From Analog to Digital: People and TV

How often does a new technology emerge that the luckiest advice anyone can give or receive is "do nothing." For a whole lot of folks, digital TV is a foggy thing. I actually spent some time reading the U.S. government's guide on the topic. You know, where the feds will help you with a discount on your converter box...if you need one.

All sorts of traps there. First, the discount is in the form of a coupon that expires if you don't use it in the prescribed number of weeks. And you can have only one. (The solution is to have a friend, neighbor, or relative request one—because the $40-value coupon is transferable.)

Second trap: figuring out why you don't get a coupon. Time's up. Fund is depleted. Now, you can get on a waiting list. So, you're more likely to give up on the coupon and pay full price (up to $80).

Third trap is actually the first one: knowing if you even need to learn all that.

The Consumerist has produced the simplest of flowcharts to lead you to action... or to do nothing. Even if you don't care a whit about this digital TV thing, you should click this link to The Consumerist's flowchart because it's such a good graphic. (Image at top of this blog is only a fraction of the flowchart.)

If you are genuinely foggy on your TV's configuration for the February 17 transition to digital, you'll like this old joke about baby boomers: most of them are analog people living in a digital world.

© 2009 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.