Converters Signal a New Era for TVs

CONVERTERS SIGNAL A NEW ERA FOR TVs
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Jacques Steinberg]
At midnight on Feb. 17, 2009, the rabbit ears and the rooftop antennas that still guide television signals into nearly 1 of every 5 American homes will be rendered useless — unless they are tethered to a new device, including two versions unveiled yesterday, that the government will spend as much as $80 a household to help families buy. The V-shaped rabbit ears, which have stood sentry in some living rooms and dens since the early 1950s, risk going the way of the eight-track tape player or Betamax in 20 months because that is when local television stations will cease sending their signals over the analog airwaves, and instead begin transmitting their programming exclusively over the more modern digital spectrum. The change, which was set in motion by Congress and the Federal Communications Commission in the mid-1990s, is being made at least partly to give viewers a better picture and to make it easier for stations to broadcast their signals in high definition.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/07/technology/07digital.html
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