Preparing this year’s taxes will provide your best chance yet to see how much money you’re spending on television — something that long ago was “free.”  If your like most you pay a monthly subscription fee to a satellite or local cable company.

I was shocked to discover what I’m paying each year for TV.  Many of friends are paying close to $200 a month … that’s $2,400 a year.  In today’s economy, we’re all looking to save a dollar — if not a quarter, a dime, nickel or a penny.

That’s the moment we realized how we could save $600 to $2,000 or more each year on television.  How? The savings begin the moment you cancel your satellite or cable subscription (note:  Check any term associated with your current subscription to avoid paying a cancellation penalty.).  Next you can begin taking advantage of the new digital TV channels being provided over-the-air by local broadcasters.

Consider that most homes can receive local over-the-air television with an indoor or outdoor antenna.  And with the switch to digital television — DTV in both standard and high-definition (HDTV) — picture quality has improved.  Gone are the “ghosts” and “snow” that filled screens long ago.  In fact, the picture quality you receive over-the-air may well be better than that provided from satellite or cable services because of what are called “compression artifacts” that result from additional signal processing.

Most cable and satellite subscribers aren’t aware that with the switch to digital television, local television stations are actually broadcasting up to four channels — where they’d provided only one channel in the past.   This means that even in small cities with five stations, you may now be able to receive up to twenty over-the-air channels for free.  Satellite services won’t provide you with all of those new channels.  Local cable companies may (or may not), but if they do, chances are you’ll be required to pay an additional monthly fee for a digital cable box for each television in your home.

While cable and satellite TV services are offering discounted subscription rates for those who sign up now (note the ads in the left column), those rates won’t last forever.  Most subscribers are shocked to learn the ultimate cost of their monthly subscription.

Stunned, some of my friends asked, “What about all the programs I’ll miss?”  Think hard about how much and exactly what television you’re watching, then start trimming your monthly bill.

Remember, most people’s favorites are on the four major commercial networks (NBC, ABC, CBS & FOX) and PBS — almost everywhere you can watch those programs for free using an antenna and a DTV set, or a conventional TV set and a DTV Converter Box.

Well, what about those programs my friends love that are only available on cable or satellite?  There are more options than you might think — especially if you’ve just saved the cost of your annual satellite or cable subscription.

First, many television programs can be viewed via the internet on your computer. Just go to network’s websites like PBS.org, NBC.com, CBS.com, ABC.com, FOX.com, and programs from a variety of networks on HULU.com.  You can watch programs on all of these sites for free.

Second, you can pay to watch other programs — without commercial interruption from Apple’s iTunes Store ($1.99  to $2.99 per show) or you can spend a few of those saved dollars and buy Blu-Ray or standard DVD’s of your favorite series or rent them from a service like NetFlix (they mail your selected DVD’s to you and you mail them back).  Some new Blu-Ray DVD players even allow you to download NetFlix films as part of your modest monthly subscription at no additional cost and view them as you would a high-definition DVD.

Confusion about who, when, and how to receive digital television is growing. Adding to the confusion are competing messages from the government, consumer electronics retails, broadcasters, cable and satellite subscription television services.

To quickly understand why being able to receive over-the-air television signals is better, read my July 25, 2008 post, “DTV > Why Over-The-Air Is Better . . .”

Enjoy your free, over-the-air digital channels . . . and remember, the nationwide switch digital television (DTV) provides a chance to save more than just a few dollars!

Thank you.

The transition of America’s television from analog to digital is failing. It doesn’t need to. Viewers can switch and start watching digital channels today. It’s not that expensive. It doesn’t take much time.

Sure, more people are “aware” of that conventional, analog television broadcasts will cease at midnight on February 17, 2009, but asking viewers what actions are required leaves most speechless.

Confusion about who, when, and how to receive digital television is growing. Adding to the confusion are competing messages from the government, consumer electronics retails, broadcasters, cable and satellite subscription television services.

Research indicates that 40% of viewers don’t plan to take any action until after their TV sets go dark. Low-income, minorities, handicapped, and senior citizens are even less likely to be knowledgeable or have taken action to maintain their access to television. The DTV transition risks increasing the split between those who have access to information and those who don’t throughout America.

Let me simplify what I last described as “overwhelming alternatives.” First, most experts and articles you read indicate that if you have cable or satellite, you need do nothing. That’s true. But, I want to make the case that every home in America that can receive an over-the-air signal should be equipped to do so.

Here’s why being able to receive over-the-air television signals is better:

• They Are FREE: Cable and satellite all have monthly subscription fees. These firms will be offering you “great introductory” subscription rates.

• Get All Local DTV Channels: Cable may not carry all the new channels provided by each of your local television stations. Satellite services will carry just the main channel. You can get them all.

• Better Picture Quality: Remember, digital television is not high-definition television (HDTV), but the picture quality is significantly improved. No snow. No ghosts. To squeeze more channels into less space, cable or satellite companies “compress” television signals, sent them you, and uncompress them in their set-top boxes. Over-the-air signals don’t suffer from “compression artifacts.”

• Gives You Options: Cable and satellite subscription services all must include a connector on their set top boxes so you can hook-up an indoor or out door antenna to receive over-the-air signals. Doing so means you’ll always have the option to cancel your monthly subscription and keep watching all the local digital channels (yes, you’ll need a digital TV set or to buy a DTV Converter as described below). Depending on the channels you watch, this could save some families up to $1,000 or more each year.

• Vital In Emergencies: While it’s possible that a local, regional, or national incident might result in you being unable to receive cable or satellite signals, you’ll probably still be able to receive one or more local television broadcast stations if you are prepared to receive over-the-air signals.

Whether you now have cable, satellite, or receive over-the-air television signals, you and follow these steps to make sure you can receive over-the-air digital television signals after all analog broadcasting ceases at midnight on February 17, 2009.

1) Determine if you have a TV set with a digital or analog tuner. New or recently purchased digital TV sets (manual or the back of the set will mention “ATSC” or that the tuner is digital. Older, conventional, analog TV sets will say nothing or that the tuner is NTSC (analog).

2) If your TV set receives digital, you’re either watching DTV today, or would benefit from hooking up an indoor or outdoor antenna.

3) If your TV set receives analog, you’ll need to buy a DTV Converter and connect it between your antenna and your TV set. It will convert the new digital channels to Channel 3 or 4 or your existing set. Follow these simple steps:

• Get Discount Converter Coupons: While DTV converters cost $50 to $90 — more if you want extra features — the U.S. government will provide each household with two DTV Converter Box Discount Coupons. Sign up for coupons.

• Pick A DTV Converter Box: Features vary and most stores only carry one or two models. If you live in a rural area and / or receive any television channel from a translator, relay, or low-power stations, you’ll want to select a box with the “analog pass through” feature. Discount coupons can only be redeemed on government approved DTV Converter boxes. See the list.

• Buy Your New DTV Converter Box: Note, the government’s $40 discount coupons expire just 90-days after they are issued. Millions of coupons have expired because viewers didn’t make purchasing their DTV Converter Box a high priority.

• Hook Up Your DTV Converter Box: If you already have an indoor or outdoor antenna, simply follow the instructions and connect the box between your antenna wire and your TV set. If you don’t have an indoor or outdoor antenna, talk with your neighbors who do to learn what types, heights and orientations seem to work best. Get local station info.

• Antenna Upgrades Maybe Needed: If you hook up your DTV Converter, follow the directions to “scan” for channels, and get nothing — or just a few of the stations you previously could receive over-the-air, talk with your neighbors to see if upgrading your indoor or outdoor antenna will help.

Because digital television — like digital cellphones — work or don’t work, this part can be a bit tricky and you may want to seek help from a “tech savvy” friend. Remember, you don’t want to be installing or adjusting your antenna this winter just before the shut off. Get antenna info.

Enjoy your free, over-the-air digital channels . . . and remember you have an alternative to subscription-based, pay television from cable and satellite services.

Thank you.

If you’re like me, you’ll probably need to add an inexpensive piece of television receiving gear to continue watching television after the full-power, conventional television broadcasts cease on February 17, 2009.

One misconception is that to watch digital television (DTV) signals, you’ll need to subscribe to cable or satellite, or purchase an expensive new receiver. Not true.

You can start watching digital television FREE over-the-air broadcast signals with the addition of as little as an inexpensive DTV Converter. New DTV Converters are announced almost daily my major consumer electronics companies. Full-power broadcasters are already broadcasting in digital and that’s all you need to enter the digital TV era.

Digital TV converter boxes can now be purchased at many consumer electronics stores and major retailers, including RadioShack, Wal-Mart, Sears, Target, K-Mart, Best Buy, Circuit City, and Sam’s Club. Call before you drive to the store to make sure these DTV Converter boxes are in stock.

The cost of these DTV Converters (like the UHF Converters of old) is $40 to $80 — and because the government is going to auction off the “about to be excess television frequencies” to wireless companies and reserve some for emergency services, the government is providing a maximum of two DTV Converter $40 discount coupons per household. More than a million Americans have already signed up for coupons since they were made available on January 1, 2008. You can sign up to get these coupons at <http:www.dtv2009.gov> – a site operated by the National Telecommunications Information Agency (NTIA).

Another misconception is that ALL terrestrial television broadcasters are required by the Federal Communications Commission to switch to broadcasting their over-the-air signal to digital — signing off their conventional (analog) transmitters for the last time in just 400 days. Not true.

The FCC only says that full-power television broadcasters must switch to digital. However, low-power stations and perhaps equally important relay transmitters and translators are NOT required to switch — at least not under the same timetable as full-power television broadcasters.

Full-power television stations have been broadcasting in both conventional (analog) and digital television for some time — and viewers can continue to watch conventional television until these transmitters are shut off for the last time on February 17, 2009. At that point, viewers with conventional TV sets will need to have one of the digital solutions outlined above or their screens will go blank.

In fact, if you want to watch digital over-the-air signals with rabbit ear or outdoor antennas AND receive additional translator or relay channels over-the-air you can’t just purchase “ANY” DTV Converter — as it could prevent you from being able to watch the non-digital translator stations.

To watch both, you must purchase the somewhat less common, but available “analog pass through” DTV Converter. When turned on, it coverts digital signals so they can be viewed on a conventional television. With their power off, these DTV Converters “analog pass through” translator, relay, and low power stations so viewers can continue watching them on their conventional television sets.

Even if ALL your over-the-air signals come from translators (e.g., several different stations — but all using translators / relay stations to reach you), you should sign-up for the DTV Converter discount coupons <http:www.dtv2009.gov> and purchasing the “analog pass through” type of DTV Converter box described above. Because we still don’t know when the translators will switch to digital broadcasting and, when they do, they probably won’t all begin digital broadcasting at the same time, you’ll already be fully prepared.

There are at least three coupon-eligible boxes that offer the “ANALOG PASS-THROUGH” feature (ECHOSTAR TR-40, Philco TB100HH9, Philco TB150HH9, and Magnavox TB100MG9). For the most up-to-date list, visit <http:www.dtv2009.gov>.

____________________________

One thing is more clear than a digital high-definition television (HDTV) picture — and that’s that far too few people are aware that conventional television is coming to an end. Even fewer understand their options may be as simple as the addition of a DTV Converter. However, as illustrated above, the number of choices available to viewers can be overwhelming.

Given so many options, it may be easy for some viewers to conclude that they must subscribe to cable or satellite, but such a conclusion is just plain wrong.  (See Consumer Reports post, May 11, 2009).

In fact, a case can be made that the highest quality digital television signals (and HDTV) will be available FREE over-the-air and can be received with rabbit ears or an outdoor antenna. More about why in a future post.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

RareMedium is published as part of the Gilbert Authors Network is a small collection of weblogs authored by respected colleagues and friends of Michael Gilbert, the Editor of Nonprofit Online News <http://nonprofitnews.org>. Check out the other weblogs in this network. What follows are short descriptions and links.

Digital Diner, by Gavin Clabaugh

http://digitaldiner.org

Gavin Clabaugh is the CIO at a large private foundation in the U.S. and has played a major role in furthering the effective use of information technology in civil society. He has helped found or lead a number of organizations, including the Nonprofit Technology Network, Aspiration, the Technology Affinity Group of the Council on Foundations, the Innovation Funder’s Network, and the Washtenaw Land Trust. At Digital Diner, Gavin writes with great wit about technology, society, and his many other interests, which include food, wine, song, politics, gardening, literature, science fiction, movies, animals, and travel.

The Guru’s Handbook, by Asher Bey

http://guruhandbook.com

Asher Bey is the pseudonym for a teacher and writer living in the U.S. “in a place where there are trees, mountains, and running water, all of which he quite appreciates”. The Guru’s Handbook is an exploration of the deeper issues involved in being a teacher, such as questions of power, self-knowledge, and responsibility. Recent topics have included: Exercises in Listening, Why Teach When There Are Books?, On Being Done, When the Student Passes You, and Excavating Fear.

The Nexilist’s Notebook, by Burt Webb

http://nexilist.com

Burt Webb has been a popular speaker, columnist, radio host, software developer, and activist. A “nexilist” (derived from a word coined by A. E. Van Vogt in The Voyage of the Space Beagle) is “one skilled in the science of joining together in an orderly fashion the knowledge of one field of learning with that of other fields”. This precisely captures the spirit of insight and connection that Burt brings to this weblog. Recent topics have included: the nature of fairness, a proposal for a better spacecraft, religious typologies, contemporary fascism, and the mysteries of memory.

Tropes of the Times, by Phil Bereano

http://tropesofthetimes.com/

Phil Bereano is an emeritus professor of engineering and public policy and a recognized expert on the ethical and social considerations of technologies, especially genetic engineering. He is on the National Board of the American Civil Liberties Union, chairing its Committee on Databases and Civil Liberties. About Tropes of the Times, he says: “Although I have read the NY TIMES almost daily since Junior High School, it wasn’t until my politics matured that I realized its function as the Establishment’s official line of ‘right-thinking’. Even with a different politic, however, understanding the TIMES (and especially the white spaces) is critical to knowing what ‘the Man’ is about. My blog deconstructs some of the pieces in the newspaper and tries to identify the key tropes or “lines.” The newspaper provides a surfeit of examples, but I write about one or two of them each month.”

With, by Michael Gilbert

http://with.gilbert.org

Michael Gilbert is the Editor of Nonprofit Online News and a well known speaker and consultant to civil society organizations around the world. Michael has served as Executive Director or Chief Executive of six organizations, as a board member or officer of more than thirty, and as a communication and management consultant to over 1000 organizations in more than 20 countries over the last 23 years. “With” is his exploration of the nature of connection and the role of networks and systems, particularly in social change and civil society.

Looking back, it’s hard to imagine how today’s technology has simplified what and how I watch television.

I can still remember the day my Dad brought home the Zenith TV set. I must have been six years old. It was a black & white site, naturally, but I can remember watching test patterns on Saturday mornings waiting for stations to sign-on at 6 am. The test pattern would go to black and the “Star Spangled Banner” would play as fighter jets soared though the sky and my morning of cartoons had officially begun. It seems like only a few years later, I started watching programs on National Educational Television — the forerunner of PBS.

Since that time in 1957, technology has changed everything. Now with an HDTV set (I elected to stay with a modest SONY’s XBR standard set and give LCD and plasma screens another seven years to improve their quality and drop in price), A/V Receiver w/ Dolby DTS, DVD, VCR, DirecTV, and a Digital Video Recorder (DVR) I could watch just about anything at anytime.

But, to my surprise, I didn’t. All that increase in technology had not increased the time I spent viewing television. In fact, it may have made me a lot more selective.

While my wife and I enjoy buying or renting DVD movies as much as anyone, we found our lives only had time for about a movie a week. With the DVR set to record our favorite series, I realized we were watching just a few hours of television a week. With busy lives, I calculated that the cost we paid for DirecTV was $5 to $10 per program.

I realize my viewing experience is probably anything but typical, but the reality of what I was actually watching (vs. recording) was nothing less than what business author, Tom Peters, used to call a “blinding flash of the obvious.”

Now, if I were in a location where it was possible to receive FREE digital broadcast signals — and the mountain between me and the transmitter guarantees I am not — I’d be more than satisfied with free, over-the-air public television stations’ digital signals, captured by my digital video recorder (DVR), and viewed when I chose in HDTV with Dolby DTS 7.1 sound.

Digital television broadcasting and other improvements in technology may do little for commercial network reality series or game shows, but when used with PBS programming that brings the world into my living room the results are stunning.

NATURE, NOVA, FRONTLINE, MASTERPIECE THEATRE, THE NEWSHOUR WITH JIM LEHRER, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE and other PBS favorites have never looked or sounded better.

As promised, a future post will describe why the very highest quality television signals may well require you purchase a new antenna. But for now, I’ll settle for defining “television happiness” as my digital PBS TV stations, my DVR, and me . . .

Thanks to those of you who took action based on my previous post about DirecTV and The Dish Network’s failure to include local public television stations new, High Definition (HD) channels in their “local station packages” as they do for commercial TV networks, ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX.

When will the two satellite subscription services begin carrying PBS member stations HD signals? We don’t know. But, to illustrate the challenge, this post describes what DirecTV and the Dish Network had to say when I contacted them as a loyal public television viewer.

I talked or exchanged e-mails with both companies’ customer service teams. On July 6th, DirecTV replied to my inquiry with, “Thank you for writing to inquire about receiving PBS HD in your area. I’m sorry for any frustration this causes you, and I’m happy to respond to your e-mail.”

They continued, “While I do not have any information specifically about PBS in your area, we do value programming like this and realize PBS in HD is important to our customers. Unfortunately, due to limits in bandwidth, we are not able to offer all of the local channels we provide to the Salt Lake area in HD. I have entered a request for PBS HD to be offered in your area. Our programming department take channel requests like yours into account when deciding on new programming to offer.”

And they concluded, “As mentioned in our previous e-mail, we are launching new satellites to increase the number of HD channels that we are able to offer. It is possible that PBS HD may become available at that time; however, I wouldn’t want to speculate on any dates for this or our service provided by other companies.”

The Dish Network reply was more concise, “Thank you for your e-mail. At this time, we do not have specific information when the PBS stations will be launched in HD. We are currently working on offering more HD channels in the future. Please log-on to our website for more information about new programming and services being added to Dish Network.”

Increasingly, public television stations are the only stations in that are owned, governed, and operated within the communities they serve and not by far away profit making corporations.

Yes, many satellite subscribers can receive a digital / HD public television signal over-the-air if they install an indoor or outdoor antenna (if zoning permits it) and plug it into their satellite receiver box. Frankly, I would suggest everyone consider this option if they can receive over-the-air signals.

However, in a world of vastly more choices in television programming services — what were once called “channels” — there is a difference between what people can do to receive a signal and what they will do.

DirecTV and the Dish Network are now providing the commercial network stations’ HD signals as part of their “local channel packages.” Now it is time for them to do the same for local public television stations.

In my August 7, 2007 post, I expressed the concern that some viewers may be left behind when all of U.S. television transitions to digital transmission on February 17, 2009 — just 537 days from now. While cable and satellite viewers won’t notice the change, viewers with conventional TV sets and rabbit ear antennas will find nothing but a snow-filled screen.

As it turns out, some viewers have already been left behind. Those viewers who value their local PBS / public television stations and who subscribe to satellite television services DirecTV and the Dish Network.

DirecTV’s and Dish Network’s include the traditional analog and new digital program services of your local ABC, CBS, NBC, and the FOX commercial network stations. Local public television stations’ digital signals can only be received via cable or over-the-air with an antenna and digital (HDTV) receiver.

Both DirecTV and Dish Network’s have decided NOT to include the new digital / HD program services of local PBS / public television stations in their “Local HD Channel Packages.”

Obviously, DirecTV and the Dish Network are carrying the commercial network digital signals because they believe the digital and often High-Definition (HD) programming provides “value added” for their subscribers.

Given the nature of many PBS programs, the digital service would provide enhanced picture and sound quality. You have to wonder if I can watch a commercial network “game show” in digital high-definition, why would DirecTV and the Dish Network not want to provide the same enhanced viewing experience to NOVA and NATURE viewers?

Because no one demands it. This must change. We must demand that the new digital / HD services from our local PBS stations be treated equally with the local commercial network stations.

Want to make a difference? Call one or both subscription satellite services and let them know you want your local PBS station’s high-definition, digital programming included as part of their local HD channel package lineup. Call them now:

DIRECTV – Phone: 888-777-2454

DISH NETWORK – Phone: 888-825-2557

Share your passion for the new high-definition (HD) programs available from your local PBS / public television station.

In 560 days, television broadcasting, as Americans’ have always known it, will cease to exist. At that moment, local television stations will take the last step in the transition from analog to digital broadcasting.

On February 19, 2009 this change — of which far to many Americans are totally unaware — is both exciting and potentially troublesome.

Digital television is exciting because it promises theater quality viewing in your own home. The sound quality is similar to moving from LP’s to CD’s — stunning.

At the same time, the shift to digital only signals could be a problem, leaving many viewers, especially those in rural areas and those with low disposable income, without television at all. That’s a problem.

If you’ve already purchased an HDTV set, tuner, and antenna, you’re probably already receiving over-the-air digital signals. If not, you’ll be able to buy a converter that will pick up the new digital television signals and convert them so they can be viewed on your old receiver — admittedly at lower picture and sound quality. If, as most Americans, you subscribe to a cable television service, you won’t notice the change from analog to digital television because your set-top converter box will function just like the decoder described above.

If you own or purchase an HDTV set, you’ll be able to connect it to the cable converter box and view the highest quality signals available. If you still own a conventional analog set, you won’t lose service — but you won’t get improved quality either.

Most homes in America will notice one impact of all these changes. And they’ll feel it on any conventional TV set in the home that is using an antenna to receive an over-the-air signal (e.g., not connected to a cable converter box).

Many of these conventional / analog TV sets will still be in use in 2009. And if viewers watched a favorite program on February 18, 2009 on one of those sets, they’ll find the set’s screen blank the following morning.

Television is changing and the change will be easier on some than others. There are special challenges facing public media, including your local PBS member station. We’ll hit those issues in a future post.