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By Joyzelle Davis, Rocky Mountain News
March 2, 2007 The rabbit-eared TV has less than two years to live. And forget trying to buy one from your neighborhood electronics store.

We're coming to the end of analog.

Analog broadcasts - a basic TV signal sent through the air - are set to end in 2009. That's when TV signals become a digital stream that only the right kind of TV or converter box can decode.

If that's news to you, you're not alone. More than 56 percent of over-the-air viewers have "seen, read or heard nothing" about the transition, according a recent survey by the National Association of Broadcasters, and only 10 percent of viewers knew it would happen in 2009.

Starting this month, retailers no longer can sell TVs that only have analog tuners. "The majority of televisions have had digital tuners built into them for the past two years," said Phil Murray, marketing manager of Denver-based Listen Up Audio/Video, and most retailers have sold dual- tuner (analog and digital) televisions for years, so customers won't notice a difference on store shelves.

Congress approved the switch to digital in late 2005 as part of a broader spending bill. Moving TV broadcasts to digital will free up the 700-megahertz frequency band used by analog, meaning that spectrum can be used for emergency communications and auctioned for new wireless services.

Broadcasters and TV manufacturers are starting to realize they need to get the word out so the nation's 20 million households that rely on free, over-the-air broadcasts don't turn on their TVs to find a blank screen on Feb. 17, 2009, the transition date.

The switch won't affect the estimated 96 million consumers who subscribe to cable or satellite TV.

Those most likely to be affected are the poor and elderly. Congress has approved $1.5 billion for vouchers for people to buy converter boxes, which allows viewers to see digital programming on analog TVs.

Starting Jan. 1, 2008, each household can request up to two coupons valued at $40 each to help cover the cost of buying a box, which are expected to cost $50 to $70.

If the transition seems like a hassle, the news isn't all bad. Digital-TV broadcasts offer crystal-clear reception, meaning you'll no longer need to pay for basic cable to see local networks in digital. Many stations also provide extra, digital-only channels such as dedicated weather and music programming.

More than 90 percent of local networks already are broadcasting in digital, but Denver is lagging behind because of a long-standing dispute over the construction of a transmission tower atop Lookout Mountain. This year, Congress ended the impasse, and the tower should be transmitting signals in 18 months. That also means that high-definition broadcasts finally will be available in the metro area.

"That will be a big deal when that tower comes online," said Jim Pearse, senior vice president of merchandising at Thornton-based Ultimate Electronics. "HD broadcasts of local networks will be free. And not a lot of high-quality things are free."

Coming up next? Stay tuned . . .

• What happens this month?

All new television sets designed to receive over-the-air signals must contain a tuner capable of receiving digital broadcasts, in preparation for a complete transition to digital broadcasts by 2009. Retailers no longer can sell analog-only sets.

Digital tuners already were required in sets with screens larger than 25 inches.

• What happens on Feb. 17, 2009?

Analog-television broadcasts end in the United States. That doesn't mean the end of free-broadcast television, but consumers will need either a TV with a digital tuner, cable- or satellite-TV service, or a converter box for their old analog TVs.

• Who will be affected?

The 20 million households that rely solely on free, over-the-air broadcasts, as well as millions of households that have secondary TV sets that receive over-the-air signals.

• How do I know if I have an analog or digital tuner?

If you have only an NTSC tuner on your set, it's an analog TV. But many sets sold in the past few years have both an NTSC and ATSC (digital) tuner.

If you purchased a TV in the past two years and it's larger than 25 inches, odds are it has a digital tuner.

• Are digital TVs the same as HDTVs?

No. While all high-definition TVs are digital, not all digital TVs are HDTVs. You can buy a tabletop "standard definition" digital TV that costs just a fraction of an HDTV.

You're probably wondering

• If I don't plan to buy a new digital television and I don't subscribe to cable or satellite TV, can I still watch TV?

Yes, if you hook up a digital-to-analog converter box that plugs into an existing television. Starting Jan. 1. 2008, each U.S. household can request up to two vouchers valued at $40 each toward the purchase of one or more set-top converter boxes that will allow you to keep watching free broadcast television. The boxes, which aren't available yet, are expected to cost between $50 and $70 each.

Keep in mind that you will need a box for each television in your home that doesn't receive a digital signal if you want to keep watching that TV.Source: Rocky Staff And Wire Reports