James Delahunty
20 Mar 2007 18:52
LG Electronics has revealed that it expects retailers to charge about $60 for devices used to convert digital TV signals to analog. LG is one company that is producing these boxes, which will prevent analog TVs from "going dark" when the United States changes to digital-only broadcasts. "We plan to have the boxes available in early 2008," John Taylor, LG's vice president of U.S. government relations, said.
The transition will be made in the United States on February 17, 2009. Without a converter box, analog TV users will have to either subscribe to satellite or digital cable, or replace their TV with a digital television. The production cost of the devices was not revealed by LG.
The National Telecommunications & Information Administration, a Commerce Department agency, is responsible for a "coupon" system that $40 discount coupons to consumers to help buy the converter boxes. It expects to have a system in place to accept requests for coupons by January 1, 2008.
Source:
Reuters