No. The government will provide a list of coupon-eligible converter boxes and participating retailers here. You may also ask participating retailers whether TV converter boxes in their stores can be purchased with the $40 government coupon. No. Coupons will be electronically coded to be used only for purchases of coupon-eligible converter boxes.

During the period from January 1, 2008 to March 31, 2009, a household can request no more than two coupons, each valued at $40. All coupons will be sent to requesting households via the United States Postal Service. Recipients must redeem the coupons within 3 months of issuance, but may not combine their two coupons toward the purchase of a single converter box.

NTIA has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that seeks the public's suggestions on various details of the program's operations, including issues related to these questions. NTIA encourages you to submit your ideas or concerns in response to the NPRM. Please refer to information provided below on how to submit comments to NTIA. NTIA will provide more detailed program information when it finalizes rules for the digital-to-analog converter box assistance program.

No. The government will provide a list of eligible converters and participating retailers on its website. Consumers can also ask participating retailers what converters in their stores can be purchased with a government coupon.

No. Coupons must be presented at the point of sale and must be redeemed at the time TV converter boxes are purchased.

A TV converter box is a new product available in early 2008 that plugs into your analog TV and, along with your antenna, will keep your analog set working after February 17, 2009. A TV converter box is a one-time purchase and is expected to cost between $50 and $70. A TV connected to cable, satellite or other pay TV service does not require a TV converter box from this program. For a list of TV converter boxes that can be purchased with $40 government coupons, please click here.

Converter boxes plug into TV sets, either in the back or front, depending on your TV. You will still need your antenna, which works with the TV converter box. Each TV converter box will come with installation instructions from the manufacturer. You should be able to install the converter box using the instructions provided by the manufacturer. For specific questions, you should ask your retailer or call the manufacturer's technical support hotline.

When TV converter boxes are available, retail stores will set the price. TV converter boxes are expected to cost between $50 and $70. The Federal Government permits each U.S. household up to two $40 coupons to help pay for the cost of the converter box. After applying the coupon, participating retailers will charge consumers the remaining balance of between $10 and $30.

TV converter boxes are expected to be available in early 2008 at retailers where you would normally buy consumer electronics products. Before shopping for your converter box, you might want to call ahead to make sure retailers have converter boxes available.

If the retail store permits exchanges, you can exchange the converter you purchased for another coupon-eligible converter box.

No. The converter coupon program will be up and running on January 1, 2008. At that time, the government will begin taking requests for coupons.

Certified retailers can be found here and on the retailer website (www.ntiadtv.gov) when coupon distribution begins. Consumers will receive a list of nearby participating retailers when their coupons arrive by mail.

Congress created the TV Converter Box Coupon Program for households wishing to keep using their analog TV sets after February 17, 2009. The Program allows U.S. households to obtain up to two coupons, each worth $40, that can be applied toward the cost of eligible converter boxes.

TV converter box models must meet technical and performance standards determined by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in order to qualify for the Coupon Program. A list of eligible make and model numbers for purchase with the coupon can be found at our website, by clicking here.

No. Analog televisions are not capable of displaying High-Definition resolution, but the picture will generally be better with a TV converter box. If you want to view High-Definition TV, then you will need one of the newer sets rated for "High-Definition" resolution.

Coupons will look like plastic credit cards or gift cards used widely in the retail industry. Unlike gift cards, TV converter box coupons will carry no stored value and can only be used towards the purchase of eligible TV converter boxes.

Yes you do. In order to establish a non-addressable system, it is essential to have a converter. A cable ready TV, VCR and a Cable Company box do not provide for this feature and in not doing so, cannot replace a converter. You must have a converter to use a descrambler. This is especially true if you desire a converter/descrambler that cannot be altered or addressed by your cable company.

RCN does not collect a deposit for cable TV converter boxes, but does require some form of collateral to help ensure the return of RCN equipment when it is no longer needed. You can provide this collateral with either a credit card number, which RCN will hold on file, a $50 Fee, or by setting up automatic monthly payments for your RCN services through a credit card or direct debit of your bank account.

No. Analog televisions are not capable of displaying high-definition resolution, but the picture will generally be better with a converter. If you want to view high-definition TV, then you will need one of the newer sets rated for "high-definition" resolution. Applicants must meet the Census definition of a household as consisting of "all persons who currently occupy a house, apartment, mobile home, group of rooms, or single room that is occupied as separate living quarters and has a separate U.

No. Converter boxes from this program work only with over-the-air broadcast television signals, not cable or satellite service.

The analog equipment you currently use will continue to work with (output to) your analog TV set just as before, but they will not be able to receive over-the-air programming without the TV converter box. Attach the converter to your VCR, TiVo, DVD-R, etc. instead of hooking it directly to your TV. Consumers can begin enjoying the benefits of digital television today.

If you have coupons to apply to your order, enter the number of the coupon in Quick Order on the task bar at the top right of your screen. The coupon will appear in your cart. The site will prompt you if you have not met the requirements of the coupon. Once the requirements are met, your coupon will activate. We are always here to take your phone order, if that proves easier.

Digital-to-analog converter boxes will make DTV signals viewable on analog TV sets. These converter boxes will be available in retail stores during the transition. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce is developing rules that will allow households to obtain coupons that can be applied toward the purchase of digital-to-analog converter boxes.

No. The MasterLink has extremely high-quality internal A/D and D/A converters (the AKM 5393 and 4393) that can sample at 96 kHz and have 24-bit resolution. In the opinion of many professionals, these converters and the circuitry around them sound as good as some external converters costing as much as the MasterLink itself. Back

It might be possible to get a USB capture card/TV card, but there will be a couple of problems. First, you will NEED a new hard drive period: 2 gigs will not cut it for video. Secondly, the XBox only supports USB 1.1 FULL Speed, NOT USB 2.0 HIGH Speed. So, the quality of your recordings be towards the lower end of the spectrum (VHS quality, or worse). It might be easier to just stick with a TiVo... Answer-2. Some DVB usb sticks work quite well (or indeed only) with usb 1.1.

You will need one digital-to-analog converter box for each TV set or other device (such as a VCR) that only has an analog tuner. The digital-to-analog converter box basically replaces the analog tuner in one piece of equipment. So if you want to use your analog TV and VCR at the same time (for example, to watch one program and record another simultaneously), you will need two digital-to-analog converter boxes. Yes.