Over the next year, nearly 20 million Americans will be forced to buy a digital converter box or run the risk of having their analog television sets become useless.

By Feb. 17, 2009, most television stations must switch to an all-digital signal, freeing bandwidth for other public and private uses. That means viewers who do not subscribe to a cable or satellite service either must purchase a television with a built-in digital tuner or use a digital converter box to bring the signal to their television.
David Booth, general manager at WXOW-TV, said the move will make it possible

for stations to offer more than one channel on the same frequency.

Unlike the analog system, digital broadcasting is done with a more compressed signal but travels farther, is of superior quality and gives the station more programming options, Booth said.

To help consumers make the move to digital, the federal government has provided funding so each household can obtain coupons good for two digital converter boxes, Booth said.

The boxes, which cost about $40 each, should be available in the coming weeks, and will make the digital signal available immediately, Booth said Tuesday during the taping of a “Newsmakers” program on Wisconsin Public Radio.

The estimated 32,000 homes in the La Crosse/Eau Claire market will find the switch to digital will more than double their channel selection, Booth said.

“They’re going to find that instead of having five stations they now have on the analog system, they will be able to receive up to 11 stations digitally,” Booth said.

The lineup of digital stations will include My Network TV, which is part of WKBT-TV’s digital signal, The CW with WXOW-TV and three additional public television stations.

Plus, Booth added, his station is adding a third digital station that will air Retro Television Network or RTN.

“It features all the shows those of us in our 40s grew up with. That includes ‘Bonanza,’

‘Emergency,’ ‘I Love Lucy,’ just a good mix of shows from TV’s early days,” Booth said. “We’ll be launching that as late as early 2009 but more than likely this fall.”

While digital antennas are on the market, Booth said most viewers should be able to receive a good signal with their existing rabbit ears and most will get better reception than they do now.

“The thing with digital is either you get a perfect picture or you don’t get any picture,” Booth said. “My experience is ... there will be some areas where if they get an extremely marginal picture on analog they may get no picture at all. But if they get a snowy picture at best, they should get a perfect digital picture.”

For more on the move, go on the Web to www.DTVanswers.com or listen to the Newsmakers program at 8:30 a.m. Monday on WLSU 88.9 FM.

Dan Springer can be reached at dspringer@lacrossetribune.com or (608) 791-8269.

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