your existing TV. (Keep in mind that if you want to bring more than one “old faithful TV” into the digital age, you’ll need a tuner box for each set.)

TV sets that rely on "over the air" broadcasting with an antenna (set-top or rooftop) to receive a signal will be affected by the cutoff of analog broadcasts in 2009. You will need to consider one of the following options:
• Purchase a digital-to-analog converter box that plugs into an existing television.
• Subscribe to a cable, satellite or telecommunications service provider if all desired local broadcast stations are carried by that service.
• Purchase a new television set with a built in digital tuner. Any of these steps will ensure that "over-the-air" television consumers will continue to receive programming.
If you buy an HDTV today, you can be fairly certain it won't become obsolete anytime in the next few years

February 17, 2009 will be here faster than you think; be prepared.

This transition is — the biggest change in the industry since color TV.

The end of analog transmission is not the end of the free TV.

This transition could be like the y2k problem - no problem.

http://www.dtv.gov/consumercorner.html - more information about the DTV transition

www.ntia.doc.gov/dtvcoupon, or call 1-888-388-2009 (voice) for the info about ($40) coupon

A listing of the U.S. TV stations that are broadcasting digital programming is available at http://www.fcc.gov/mb/video/files/dtvonair.html.

Visit www.antennaweb.org for helpful advice on selecting the right antenna, based on where you live and which channels you want to receive

What is the digital TV (DTV) transition?

Why are we switching to DTV?

What do I need to do to be ready for the end of analog TV broadcasting?

Do I have to wait until after February 17, 2009 to watch DTV?

If I have an older analog television, will I have to throw it away after February 17, 2009?

If I want a new TV, will I have to buy a High Definition TV (HDTV) to watch digital broadcast television after the transition?

How can I be sure that I am buying a digital TV (DTV)?

How do I know if I already have a digital TV (DTV)?

What is the difference between “Integrated” DTVs and DTV or HDTV “Monitors”?

What about my VCR, DVD player, camcorder, and gaming console? Will I be able to use them with a digital television set?

How do I get DTV or HDTV programming?

Will I need a special antenna to receive DTV over-the-air?

How do I know if I already have digital programming through my cable or satellite TV service?

My cable operator offers a digital cable package. Is this the same as HDTV?

Do cable TV networks, like CNN, MSNBC, Lifetime, etc., have to switch to digital broadcasting as well?

Can my cable system move programming to a digital tier that makes me subscribe to digital service?

Can I hook up more than one TV and video recorder to a single digital-to-analog converter box?

What about my portable, battery-powered analog TV? Will I be able to use it to watch broadcast TV after February 17, 2009?

I have an old antenna that attaches to my TV with two wires. Will I be able to use a converter box with this antenna?

What will happen to the old analog TVs that will be replaced by DTVs? Will there be an effort to recycle them?

Will the February 17, 2009 date for the end of full-power analog television broadcasting be pushed back?

What are low-power (LPTV), Class A, and TV translator stations and how does the DTV transition affect them?

Will digital-to-analog converter boxes (used to convert over-the-air digital TV broadcasts for viewing on analog sets) also convert digital closed captioning?

Will I be able to use parental controls like the V-chip with digital TV the same way I now can with my analog TV?