You may have heard about the impending transition from analog to digital for local TV broadcasts. Read on to find out what it's all about and what it means to you? Are you ready?

On February 17, local over-the-air-full-power TV broadcasts will transition from analog to digital within the United States. Consumers who own analog televisions and rely on an over-the-air antenna to receive their local broadcast TV programming will need a digital-to-analog converter box, a digital television with a digital tuner, or will need to connect their television to a pay TV service such as Dish Network, another satellite provider, or cable in order to display those digital broadcasts. If you do not already have a digital-to-analog converter box or own a digital TV with a digital tuner, now would be an excellent time to consider signing up with a satellite provider such as Dish Network.

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What you need to know about DTV - Verbatim from http://www.dtv.gov

• On midnight of February 17, 2009, full power broadcast stations will stop broadcasting in analog.
  
  Congress passed a law on February 1, 2006, setting a final deadline for the DTV transition of February 17, 2009. Most television stations will continue broadcasting both analog and digital programming until February 17, 2009, when all analog broadcasting will stop. Analog TVs receiving over-the-air programming will still work after that date, but owners of these TVs will need to buy converter boxes to change digital broadcasts into analog format.
  
  
• 'DTV' stands for "Digital Television".
  
  Digital Television (DTV) is the latest way of broadcasting that is transforming our television viewing experience. Images and sound are captured using digital technology, delivering a movie-quality experience, multicasting and interactive capabilities. That means better quality, more choices, and more control over your television.
  
  
• With DTV, you will have better picture quality, more programming choices, and closed captioning.
  
  With a DTV you will have better quality, more choices, closed captioning, and parental controls. Viewers cannot ignore the dramatic improvements offered by the DTV conversion. Visually, HDTV captures viewers with crystal clear resolution and razor sharp detail. A digital broadcaster can carry more information than is currently possible with analog broadcast technology. Rather than being limited to providing one "analog" programming channel, a digital broadcaster will be able to provide multiple "standard definition" DTV programs simultaneously. DTV technology can also be used to provide interactive video and data services that are not possible with "analog" technology. Digital televisions and other products with digital receivers in them will include closed captioning and V-chip capabilities. Digital equipment will have parental control capabilities that allow customers to block programming based on several criteria.
  
  
• You do not need to purchase a DTV to be ready for DTV transition.
  
  Even when the DTV transition is completed on February 17, 2009, you will be able to use your analog TV with a set-top converter box. Converter boxes for analog TVs receiving over-the-air broadcasts should be available in retail stores at that time. These boxes receive DTV signals and change them into analog format.
  
  
• 'HDTV' stands for "High Definition Television".
  
  HDTV in widescreen format (16:9) provides the highest resolution and picture quality of all digital broadcast formats. Combined with digitally enhanced sound technology, HDTV sets new standards for sound and picture quality in television. (Note: HDTV and digital TV are not the same thing -- HDTV is one format of digital TV.)
  
  
• The FCC requires all TVs imported into the U.S. or shipped intersate after March 1, 2007 to have a digital tuner.
  
  As of March 1, 2007, all television receivers shipped in interstate commerce or imported into the United States must contain a digital tuner.
  
  Stores can sell existing inventory of analog-only televisions, but must prominently display a Consumer Alert on or near the device.
  
  Effective May 25, 2007, the FCC required sellers of television receiving equipment that does not include a digital tuner to disclose at the point-of-sale that such devices include only an analog tuner, and therefore will require a digital-to-analog converter box to receive over-the-air broadcast television after the transition date. Retailers must inform consumers by prominently displaying a Consumer Alert if they are selling TV equipment with only an analog tuner.
  
  
• The 'S' in 'SDTV' stands for "Standard" (Standard Definition Television).
  
  SDTV is the basic level of quality display and resolution for both analog and digital transmission. Transmission of SDTV may be in either the traditional (4:3) or widescreen (16:9) format.
  
  You can watch HDTV programming on an SDTV set. However, the picture quality will be limited to what the SDTV set can display.
  
  SDTV is the baseline display and resolution for both analog and digital. Transmission of SDTV may be in either the traditional (4:3) or wide-screen (16:9) format. EDTV is a step up from Analog Television. EDTV comes in widescreen (16:9) or traditional (4:3) format and provides better picture quality than SDTV, but not as high as HDTV.
  
  
• Starting January, 2008, each U.S. household may request up to two digital-to-analog converter box coupons from NTIA, each worth $40.00.
  
  Between January 1, 2008, and March 31, 2009, all U.S. households will be eligible to request up to two coupons, worth $40 each, to be used toward the purchase of digital-to-analog converter boxes. These converter boxes are designed to make over-the-air digital television signals viewable on analog-only TVs, and thus are not intended for analog-only TVs hooked up to cable or satellite service. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is running the coupon program.
  
  A digital-to-analog converter box will allow your old television to receive and decode DTV broadcasts.
  
  A digital-to-analog converter box can be used to receive broadcast DTV signals and change them into the format of your current television. In addition, if you use your analog set with a multichannel pay service like cable or satellite, it will continue to work as it always has.
  
  
• You will not need to buy a 'digital ready' or 'HDTV ready' antenna to watch digital broadcasts.
  
  In general, dependable reception of DTV will require the same type of signal reception equipment that currently works to provide good quality reception of analog TV signals. If you now need a roof-top antenna to receive television, the same antenna generally will be needed to receive DTV.
  
  
• 'EDTV' stands for "Enhanced Definition Television".
  
  EDTV is a step up from Analog Television. EDTV comes in 480p widescreen (16:9) or traditional (4:3) format and provides better picture quality than Standard Definition Television (SDTV), but not as high a quality as High Definition Television (HDTV).