Digital Converter boxes are NOT going to be free
The digital deadline is two short years away (unless Public Citizen has their way) and there are still large, looming questions about the digital converter boxes that million of Americans are going to need. Broadcasting & Cable has dug up the information that we all kind of assumed, they are not going to be free but rather around $40 bucks. To be honest, that seems a little high considering the US government has appropriated $1.5 billion dollars to help defray the cost of the units but yet they still going to cost that much? Radio Shack was selling an HDMI ATSC tuner over a year and a half ago for $89 so you would think that manufacturers would be able to build a set-top tuner for quite a bit less and in turn, only cost the consumer $10-$15. But then again, some of that $1.5 billion must be going to the storing and distributing of the boxes but $40 bucks still seems a little high. Only time will tell but one thing is for sure, if a manufacturer can make a buck of the US government, you can guarantee they will.
Filed under: Regulatory
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
William C Bonner @ Feb 4th 2007 11:37AM
That $89 item at radio shack was a closeout price. I'd like you to show me where I can buy a set top box for under $100 these days. The problem with every new TV requiring the ATSC tuner built in is that there doesn't seem to be much market for set top boxes.
The other interesting feature is that anyone who is getting their TV from cable doesn't really care about NTSC being turned off over the air. What are the statistics of how many people get their TV solely over the air? I'm doing it now, but only since I picked up a Samsung SRT451 at overstock.com last year as an experiment at dropping my cable bill.
uncascrooge @ Feb 4th 2007 7:22PM
My parents are looking at purchasing a new TV. They are fixed income and they will not pay for cable nor a cable box. They cannot afford a new HD/ED TV and it seems foolish to me for them to go and purchase a SD box at this juncture. Does anyone have any ideas?
keith @ Feb 5th 2007 2:04PM
All new TVs are required to have an ATSC tuner, even standard definition. Just check that it is not an old one left in stock without the ATSC tuner.
Hank Cazorp @ Feb 4th 2007 9:23PM
The Constitution doesn't say squat about digital television receivers. For these government pigs to mandate an end to analog broadcasts is fascism. Oh, and that $1.5 billion the government "appropriated" is money stolen from the people who earned it. Even if they were subsidized, there's no way these boxes would be "free".
horngreen @ Feb 5th 2007 7:32PM
The Radio Shack tuner was very slow as well. There will also be demand from many earlier adopters of hdtv. Basic tuners bare bone tuners may eventually be in the $40 dollar range. But if you want a nice desk top tuner with other features like QAM, and recording capability prices will scale up.
William C Bonner @ Feb 6th 2007 12:38PM
The problem I've got is finding any set top boxes available. If I wanted QAM, I'd just go to my cable company and buy a box. I want to get ATSC over the air for free, and I want to be able to buy a set top box for less than it would cost me to go out and buy an entirely new tube TV.
horngreen @ Feb 8th 2007 6:18PM
Basic, no frills ATSC Tuners will be in $40 dollars price range. Remember there are alot of HD tvs with no hd tuner. Samsung sells one for $160 now, but has virtually no competition.