What do the people of Hawaii need to do to be ready for the digital TV switch?
Because Congress mandated that the last day for full-power television stations to broadcast in analog would be February 17, 2009, most over-the-air TV broadcasts will be in digital only after that date. Of course this date will be January 15, 2009 for Hawai’i residents. If you have one or more televisions that receive free over-the-air television programming (with a roof-top antenna or “rabbit ears” on the TV), the type of TV you own is very important. A digital television (a TV with an internal digital tuner) should allow you to continue to watch free over-the-air programming after the transition. However, if you have an analog television, you will need a digital-to-analog converter box to continue to watch broadcast television on that set. This converter box will also enable you to see any additional multicast programming that your local stations are offering. However, consumers should note that digital signals and analog signals are not exactly the same. Even transmitted at the same
