Millions of Americans had blank television screens on Friday after US television broadcast stations switched from analogue to digital programming.
Here at the Refinishing Touch we have a strong interest in the switchover and have blogged about it in the past. So we've kept a close eye on how America has reacted to the big switchover. It's not been smooth everywhere, despite US authorities spending around two billion dollars on TV ads and other communications to get people prepared.
Consumers were given three options to ensure their TVs still worked after the transition. They could (1) Buy a digital to analogue converter box and connect it to their analogue television; (2) Buy a digital television or (3) Subscribe to a paid TV service.
It would seem the most popular solution has been the cheapest, with people buying a new converter box for a one-off fee of around $60. To help with the cost of the box, the government offered (and is still offering) two $40 coupons to each US household towards the cost.
The government has also been promoting the benefits of the digital TV transition in the hope that people will accept the change much quicker. Unfortunately, many people did not listen to the government's advice, failed to claim their free coupons, and were left without a working television: if you're one of these and are staring at a blank TV screen then we'd suggest you check out www.dtv.gov.
There's an interesting element here as although 'technically' there's no need for people to buy new televisions - analogue sets will work for years with devices such as DVD players, VCRs and video games consoles - digital TV offers a range of benefits including improved picture and sound quality, multiple programming choices and interactive video and data services.
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