RSSJonathan Gromer - AOL Shopping
If you're one of the almost 7.8 million broadcast television fans that happened to miss the memo, we've got some abrupt news for you to swallow ... fast. You have less than two months before all the televisions in your home become nothing more than handsome pieces of furniture that will light up only for your computer, VCR or DVD player. On June 12, a milestone in American technological history will occur when all the transmissions from major broadcasters in the U.S. will become solely digital, as opposed to both analog and digital as they are now. If you haven't checked to see if your television systems are ready, hopefully we can help light the proverbial fire under your seat.
Finding out if your home theater(s) will soon revert to the stone age is simple. If your television is spoon-fed its content from a cable, IPTV (television broadcasted through the Internet) or satellite provider then you can feel free to exhale...your service-provider is taking care of the transition for you and you won't need any new equipment at all. The same goes for newer televisions that have a built-in digital tuner. Televisions with digital tuners began to be readily available in stores around 2003, and you can check to see if your internal antenna-equipped set is digital-capable by looking for the ATSC (digital-ready) or NTSC (analog-only) logos either on the set itself or in the literature that it came with. If your set has an NTSC tuner or is only termed an HD monitor (no internal antenna at all), then you need to get a move-on. The same goes for you if your reception comes via the ole analog antenna (rabbit ears, rooftop antennas, etc ...).
If your TV(s) are unprepared for the transition, you have two options. A digital converter box is the most affordable option, with prices typically ranging from $40-$80. Philco's TB100HH9 ($48-$59) and Apex's Digital to Analog TV Converter Box ($40.01) qualify for a federal program being offered that's designed to ease the transition for households, offering a $40 discount off the purchase of any approved converter box. A household can qualify for up to two coupons, and an application for the coupons (which must be in-hand before purchase) can be found at dtv2009.gov.
Digital Converter Coupons
The good news is that a converter box, combined with your existing analog antenna (if it worked well) should provide great reception -- thanks to the fact that the new digital broadcast signals will be transmitted in the same frequency range as your old favorites (channels 2-69). Both units feature a remote that can also control your VCR and also have an analog pass-through so signals from your favorite low-power (local) channels will still be fed to your television. The bad news? As of Monday, January 5, the existing supply of federal coupons have been exhausted and new applicants are put on a waiting list to receive new coupons as already issued ones expire (currently estimated to be around 300,000/week). This might just be the excuse you need to go with option 2! Shop for a new HDTV today!
7 Digital Transition Options
You might notice additional goodies added to some digital broadcasts--touches like 5.1 surround sound and high-definition-if you have a setup that can do it justice. Toshiba's 15LV505 is a 15.6-inch LCD TV that delivers a very good high-definition image with nice contrast, along with a quick 5ms response time to keep fast action scenes smooth. The TV's viewing angle is decent, especially considering its small size. Of course, the 15LV505 comes with a built-in digital tuner-and an integrated DVD player that handles WMA, MP3, JPEG and DIVX is an added bonus. HDMI fans will be disappointed by its lack of a port, but for $270, this set is an excellent value proposition and one of the most affordable ways to jump into a good-quality HD experience.
Toshiba's 20" LCD TV builds on the feature set of its kid brother (the 15LV505) with additional video processing for deeper blacks and more accurate color, along with adding an HDMI input and five audio surround-sound modes. While it lacks the 15LV505's integrated DVD player, it does add 5 inches of screen real estate...for around only $30 more. The 20HL67, which is hard to find on store shelves, retails for around $300.
Samsung's 19" LCD TV makes good on Samsung's reputation for excellent picture quality by serving up vibrant color and good contrast, even though the TV's image settings are less user-configurable than many others in Samsung's product line. Audiophiles will not be impressed by the hollowish sound of the units' speakers, but the LN19A450 distinguishes itself from its competitors by including an optical out port for your sound system, complemented by a full suite of input options including HDMI. Samsung's impressive value proposition retails around $320 in black and $330 for the aesthetically smooth white set. 
Phillips' competitive entry in the compact HD LCD market, the 19", is probably the most well-rounded offering in its segment, serving up both great image and sound quality. The entry-level Philips employs additional software to smooth out action sequences and stands apart from the crowd with two HDMI inputs and a digital coaxial output for sound. The 19PFL3403D can be had for the around $330. 
If you're looking for more configurability and features in a 26" package, Toshiba's 26" LCD TV is a better match for you than the Dynex 26". Toshiba's midsize boasts some of the advanced features from the brand's fullsize line including multiple screen modes optimized for different activities like video gaming, software for deeper blacks and better contrast and 2 HDMI inputs and an optical out for audio. The cabinet's finish is thinner and a touch more stylish than the Insignia, and the price difference between the two reflects that. For around $460, however, the Toshiba delivers on its promises at a very competitive cost. 
Vizio's products are a fashionable mix, founded on an approach to blend the best qualities of store-brand values with the packaging of higher-end models. The 32" is an example of just that, serving up great picture quality, good connectivity (2 HDMI ports) and good sound in a very stylish chassis. Keeping with the store-brand value approach, the set retails for around $540. 
If you've heard of HD LCD TVs, you've probably heard the name AQUOS... and with good reason. Some models from Sharp's line have distinguished themselves from the competition with superior performance, and the family heritage is apparent the brand's two 32-inch offerings. The LC-32SB24U delivers a full suite of connectivity options, excellent sound and exceptional image quality that emphasizes LCD's typically vibrant (as opposed to natural and more subdued) color reproduction for around $570. The LC-32D64U ups the ante with the highest contrast ratio on paper of all the units in this story, along with the highest resolution. While 720p resolution is perfectly adequate for a television of this size and is the standard for all other units mentioned, the LC-32D64U boasts 1080p resolution as a bonus for around $800. Don't be intimidated of the prices, however. The heavy volume of LCDs being produced combined with the current softness of the market mean the right vendor at the right time might have a shockingly affordable price.
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We have a digital ready TV, and yet we do receive our transmissions via rabbit ears--i.e. we don't have cable or sattelite. So since our TV is capable of the new format do we NOT have to worry, or because we recieve with rabbit ears DO we have to worry???
Never yet has any information we've read or heard been clear on this!
You can have the clearest picture in all of creation, but it only amounts to bullcookies IF THE PROGRAMS SUCK.
Is this sufficient to receive signals?
I purchased a DVD recorder/player and it has a digital tuner built in. I am now able to record and watch all the channels that I had in the past through this unit.
I am assuming that since my DVD is digital and my other television is digital I do not have to change anything else to continue using my rooftop antenna.
Good thing I don't watch much TV...don't actually own one. I have an audio-visual monitor with TV reception through a VCR and rabbit ears. Wasn't sure a converter box would work anyway.
See you at the library.