Digital TV conversion confusing to many
BY COLIN HICKEY
Staff Writer Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel 01/05/2009

Gary Batey of Batey's TV & Appliance in Fairfield is spending a lot of time on roofs this holiday season.

The switch from analog to digital TV is the reason.

That conversion, which must be completed by all full-power television broadcast stations by Feb. 17, is more complicated than many expected, Batey said.

Batey said most of the customers who have come to his shop for the digital-converter box that enables their older analog TV to pick up digital signals have been disappointed.

The trouble, he said, is not the converter box but the signal strength of TV stations. Some of them aren't strong enough, so far, to be received through the VHF (very high frequency) spectrum.

Instead, UHF (ultra high frequency) becomes necessary, a situation that for many households means upgrading their existing roof antenna so they can pick up UHF channels.

"I'm seeing a surge of people being confused about digital (TV), period," Batey said.

What is not confusing is that people who have analog TVs and no cable or satellite service must purchase either a digital TV or a converter box -- the government is providing coupons for $40 off the price of the boxes -- in order to get reception once Feb. 17 arrives.

Households in this situation also have the option of subscribing to cable or satellite TV rather than going the converter box or new digital TV route.

Satellite Services in Winslow has seen a surge in its business since last summer when the federal government began issuing coupons for converter boxes, salesperson Dasha Palmer said.

"We've had some people come in looking at antenna and then going with satellite," Palmer said.

Satellite Services offers both options and also has converter boxes for sale.

Palmer said in about half the cases, people coming in to upgrade their antenna for digital decide instead to switch to satellite TV.

"It is basically a matter of facing a high upfront cost or a small monthly fee," Palmer said.

Palmer said Satellite Services charges $299 to install an antenna and sells converter boxes for $52.

To get local TV channels through satellite, on the other hand, a person pays $149 upfront and then a $10 monthly fee. Palmer said this option also allows a customer to upgrade to an expanded programming plan.

Peter DeWitt of Time-Warner Cable New England said the company, which provides service to 90 percent of the state's 300,000 cable subscribers, has been peppered with calls concerning the digital conversion.

DeWitt said those inquiries have come from both current and prospective customers.

"As we get close and closer to the actual (conversion) date, I think we will continue to get more questions on the topic," DeWitt said.

For many, the issue comes down to money. Analog TV owners who want to stay free of monthly subscriber fees can get the converter box, which typically can be acquired for $10 to $30 once the discount coupon is factored in.

But, in most cases, such households will face an antenna upgrade.

Batey said, along with a UHF antenna, people making the conversion from analog to digital typically need a power booster to ensure good reception.

Geography plays a huge role in what is needed for equipment, he said.

He said one household in Albion was able to pick up the digital broadcast with nothing more than a converter box and a $10 indoor antenna.

But that is by far the exception, he said.

Batey said he has done dozens of antenna installations since last summer, clear proof that not everybody subscribes to cable or satellite TV these days.

"I think you are going to find there are a lot more (people without cable or satellite TV) than you realize," Batey said, adding that many people have over-the-air analog TV at their summer camps.

The National Telecommunications and Information Office reports that as of mid December, Mainers have requested 183,377 converter coupons since the program began -- the government allows two coupons per household.

The federal agency -- part of the U.S. Department of Commerce -- also reports that 76 percent of households that rely on an antenna for TV reception have requested coupons.

That leaves about 3.3 million households that have yet to take advantage of the discount program.

Consumers can apply for the coupons until March 31 or until the supply runs out. Coupons expire 90 days after they are mailed.

Colin Hickey -- 861-9205

chickey@centralmaine.com

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