The Unavoidable Update

THE UNAVOIDABLE UPDATE
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Roy Furchgott]
While people like to complain that there is nothing to watch on television, about 21 million American households may find that literally true in February 2009. On the 17th of that month, most TV stations will quit broadcasting analog TV signals over the air, and older sets will go blank. And despite advertising that proposes cable TV as the remedy for a dark screen, cable viewers with older sets -- 40 million of them, according to the Federal Communications Commission -- will be given a reprieve but not immunity. Three years after the over-the-air change, cable customers with analog sets could see the same blank screen. (By that time, most analog sets would be ancient.) The picture isn't entirely bleak for old sets. There are simple steps consumers with old TVs can take to ensure that “American Idol” is still on their screen next February. But consumers ready to make the transition may have a hard time learning how to prepare.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/24/technology/personaltech/24basics.html?ref=todayspaper
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