Find DTV help in your area

With the DTV transition just days away, take a minute to visit the FCC's DTV hub, a one-stop shop offering tons of information and advice.

Plug in your zip code and find out how many DTV stations operate in your area now and how many will be up and running after June 12. Get a listing of stations with channel number assignments and phone numbers, with an indication of their broadcast strength.

You can also find local support, including in-home installers and walk-in centers. The online troubleshooting guide may help you resolve problems on your own. Incidentally, the coupon offer doesn't end on June 12; you have until July 31 to request $40 subsidy coupons to defray the cost of a converter box.

The government’s call centers (1-888-CALL-FCC, 1-888-225-5322) are likely to be flooded with calls on the day of the transition and the first few days afterward, so try out your setup now and get your problems solved before June 12. —Eileen McCooey

Comments

[Norman R]

I am "full time" Recreational Vehicle resident, so my zip code changes quite frequently. I believe my outside antenna is a UHF-VHF model. I have a 3-4 year old "POLAROID," Model 3201 HD Digital TV, so I believe it has the proper capability. The motorhome came equipped with an amplifier for the antenna signal. However, it seems I get a worse or no signal when turned on! I have scanned several times (in the 95670 Zip code area) yet receive no channels. Are there folks locally that will help determine my predicament?

[everett whitney]

TO: C.K. - " Converter Quality should be done by C.R. "

That HAS already . . . in various places within this very {Electronics Blog - Television} section , in fact !

Takes ~ ~15-20 minutes to click on each & every one - BUT - "IF" you do - there WILL be several places wherein the statement is made that " ... federal coupon Converters are strictly a temporary solution, NOT a permanent 'fix'....."

Eventually, all will need to acquire at a new HDTV [ no converter of course] and "give up" on the generations-old practice of having some sort of TV in each room!

Just (1) to a household, since for many, 3 - 4 - 5 HDTVs might be out-of-reach.

everett

[C.K. Yamasaki]

Time for CR to take a look at the quality of the digital converter boxes.

I tend to be a rule follower and, expecting the transition to ACTUALLY take place in February when it was scheduled, I ordered my coupons, bought my boxes and was all ready to go in January.

I purchased my two boxes from Best Buy. They are the Insignia brand (the ONLY brand they carried at the time), which I believe are 'generic' for Zenith. The cost was $67 plus tax, and each coupon paid $40 worth. My out of pocket was therefore $54 for both boxes and a heck of a lot of California sales tax.

NOW... ONE day before the ACTUAL transition, one of my boxes has died. It threw all kinds of computer garbage (like a core dump) on the screen after which even the power button was dead. The blue 'on' light only went off when I finally unplugged it.

Have the manufacturers preprogrammed some kind of planned obsolescence (like Epson does with with their printers) into these boxes, so we'll all have to go back for a second round of purchases without coupon assistance?

It seems rather carefully orchestrated. Coupons were set to expire in 90 days, so they had to be used sooner rather than later. Warranties were only good for 90 days, also. Everything seemed planned to have the boxes used BEFORE the actual revised June 12th date, so that they would 'die' once they were actually needed. Why did the government allow only a 90 day warranty on something they were partners in selling?

I am a retired senior. My income was cut in half when AIG faulted on insurance on worthless mortgage instruments, and the whole unregulated mess came down like a house of cards, making me now a retired LOW-INCOME senior. I cannot afford an unexpected $67 out of pocket to replace a device I didn't really need until MONTHS after the warranty expired. Now what do I do? I know, I am set to refill my medication this month - I can get $60 if I hold off on that for a while, maybe I can come up with the other $17 (and the $6 for the sales tax) somewhere...

I'm hoping enough people will write of this problem that CR will take a look.