D-TV IS COMING
Thursday, January 8th, 2009 -- 11:07 AM
TV stations around the country will turn off their analog signals for good in about 40 days.Tracy Waldon of the Federal Communications Commission is touring the region trying to answer as many questions as he can before the February 17 switch.
He?ll hold a special session at the Neillsville Public Library next Monday night from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
"The first thing I'll do is explain to them if they need a converter box," Waldon says, "I have equipment with me and I will set up a converter box and hopefully get a digital picture."
Waldon says the message is especially important in Clark County, where studies show 30-percent of us get our television from sources other than cable or satellite.
"Those households, unless they bought a new television set which has a digital tuner, which is a television set that has been purchased in the last couple of years, they're in risk of losing television service as of February 17," he explains.
The government is forcing the switch for a couple reasons, the most important is that it free up frequencies for high-speed internet and emergency communications; but, it should also be a better viewing experience.
"With digital, either you get a clear picture, or you get no picture at all," Waldon notes. Also, the digital signal will allow stations to broadcast multiple channels over the same frequency.
On The Web:
[url=www.DTVanswers.com]FCC Transition Website[/url]
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.