I don't know if this is the right forum to put this, I hope this isn't violating any of the forums rules. If so, I'm sorry for the inconvenience. you can delete this or move it.
Feb 2009 - TV is going dark
For those back in the US who don't know by now, on 17-Feb-2009, less than a year from now, over-the-air analog TV in the US is going dark. That means that your old TV's and VCR's will no longer have a TV signal to pickup.
What is Digital TV?
All over-the-air TV broadcasts after that date will be exclusively digital. The larger broadcasters have already invested in the digital transmission equipment and are already broadcasting in digital. Not only are they broadcasting the same programming that is being sent over the classic analog transmission, they are broadcasting extra channels on the digital side. Often they broadcast a high-def (HDTV) version of the same content, and in some cities, entire new channels with different content.
The smaller broadcasters, especially the UHF stations, are still broadcasting analog. They don't have the money to switch. So they are either going to close. Or they will require a grant from the government to switch. As of today, the future of these stations is still not resolved.
Does This Mean I'm Hosed?
Now this doesn't mean that your old TV's and VCR's are not going to work any more. It simply means that the receiver built inside will not find any content from an aerial antenna. You can still feed your TV and VCR content from other sources. Most people in the US no longer get their content from an Over-The-Air antenna anyhow. They get it from cable or satellite TV. So for those people, they won't even notice.
Digital Converter Boxes:
For those left, you can either replace your TV with a newer model that have a digital receiver built in. Or you can get an external digital-to-analog receiver. That is a little box that will take a digital signal and convert to a analog signal that is feed into the TV's antenna input port.
The problem with converter is that they usually only convert one channel at a time. And you have to tell the converter what digital channel you want to watch. That means you have to change channels on the converted box instead of the TV. Most converter boxes also have volume control. So at least you can control both the channel and volume from the same remote control.
Your Old VCR:
If you have an analog VCR, then things get complicated. You can't watch one channel while recording a second. You can't program the VCR to record from different channels at different times. What you have to do is stick a converter between your antenna and the VCR. Then you have to program the converter to tune the desired station at the desired time. You have to synchronize the two devices.
Personally I don't think it would be worth investing in a converter for a VCR. It is just too much of a pain in the ( No Swearing ) to sync the two to make sure you get your program recorded. It would be cheaper and easier to invest in a digital recorder. Or if you can even find one, a digital VCR.
Do I need an HDTV?
Not at all. DTV means "Digital Television". HDTV means "High Definition Television". All HDTV is digital. But not all digital is HDTV. Make sense?
The "D" stands for definition, not digital. It simply refers to the density of the image that is being displayed. There is Standard Definition Television, often called SDTV. HDTV has more pixels (dots) for the image. It also has a different aspect ratio.
Your old analog TV sets can only display standard definition images. Over the air digital TV will be broadcast as SDTV. It may also be simultaneously broadcast on another channel as HDTV. So you aren't going to miss any content. It only means that you won't get the visually stunning version of it.
For more info on this log on to your local TV stations home page.
— Camulus
Subject: TV is going dark 
