The DTV transition: All you'll need to know

Got an older TV with rabbit ears or a rooftop antenna? Please pay attention. Big changes have arrived for those who get their TV shows "over the air" with antennas (instead of via cable or satellite).

Old-style "analog" TV broadcasts in this country ended June 12. This is the kind of over-the-air TV that was around for around for generations, but it has been replaced with a newer "digital" kind of over-the-air TV.

You can still watch TV over the air using an antenna, but your TV must be digital. If you do not want to splurge on a fancy new flat-panel TV with digital tuning, you can keep using your trusty old analog set with an inexpensive digital converter.

In fact, you can still get converters for little or nothing if you ask Uncle Sam for a pair of free $40 coupons, each good for a converter purchase. You can order your coupons on the Web or by mail, fax or phone through July 12, and the feds are now fulfilling requests in little more than a week.

You can then use them to buy converters for as little as $40 each (try Target or FreeDTVshop.com), meaning you pay little or nothing with your coupons.

Want to learn more about the digital transition? You've come to the right place. The articles, blog posts, videos and resource sites below contain more than you ever wanted to know, so educate yourself now. Good luck.

PIONEER PRESS ARTICLES AND COLUMNS

• Twin Cities digital-TV viewers coping with conversion kinks (June 24)
• A few road bumps on road to all-digital television (June 13)
• Broadcast TV's switch to all-digital relatively painless (June 13)
• Digital-TV switch becomes reality (June 13)
• For Twin Cities, digital-TV transition off to a smooth start (June 12)
• It's time to adjust your set: all-digital TV arrives today (June 12)
• A procrastinator's guide to making Friday's digital-TV transition easier (June 7)
• Need DTV help? Options abound (June 7)
• How to create three floors of digital-TV goodness (June 7)
• Digital TV, this time for real: The long-hyped DTV transition happens Friday, but are local residents ready? (June 6)
  
• Digital-television switch nearing for Minnesota stations (June 5)
• HD. Cool. But what is it? And is it related to the DTV transition? (May 29)
• A few more gadget options for digital-TV transition (May 20)
• TV stations begin switch to digital-only broadcast (Feb. 17)
• MN stations report smooth switch to all-digital TV (Feb. 17)
• Still stumped by digital-television switch? Here's help (Feb. 17)
• Relax, you have second chance to prepare for digital switchover (Feb. 15)
• For millions, digital TV deadline still is now (Feb. 12)
• Four western Wisconsin stations to make DTV switch early (Feb. 12)
• Hundreds of TV stations will ignore digital extension (Feb. 11)
• Confused by the digital TV switch? It just got worse (Feb. 6)
• Don't touch that dial: TV switch delayed until June (Feb. 5)
• Wisconsin stations go ahead with digital switch (Feb. 4)
• KTTC, KXLT to switch to digital in southern Minnesota (Feb. 4)
• Joe Soucheray: Save the planet? We can't even save our TVs (Feb. 1)
• Delay the digital-TV transition? Sure, just give us the coupons (Jan. 31)
• Digital in Duluth: Fire department might aid TV switch (Jan. 9)
• Obama team seeks delay in switch to digital TV (Jan. 9)
• Don't count on getting converter coupons by Feb. 17 (Jan. 6)
• Ready, set...bring on that digital-television transition (Jan. 4)
• Stations to lose some viewers, even with converter boxes (Dec. 24)
• Attention, rabbit-ear users, your time is short! (Dec. 17)
• Help centers will aid Twin Cities with transition (Dec. 17)
• The digital TV shift is a pain for some (Sept. 20)
• Are you ready for the deadline on digital TV? (Sept. 21)
• Buy right gear, and you can get digital TV channels for free (Sept. 20)
• Confused about digital TV? Help is on the way (Aug. 9)
• Coupons help you buy a digital converter box (April 26)
• The rabbit-ear crowd speaks: Readers ask questions about digital TV (March 10)
• Upgrade your old set to digital TV now instead of waiting for deadline (March 3)

PIONEER PRESS TECH-BLOG POSTS

• St. Paul tech expert finds DTV "dead spots" (June 25)
• Readers give me an earful on digi-TV issues (June 24)
• Some Minnesotans are struggling with DTV (June 16)
• Digital-TV transition: analogcalypse it's not (June 13)
• It's done: analog TV is mostly no more here (June 13)
• DTV-info spot in grimace-inducing Spanish (June 12)
• DTV transition sparks interest but not panic (June 12)
• TPT ends analog-TV era with classy sendoff (June 12)
• DTV transition on budget: shoebox antenna (June 10)
• DTV transition: disposing of old electronics (June 10)
• This is it, rabbit-ear folk: DTV live on Friday (June 8)
• Converter coupons expire? You can reapply (March 24)
• Digital transition: How clueless can get help (March 4)
• DTV transition delay a recipe for confusion? (Feb. 4)
• Readers give me earful on digiTV transition (Feb. 2)
• The digital-TV switch: Good to get "smart"? (Jan. 20)
• Local DTV-transition assistance is available (Jan. 13)
• Elgato updates its awesome TV-tuning stick (Jan. 8)
• Digital-coupon procrastinators are in a bind (Jan. 6)
• My tech pals discover HDTV on a computer (Jan. 2)
• Prepare for digi-TV transition via Comcast (Jan. 2)
• Announcing federal coupon contest winner (Dec. 23)
• Video: Analog-television watchers get a nudge (Dec. 17)
• Digital broadcast TV is all about reception (Oct. 22)
• Dispatches from the digital-transition front (Oct. 10)
• The DTV-coupon phone hotline is a disaster (Oct. 1)
• The latest option for digital over-the-air TV (Sept. 23)
• I go on a TV digital-converter shopping trip (July 2)
• Video: Radio Shack explains the digi-TV transition (April 26)
• Video: Comcast does nice spot on digit-TV transition (April 26)
• So that's what those DTV coupons look like (March 18)
• Digital-TV transition still triggers calls, mail (March 10)
• Readers chime in on digital converters (March 3)
• Video: Best Buy explains the digital-TV shift in English (March 3)
• Video: Best Buy explains the digital-TV shift in Spanish (March 3)

GOVERNMENT RESOURCE SITES

• The digital TV transition (Federal Communications Commission)
• TV converter box coupon program (see FAQ)
• Federal Trade Commission DTV guide
• Digital TV transition and public safety (National Telecommunications & Information Administration)
• DTV regulatory information (Federal Communications Commission)

MINNESOTA DIGITAL-TV SITES

• Twin Cities DTV 2009 (works best in Internet Explorer)
• St. Paul page at DTV.gov (Federal Communications Commission)
• Twin Cities Public Television on digital TV (frequently asked questions here)
• Twin Cities digital-TV and HDTV cheat sheet (by John Weeks)
• 4-H DTV Team (University of Minnesota Extension Service; see map of team locations)
• DTV assistance centers open in Minneapolis
• DonateDTV.com (donate your converter-box coupons)
• Metro Meals on Wheels provides DTV assistance
• Main Street Project (Twitter; Facebook)
• Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging
• Best Buy on the DTV transition (or Ask a Blue Shirt)
• FreeDTVshop.com (Blaine-based vendor of converter boxes and antennas)
• HomeMadeAntennas, courtesy of a Moorhead, Minn., man (see video)
• KSTP-TV on digital TV (frequently asked questions here)
• KARE11 on DTV (print guide as PDF)
• WCCO-TV on DTV
• The CW Twin Cities (WUCW) on DTV
• MyFox Twin Cities (KSMP) on DTV
• My29 (WFTC) on DTV

GENERAL DIGITAL-TV SITES

• Digital television transition (Wikipedia)
• DTV Transition Coalition
• DTV Answers: What you need to know (National Association of Broadcasters)
• DTV: The transition from analog to digital (CNET; more here and here)
• Digital TV transition (Consumer Reports; more here)
• HearUsNow.org (Consumers Union)
• CivilRights.org on digital TV
• Univision: Television Digital (Spanish)
• Consumer Electronics Retailers Coalition on DTV (PDF guide to DTV)
• HDTV: Turn It On! (Consumer Electronics Association)
• The Gadgetress on the digital transition (more here and here)
• Public Broadcasting Service on digital TV (DTV crash course here)
• How Digital TV Works
• DTV Across America ("honest help for the DTV transition")
• DTV USA Forum (discussion forum)
• freeTVsignal.com (get good deals on converter boxes)
• tvconverterbox.blogspot.com (formerly dtvconverterboxes.blogspot.com)
• CheckDTV.com (find free DTV channels in your area)
• HDTV antenna selection guide
• Living in HD with the DTV Answerman (Panasonic)
• KeepMyTV.com (RCA)
• Stay Tuned (RCA antennas and more)
• AntennaWeb (find the best antenna for your location)
• TV Fool (an alternate site for antenna advice and more)
• Solid Signal (more help with antennas and converter boxes)
• TVB: Television Broadcast (industry news)

DISPOSING OF OLD TELEVISIONS

• Rethink Recycling
• Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
• Kroll Ontrack Data Recovery
• Dell computer recycling
• Apple electronics recycling
• Waste Management (with Sony and LG Electronics)
• Recycle Technologies
• ecoNEW

MORE NEWS ABOUT DIGITAL TV

• Google News search for "digital TV"
• Google News search for "digital transition"
• Google News search for "DTV transition"
• Google News search for "digital converter box"
• Google News search for "converter coupons"

DTV-RELATED TWITTER CHATTER

• Twitter search for "DTV"
• Twitter search for "DTV transition"
• Twitter search for the #DTV hashtag
  
• Twitter search for the #DTVtransition hashtag