Even at this late hour it is still not too late to convert your television to HDTV. More HDTV converters are available for consumers to obtain. The United States Congress voted to delay the switch over to HDTV until June 2009. This bill also contained more money for HDTV converter coupons. The coupons are available via the government to help people to purchase the converters that are needed to transform the digital signal into a signal an older analog television set needs to receive in order to display a picture properly.
The HDTV converter coupon program was started and while the initial 47 million coupons were sent out, by the end of January 2009, only 21.7 million coupons were redeemed. 3 million people were still on the waiting list as of the first week of February 2009.
The coupons are for $40. Many HDTV converters run in the $50 to $80 range and vary according to quality and manufacturer.
However, the best deals and the easiest way to redeem the HDTV converter coupons, is online. Many brick and mortar businesses require you to jump through hoops and redeem it in-store and many times for less than the coupon itself. With online offers, many times the coupons cover the cost of the converter. This is a blessing for those who don’t have too much disposable income to purchase the converters. Those most at risk are the poor, the sick or elderly who either lack the funds or simply cannot go into a store to obtain the HDTV converter.
Many people resisted government help altogether. They viewed it as unnecessary for the government to assist them in purchasing something they consider a luxury.
Still, even with a converter, a special HDTV antenna may be needed to view your favorite televisions shows.
So Best Buy, WalMart, Target and other “big box” stores may not be your best options for an HDTV converter. Take a look online and compare models, manufacturers and prices. Pay attention to reviews, redemption processes and all of the other aspects of the converters (such as price).
Happy Viewing!!
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[...] to switch over to the new programming, the U.S. government has issued vouchers so that they can buy HDTV converters. The HDTV converters that are needed to transform the digital signal into a signal an older analog [...]