I see from the shape of your head that you don’t live under a rock. So I’ll assume that you have at least heard of this, even if you don’t know the date that it will happen. And if you do think you know the date, you might want to check it again.

The TV broadcasters were given a date of February 17, 2009 for the cut-over. Despite the fact that this meant having people working up tall towers in winter weather, they pretty much pulled it off.

Coupons were made available for people to exchange for a converter box, but the program ran out of money. Approximately 80 million homes depend on over-the-air broadcasts, but at two-coupons-per-household the government had enough money earmarked for barely half of those.

Nielsen, the TV ratings people,  estimate that 5.7% of US households are not prepared for DTV. That is over 6.5 million homes.

Now you might think that this is older people who were making popcorn during the ads which were warning them of the situation. But not so. The under-35 crowd out-numbers the over-55s more than two to one in not being ready.

But – the situation may not be that dire. Aren’t the under-35s the very ones most likely to be either not watching TV at all, or subscribing to cable/satellite where they don’t need a coupon? And if only half were going to get them anyway, why are we worrying about the 6% that don’t?

Obama suggested that the cutover should be delayed for four months. The House of Representatives failed to get the two-thirds majority required to pass the bill. The Senate has now passed the DTV Delay Act and this time the House needs only a simple majority to pass it. The Act says that broadcasters can cutover on 2/17 if they want to, but if they don’t then they have to by 6/13. So, somebody is going to turn on the TV and not get a picture.

This just was not the best time of year to do this. How is the weather where you live right now? Interested in getting on the roof to point the antenna in a different direction? Or even to drive to your big box electronics merchant and buy the box?

And don’t forget that someone paid almost $20 billion to use that spectrum. Will they now seek restitution from the government? As my father used to say, A government has no money, its our money.

But what if someone does not get a picture? If Wheel of Fortune fails to materialize, I am confident that they will find a box and make it happen!

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A word about DTV.

“Is this the same as HDTV?”
No. DTV is to HDTV, as your car is to  its occupants. DTV is a method of transmission. HDTV is what is being transmitted.

 Do I need a new, digital antenna?”
No. The antenna will receive “both”. The digital signals (DTV) have less range than the old analog ones. So you may lose a station if you were on the edge of their area, but you may gain a different one. Or you may not. Digital signals, while not directional do tend to behave like they are. Broadcasters are often transmitting two or more additional channels in addition to the original content. If your new signals are coming from a different location than before, you will need to reorient the antenna or perhaps buy a multi-directional one.