Government Push To High Definition Will Ban Shipments Of Analog Only TV Devices After February 28.

A very important deadline will pass this February 28, when many television devices such as VCRs, DVRs or even TVs cannot be shipped any longer with an analog only tuner, and must have a ATSC tuner capable of receiving over the air HDTV signals. After March 1, all TVs sold regardless of picture size will have to have an ATSC tuner included. Only monitors, such as many projection or plasma sets are free from this requirement as they have a signal that is fed to the TV system by a nonbuilt-in tuner.

But by February 19, 2009, a provision in a Senate passed budget bill included a provision that ends over-the-air analog broadcasts by the TV stations, making almost all existing TVs go dark unless a person has a converter box. Lawmakers claim that the government will help to subsidize lower income persons with older equipment with a converter unit so their older equipment will be able to receive the new HDTV broadcasts. But for now, most persons still have the older style analog tuners in home video entertainment equipment.

But for present owners of TVs, VCRS and DVD recorders, a big change is coming, and lower income persons not able to afford these big changes could still get caught up in older equipment that is useless and not able to really afford the change. A big change is coming, but is it really for the best?