$40 Converter Box Coupon

[bradentonian]

Lots of folks on here have been arguing thru the election period about government spending, especially concerning military, welfare, health care, etc.

How do you feel about the $40 coupon program for DTV converter boxes?

[Snake Pliskin]

It's stupid IMO. Living here in Florida, we sometimes get these storms that knock out our power. And then we need these battery powered TV's to get any information at all. Those aren't going to work anymore after they do this. If we don't have power how will our DTV converter box work? It won't. Very poorly thought out.

[ktownbuc47]

buy a generator. You can watch your HDTV and keep your beer cold at the same time.

[Biggs3535]

Lots of folks on here have been arguing thru the election period about government spending, especially concerning military, welfare, health care, etc.

How do you feel about the $40 coupon program for DTV converter boxes?

I think Galt? had a great post on this subject, something about it would be cheaper to actually buy these people new TV's.

The coupon program is ridiculously stupid.

[John Galt?]

A few facts that aren't being reported about this "converter box" fiasco.

Tons of ads and press about the Feb deadline, and while they do say if you use cable or Sat. you won't need it, what they don't say is that if your TV is cable ready, which almost every TV made since 1985 is, YOU DON'T NEED A CONVERTER BOX!.

This whole thing is a Government endorsed Scam to sell millions of UNNEEDED converter boxes.

Want proof?

Disconnect the sat/cable from your less than 23 year old TV, get a $12.00 set of "rabbit ears" antennea with a RF (screw in cable connector) connector and plug it in.
make sure your TV is set to Cable, not Ant. and start scanning for channels. You will find analog versions of the VHF channels (2-13) and you will also find Digital equivalents in the 20+ channels range. For instance, in Tampa you will find FOX on channel 10 (analog) AND Channel 24 (Digital) and you will find WFTS-ABC on analog UHF 28 (if your TV input is set to Ant.) and digital channel 29 (input set to cable)

You will also find Alternate digital broadcasts of all the channels in the 69+ range.

[John Galt?]

It's stupid IMO. Living here in Florida, we sometimes get these storms that knock out our power. And then we need these battery powered TV's to get any information at all. Those aren't going to work anymore after they do this. If we don't have power how will our DTV converter box work? It won't. Very poorly thought out.

Maybe you have heard of something called AM and FM radio.

[John Galt?]

If you have an ancient TV and you can't afford $40 for a converter box, you don't need a coupon; you need to get off your lazy TV watchin' butt and get a job. Go mow the neighbors lawn for $40 bucks, spend a couple hours collecting aluminum cans, sell a pint of blood.

Seriously, we are talking about a one-time $40 fee, if you don't have that, then try riding the bus for a week instead of driving. You'll save over $40 bucks in gas.

Why do we need 22 million $40 coupons? Are you telling me there are 22 million (and possibly another 11 million) people that can't scratch together $40?

[Snake Pliskin]

Yeah JG? I have but as you well know, Radio won't exactly be able to tell you when a feeder band full of tornadoes is bearing down on your house.

[bradentonian]

If you have an ancient TV and you can't afford $40 for a converter box, you don't need a coupon; you need to get off your lazy TV watchin' butt and get a job. Go mow the neighbors lawn for $40 bucks, spend a couple hours collecting aluminum cans, sell a pint of blood.

Seriously, we are talking about a one-time $40 fee, if you don't have that, then try riding the bus for a week instead of driving. You'll save over $40 bucks in gas.

Why do we need 22 million $40 coupons? Are you telling me there are 22 million (and possibly another 11 million) people that can't scratch together $40?

I agree 100%.  I really don't understand the logic behind the program.  Not only the idea that the government somehow "owes" the public the ability to watch TV...  but also the administration of the program.  How many of these coupons are being used in an unintended or fraudulent manner?  Many more people are using the coupons on box purchases than actually need them, IMO, just because they can.

[Ironphist]

... but gov't run healthcare will be very efficient - that's "change" you can believe in!

anytime the sentence starts with "the gov't should..."  i get acid reflux.

[John Galt?]

How many of these coupons are being used in an unintended or fraudulent manner?

Very few. The Government has spent billions to insure there is a minimal amount of fraud in this $880 million giveaway.

A few facts that aren't being reported about this "converter box" fiasco.

Tons of ads and press about the Feb deadline, and while they do say if you use cable or Sat. you won't need it, what they don't say is that if your TV is cable ready, which almost every TV made since 1985 is, YOU DON'T NEED A CONVERTER BOX!.

This whole thing is a Government endorsed Scam to sell millions of UNNEEDED converter boxes.

Want proof?

Disconnect the sat/cable from your less than 23 year old TV, get a $12.00 set of "rabbit ears" antennea with a RF (screw in cable connector) connector and plug it in.
make sure your TV is set to Cable, not Ant. and start scanning for channels. You will find analog versions of the VHF channels (2-13) and you will also find Digital equivalents in the 20+ channels range. For instance, in Tampa you will find FOX on channel 10 (analog) AND Channel 24 (Digital) and you will find WFTS-ABC on analog UHF 28 (if your TV input is set to Ant.) and digital channel 29 (input set to cable)

You will also find Alternate digital broadcasts of all the channels in the 69+ range.

Sadly, no that isn't how it works.  It boils down to the tuner type that your TV has, ATSC v. NTSC, when they broadcast in digital, they will broadcast in digital, because of that NTSC tuners by themselves will not pick up the signal.  Just because the over the air channels come in at different channels versus doing the same setting up the tuner to look for catv signal, this isn't to say that it will pick up digital.  Broadcast companies do have different areas where they put their signal, but a lot of the digital channels that I've seen will sometimes have an extension behind the number, for example, the local ABC affiliate here broadcasts analog as ch 3 or between 60-66MHz (usually 61.25Mhz) frequency according to standard NTSC television frequencies.  Because there is a different tuner standard employed for ATSC the the channel format for the local ABC here would then be 3.1. 

Something else to consider, when you plug your tv in to use CATV with an NTSC equipped tuner, and your cable company happens to have digital channels aside from their analog channels, you'll see that the tuner will not pull any digital channels at all.  But a TV with an ATSC tuner will pull a few of them.

Bottom line is if someone wants to watch over the air tv, they'll have to find a way to get the digital signal either via a converter, or a TV with a built in tuner.