The End of TV as We Knew It

We'll tell you why February 17th, 2009 is going to be an important day in the history of television, and what you need to do to prepare.

On February 17th, 2009, television as we knew it will cease to exist. Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration. For those of us with cable, satellite, or digital TV connections, this particular date will come and go with nary a flicker of static on our televisions. It does however mark a poignant and exciting milestone in the evolution of television that could possibly affect millions of TV viewers and leave their older sets completely useless.

A Change Is Coming

For over half-a-century, television has been broadcast over the air through analog signals, and every TV with a set of bunny-ear antennas could snag those invisible signals and provide access to a selection of local broadcast channels for free. Technology has come a long way since analog broadcasts were first introduced, but TVs themselves have been slow to catch up, and the same, outdated analog system has been rolling along for decades. That is, until 2009. That's when the old analog signals will cease to exist, and be replaced by more efficient digital broadcasts.

Why Are They Killing Analog?

The main reason is that analog over-the-air TV broadcasts take up too much space. Some of you might remember terms like VHF and UHF, which referred to the different kinds of frequencies that different TV channels used. The range of frequencies used is called bandwidth, and in today's increasingly wireless world, this bandwidth is very valuable. Analog signals use a lot of bandwidth compared to digital signals, which can transmit more information in a smaller slice of the available frequencies. Switching to narrower digital signals (which are also of superior quality), opens up a lot of the bandwidth used by analog for other uses, and the government can then auction off that empty real estate for new uses, such as improving emergency communications or fostering new innovations in wireless technology and services.

So My TV Is About to Expire?

Not necessarily. All that this means is that TVs that do not have digital tuners will not be able to watch free, over-the-air television as they could in the past. Older TVs will still be able to display cable or satellite TV signals just fine, and digital tuners can be bought independently and hooked up to your old TV. These tuners are expected to sell for around $60, and Congress has recently passed a bill that would allow each American household to request two $40 vouchers to put towards the purchase of a digital converter box or tuner. Requests can be submitted beginning on January 1st, 2008.

If you've purchased a TV in the last two or three years, there's a good chance your TV already has a digital tuner in it. All TVs over 25-inches have been required to be manufactured with a digital tuner since 2005, and as of March 2007, retailers are forbidden to sell any TVs that do not have them.