Clock ticking on adapting old TVs

If you — or more especially, your tech-averse parents or elderly neighbors — are still depending on "free TV" via local networks without subscribing to a cable or satellite provider, you may want to spend some of those lazy hours during the long holiday weekend preparing for the switch to digital TV.

Doing so may save both you and them a nasty surprise come Feb. 17, when the ability to view TV on older analog sets will simply vanish. The change will likely impact tens of thousands in Salt Lake County alone, since only 43 percent of those living in the Salt Lake television market have obtained the $40 government discount coupons to help them buy the necessary converter boxes.

That is according to the National Telecommunications Information Administration, which has been dealing with complaints from millions of people who received the coupons, only to have them expire before the consumers could actually use them. And an increasing demand for converter units nationwide as February approaches may mean several trips to one of the designated retailers that stock them.

While there have been reports of shortages and Wal-Mart in South Jordan had sold out of the units this past week, Stephen Smith, customer sales associate at Circuit City on 2100 South, said his store gets new shipments in every week. On Tuesday, his store had about 300 in stock and was offering three different brands, each priced at $60.

Even when consumers are able to secure a converter box, it's not necessarily a simple process to install it properly and get digital reception. (See accompanying story.)

What is touted as a simple process has become a complex challenge for many, according to questions and posts on a variety of Internet chat forums dedicated to providing information on the conversion.

Those challenges, in addition to getting the box to work properly with existing analog TVs (some will need new antennas), means a lot of elderly, low-income seniors could soon be without the companionship that TV provides, according to Peter Hebertson, Salt Lake County Aging Services director for outreach.

While the agency has been heavily publicizing the need to prepare for the conversion and can help with questions about how to obtain the government coupons, it has no budget or means to help seniors obtain or install them, he said.

He referenced a short film posted on YouTube.com showing a little old lady trying to figure out how to read the instructions, what cables to use, which output plugs to attach them to and how they hooked to her other TV equipment.