Comments on: Not-so-free digital TV converters for everyone

By: nicole87

nicole87 — Thu, 13 May 2010 14:25:51 +0000

so basically we will be spied on oh man say it aint so say it aint so i love my regular frequency i dont need dtv

By: Nightowl

Nightowl — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 00:19:18 +0000

It’s 2/10/08 and still haven’t heard anything from them. I gave up on them horsing me around with those coupons and went out and bought a Digital Ready TV. I did see that Wally World has them in their stores now for $50.

By: Nightowl

Nightowl — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 23:59:01 +0000

I went to the site to apply for the coupons back on January 1st. After I filled in all the information and hit send, about three or four seconds later I got a message back saying that I was not eligible and if I wanted I could file an appeal. In the box provided, I wrote a short message as to why I felt that I was eligible. It said that they would email me back. I got a email from them on January 4th saying quote:
We received your TV Converter Box Coupon Program application and appeal. Your appeal is under
review. We will respond with a decision on your appeal in approximately 5 business days.

Consumer Support Center
TV Converter Box Coupon Program

It is now January 21st and have not gotten an answer from them yet. Is this a bogus site or is the whole program bogus ? I can understand that it must be a huge undertaking having to respond to all the emails and phone calls that must be coming in. They knew approximately how many people in the country still watch over the air TV and should have been adequately staffed to handle all the emails and phone calls. They must have realized that most people would apply as early as possible when they read that the coupons would be given out untill they were all gone. Following up on my previous post about portable TV’s being useless after Feb.2009, what are people going to do in emergencys like storms and such when all they have to rely on for information is those small battery operated TV’s. Will they allocate a station on the old frequencys for that or these folks just screwed.

By: Michael Jones

Michael Jones — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 07:22:03 +0000

I don’t know what rock you live under, but all the information is available on KNBC.com…THAT’S useful…

Shows what YOU know…AND how long you’ve “been around”

By: Michael Hampton

Michael Hampton — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 07:14:25 +0000

At the time this article was written, they were not yet available. Thanks to the wonderful efficiency and effectiveness of government, they are still not yet available. And there’s only a year left before they shut your TV off.

“Bitching”? “Be useful”? You obviously haven’t been around long enough. I don’t bitch, and everything here is useful.

By: Michael Jones

Michael Jones — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 02:17:17 +0000

The least you could do, given the nasty nature of your comments, is to publish the phone numbers &/or websites at which one can order these ‘barebones’ converters…for anyone who isn’t interested enough in the technology to upgrade to a modern, flat-screen, digital TV, these converters are more than adequate.

Quit your bitching and be useful.

By: JC

JC — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 04:30:11 +0000

I think is stupid to pay for a converter box for a new feature that I might not want. For example, if you remember when color TVs were new on the market; it was a choice for the customer to change from black and white screen to color.
Why do we have to pay, not matter how much the price, certain amount of money just because a new change on the future?

By: Bull Frog

Bull Frog — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 18:58:29 +0000

wow!! what a fantastic lobbying effort by european electronics manufacturers!! what a coup! i wonder what the next movement will be toward the roboticism of the populace.

By: Michael Hampton

Michael Hampton — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 23:06:00 +0000

For a government program, that’s dirt cheap.

By: dodo

dodo — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 22:30:56 +0000

Look the law sez they have to spend less that 100 million
to administer a 990 million program. Ten percent to
administer a program, sounds pricy

By: g_man

g_man — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 17:44:46 +0000

I think its hilarious that the gov’t regulates how we watch tv. i feel that if we have to get these “FREE” converters, which we will end up paying for anyway, we shouldnt be regulated in WHAT we watch on our new DIGITAL tv’s. the whole thing is funny

By: Jean

Jean — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 14:20:18 +0000

This is for just Fred I know what you mean I live off disability but I only get 643.00 a month my bills are 611.08 a month. That doesn’t inclue bath soap washing powder or anything else that is taxable. Now exactly where am I suppose to get the money for a converter box. Like I said on anough blog the rich get richer and the poor get screwed. Thanks Jean

By: Tronman

Tronman — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 15:21:52 +0000

I would think that Satellite and cable signals would be exempt from all this, since they already use a converter box. The signal they send is digital and the boxes that receive it already convert it to analog. So joe consumer is fat, dumb and happy with his analog tv. Nothing needs to be done for him.
It is only the consumer that must receive their signal “off air” that will need the converter box and subsequent coupons.

By: Bill T.

Bill T. — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 00:47:49 +0000

First, since we are being “given” these converters, is a manufacturer being subsidized to make them? Then, are those available from Radio Shack equivalent to the upcoming models? Will these converters amplify the signal that comes from the antenna? Rather than buying more than one converter, why not have the maker put two or more ouput jacks on the back of the converter? Also, will these converters have an output for an AM/FM receiver, or is that workable? A number of users may want this feature for external speakers.

By: Just Fred

Just Fred — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 18:22:28 +0000

The Consumers will end up paying for this change in the long run. No matter if the corporations pay. Because they will increase the price of their goods or services and put that increase on the consumer. And me being on disability I know how hard it is to have any extra money. The goverment politicians should try to live on $900.00 a month (Paying rent, gas, water and elec. Bills). Then pay your not covered medical bills, grocery and personal products bills. God forbid you try to own a car. Now you have to buy TV (Satalite or cable) to get a form a entertainment that has been free for almost 100 years. I bet on avrage a politician gets $100,000.00 or more a year and they give them self raises every year. The goverment should have made the TV makers stop making analog TVs, VCRs and DVD Recorders right after deciding to go digital, or they should have made a analog/digital tuner in the TV when they decided to change where you could have switched between the two. They should make the TV,VCR and DVD Recorder manufactures pay for the boxes on TVs, VCRs and DVD Recorders made after the law was passed and they knew the switch was in effect.