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Consumer Reports to Offer DTV Converter Box Ratings to Consumers

October 24, 2008

by Michael Peters

A recent Consumer Reports poll found that millions of Americans are confused about how the DTV transition will impact them and what they need to do to prevent losing television programming. The Feb. 17, 2009 mandate for all U.S. broadcasters to switch to digital broadcasting could leave millions of Americans without access to free over-the-air television broadcasts unless they buy a digital converter box, a new digital television, or subscribe to cable or satellite TV.

19 Million Americans May Not Receive Television Signals in February

Consumer Reports found that about 17 percent of Americans living in television households have at least one television set that will be affected by the digital transition, and 13 percent rely exclusively on over-the-air signals (OTA). Unless they take some action before February, nearly 19 million Americans will be in households without television programming.

Measurements of Digital Transition Awareness

While 93 percent of Americans are aware of the digital transition, consumers are still unclear about how the transition will affect them. Nearly one-third (32%) of consumers in households with at least one TV affected remain unaware they need to take action, and more than one quarter (28%) of those who will not have any functioning TV sets in their home next February do not know that they will be affected by the transition.

Sixty percent of consumers who will not have a functioning TV by the DTV deadline still have not taken action. Moreover, while awareness of the government coupon program to offset the cost of converter boxes has dramatically increased (76%), fewer than half of the consumers with at least one television affected by the DTV transition have requested a coupon, though many plan to request coupons in the upcoming four months.

Information about Digital Converter Boxes

Currently, there are about 60 models of digital converter boxes available on the market, ranging in price from $40 to $90. Consumers can request a $40 government coupon to use toward the purchase of these devices. It's important to choose a digital converter box that allows for individual channels to be easily added without needing to redo the time consuming "scan-for-all-channels." Boxes with analog-pass-through will allow the TV to continue receiving available analog as well as digital signals, including those from lower-power TV stations, which may continue to broadcast in analog past the February 2009 deadline.

Consumer Reports will be releasing updated ratings on DTV converter boxes in November 2008.

For more information on the digital television conversion and Consumer Reports Ratings of digital converter boxes, visit www.ConsumerReports.org/DTV.