Watch TV? Feds want to pay you

By JONATHAN TAKIFF
Philadelphia Inquirer
Mar. 15, 2007

Watch TV? Feds want to pay you JONATHAN TAKIFF

Philadelphia Inquirer

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Who knew? It pays to watch TV.

Starting Jan. 1, the federal government will offer up to two $40 rebate coupons to each household of television viewers in a $1.5 billion plan announced yesterday by the Commerce Department.

People will be able to apply the $40 chits toward the purchase of a TV tuner/converter box - expected to sell in the $60 to $75 range - that will allow viewers of broadcast (over-the-airwaves) TV to receive the new generation of digital TV channels without replacing their old sets.

Come Feb. 17, 2009, broadcasters now operating with separate analog and digital services must shut down their analog transmitters and return the unused frequency to the government for resale or reuse.

Here's what you need to know about the program:

Q: I now get all my TV by cable or satellite. Do I have to worry about analog channels going "dark"?

A: No. Your pay service will continue to deliver signals that your analog or digital TV can tune to.

Q: I have two sets connected to cable, and two TVs with rabbit ears that get only over-the-air signals. Am I still eligible for the rebate?

A: There are no restrictions on the first wave of rebates, funded up to $990 million. Any household can request one or two coupons. Each coupon will be numbered, for tracking purposes, and must be applied to the purchase of a box within 90 days of receipt.

If this nearly $1 billion fund is depleted, a second wave of funding, up to $510 million more, will be tapped for more rebates, but only to cable-free households.

Q: Can I use the coupon toward the purchase of a digital TV set, or combine two coupons?

A: The coupons are only for the purchase of basic tuner/convertor boxes, with a one-coupon limit per item.

Q: What will the box look like, how will I hook it up, and what can I expect in terms of performance?

A: Two major electronics companies, Thomson and LG Electronics, have already produced prototype boxes.

"They're small - 5 or 6 inches wide, 3 or 4 inches deep and a couple inches high," said an LG spokesman, John Taylor. "You'll connect your rabbit ears or rooftop antenna to the box, then connect the box to your TV with a simple [coaxial] antenna wire or separate left and right audio [red and white] and video [yellow] plugged cables."

A wireless remote is included.

The boxes will convert enhanced and high-definition digital signals to standard-definition analog. But you'll still see improvements over your current reception.

With these "sixth-generation tuners," said Taylor, the pictures will be "very sharp, free of ghosts and snow."

Also, you'll be able to tune in the one to three extra news, weather, entertainment, public service and religious channels that broadcasters are sending out as bonuses in their "multicast" digital services.