old tv's will still be usable, right? i'd hate to get rid of mine, it's too convenient and works great even though taylor hicks broke part of it. i just need to know if i can still use it.

You can still use it. If you have cable you're all set. If not you just need to get a converter box.

you can also still use it if you have sattelite. There's a few websites where you can get info. from, the only one I can remember right now is www.dtvanswers.com

im not sure if the converter boxes are working already or not till Feb. 2009. I hooked up a converter box on one of my tv's and it only picked up two channels out of 9 locals.:(

Like someone said, if you have cable or satellite there's no problem. Our local tv station ran a test and shut down their analog transmitter for 30 seconds; our tv went blank!
The converter boxes are already working; they are just technologically impared and don't pick up a lot of channels (like WFAA). We were told to get a stronger antenna to pick up the rest of the channels that don't come in otherwise we won't be able to ever see them. In our case, we'll need a rooftop antenna and living in an apt that is not possible. We are considering buying a digital tv soon.

Exactly - this will be an issue for you only if you use those old basic t.v. antennas that you can climb, usually found at the side of your house. I think by now, most people are at least on cable. I understand the box you'll need isn't expensive anyway so don't panic.

I just bought two new t.v.'s so I've just spent a fortune on Digital VIP cable packages, stands, mounts, cables, etc. since the one for my bedroom is a 37" Sharp Aquos LCD HD and the one in the living room is a 52" Samsung HD LCD, 120hz (man it rocks!). I sure hope that's all I need now for a few years!

I have cable and I have Comcast converter box. This past january the Cable company gave us one free box for a year. Now currently I have splitter hooked up so my vcr can still tape. With out the box I have lost a bunch of stations.So my vcr side only get to tape certain stations.I guess this is the analog side for the box pulls in the digital stations. I pay about $60. a months for my cable service. Sad to say only like to watch about 10 stations. Now they say if you have a cable line you will be fine. So if so I won't need a box in February?. If I could get decent reception and few cable stations I ditch the pay every month to the company. $60 a month. In this country you pay month after month for everything.

Our town is behind the times and all they offer is sattelite which we are not going to get hooked up.
The new tv formats in the stores can be confusing...there are sets that even though being 'hd' would still need antenna and converter box to work; others come in digital but are not hd (?????) so they will work without the antenna. Can anyone clarify this before we go invest?

Our town is behind the times and all they offer is sattelite which we are not going to get hooked up.
The new tv formats in the stores can be confusing...there are sets that even though being 'hd' would still need antenna and converter box to work; others come in digital but are not hd (?????) so they will work without the antenna. Can anyone clarify this before we go invest?

The way I understand it is a digital TV can be hooked up straight to the cable coming from the wall. It is already set up to recieve the new signal in Feb o9. If you have an old analog TV you need the convertor box. Anytime you want to recieve premium channels like HBO, Cinemax, or HD channels....you need a convertor box from your cable company. Satelite companies use reciever boxes to recieve all of their signals so you already have a convertor box right there. I personally like Direct TV. Basically all new TV's are being made in digital. Upper models have an HD upgrade if you want to get those channels from your provider but you will need a box from your cable provider or from a satelite company to recieve those channels.

And just be warned, if you want "true" HD (i.e. your HD t.v. set is 1080i or 1080p you WILL need the HD converter and most run around $500 (although some cable companies will rent them to you - I pay $25 a month). Just remember, not all channels air in HD right now so you really have to love your HD or have the money to afford it.
More HD channels are being added all the time, and there will probably be lots more once this conversion comes in.