Over-the-air full-power analog US TV ends by February 17, 2009. Check out http://www.dtvanswers.com for additional information. If you currently watch TV on an analog TV set that is not connected to cable, satellite, or other pay TV service, you'll need to do something - either get a newer TV with digital tuning or apply for ( https://www.dtv2009.gov ) up to two $40 discount coupons towards certain basic converter boxes to let you keep using your old analog sets. The coupons expire 90 days after they're issued. Government rules allow pre-orders using the coupons as long as the boxes will ship within 60 days of the pre-order, but it's up to the retailer whether they offer this.

http://antennaweb.org/ will let you put in your address and see what stations (analog, digital, or both) are in your range, what type of antenna you'll need, and which direction you'll need to aim it if you need a directional antenna.

Class A, Low Power TV, and TV Translator stations are not required to switch to digital, and some will not. They will continue conventional analog broadcasting, and you will still be able to watch them on your old TV sets. Converter boxes with an "analog pass through" feature will allow you to watch analog stations, but only some of the coupon-eligible boxes will have this feature.

Here's another aspect: After the digital transition, the tuner in existing analog VCRs and DVD recorders won't be able to pick up over-the-air programs for recording. Instead, the input to the VCR/DVD recorder must be connected to the output of the DTV converter box, and you must set the tuner in the DTV converter box to the channel you want to record prior to the start of each recording period programmed in the recorders. The Echostar/Slingbox converter box is so far the only one that will have an event timer to let you do timed recording (It also has analog pass-through.). It's due out mid-June, is renamed the DTVPal, and will sell for $40 ( http://www.ezdigitaltv.com/DISH_Network_DTVPal.html ). Provantage was taking pre-orders, but stopped doing so to be sure they'll have sufficient supply.

Remember that we've been saying "Over-the-air full-power analog US TV ends by February 17, 2009"? Well, some markets will make the cutover earlier. There have been some areas doing brief tests so far, but the 10 TV stations serving Wilmington, NC will make the switch in less than a month - September 8, 2008.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6558577.html

Also, the Slingbox/Echostar (DISH network) DTVPal is out, but not at the anticipated $40 price - it's $60 (plus $8 or so shipping). It has an event timer and analog pass-through.

http://dtvpal.com/

The Slingbox/Echostar (DISH network) DTVPal has apparently an identical version labeled as the TR-40 CRA which is at the anticipated $40 price, while the DTVPal is $60 (plus $8 or so shipping). It has an event timer and analog pass-through.

There's also a DTVPal Plus at $70, which differs in having an enhanced digital tuner to better pick up weak signals.

http://dtvpal.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTSS8E7bKXg

A humorous look at the DTV conversion