The switch from analog to digital television happens on February 17, 2009. Are you ready?

What does this mean for you and how you watch TV?

Remember, the digital television transition affects every television set in your home.

I get cable service on all my TV's:
Your television will not be affected by the digital transition as long as you keep your cable subscription.

I get satellite service on all my TV's:
Your television will not be affected by the digital transition as long as you keep your satellite subscription.

I do not get cable or satellite at all, or only on some TV's in my house:
You are at risk of losing your television signal. Keep reading to find out what you need to do!

On February 17, 2009, WHAM-TV and all television stations in the United States will turn off their analog transmitters and will broadcast only digital signals.

In the simplest terms, what this means to a television viewer is this: Any television set that is analog will no longer work without help. That help will come in the form of a cable or satellite hook-up or an analog-to-digital converter box.

If your television does not have a digital tuner -- which most TV's older than 2-3 years do not -- and your TV is not connected to cable or satellite, you will need to take action to ensure that you do not lose television service:

1. Purchase a digital television converter box for your TV.
You can apply to the government for two-per-household coupons for discounts on converter boxes. Most electronics retailers are now stocking the boxes. With a coupon, a box should cost no more than $20-$40.

Most households should be able to pick up the over-the-air free digital television signals (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, CW and PBS) from just about anywhere in the immediate Rochester area with an antenna of some sort. We’ve tried a converter box at our location on West Henrietta Road at Calkins, and we could pick up all the local digital signals with a pair of rabbit ears.

To apply for a TV Converter Box Coupon, visit www.dtv2009.gov.

2. Subscribe to a pay-TV service, such as cable or satellite.
A subscription to a cable, satellite or a telephone company service provider will allow you to continue using your analog TV set. The signal your television receives from these providers will be able to accommodate the digital transition.

3. Purchase a digital television set.
You can buy a new television set with a built-in digital or Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) tuner. All TVs with a digital tuner are able to receive digital signals broadcast by television stations, so you can continue to receive free programming with no monthly fees.

Digital allows television stations to “split” their signals to offer more programming. For example, WHAM-TV broadcasts its traditional ABC and local programming on digital channel 13.1. We now also broadcast CW network and additional local programming, such as two hours of morning news between 7 and 9am on 13.2. Sometime down the road, we could potentially offer even more programming on 13.3 and so on. One other note on the reason for the switch: the government is auctioning off the analog television signals to other telecommunications providers. The government will raise billions of dollars by doing this.

Another thing that seems to confuse many viewers is the difference between “digital” and “high definition.” All high definition programming is digital, but not all digital programming is high definition. Many programs, such as reality shows and news, are broadcast via a digital signal, but the “style” of programming is still standard definition. In other words, standard definition is a 4x3 picture dimension with a lower quality picture. Most primetime programming and many sporting events are now broadcast in high definition. “High Def” is a wider picture, 16x9, with a much higher quality of video with sharper definition. During the next several years, more and more programming will make the switch from standard to high definition.

Just because you bought an HD set and took it home and hooked it up to your cable or satellite dish does not mean you are watching programming in high def. An HD set should be able to pick up the local stations' HD programming over-the-air if you don’t connect it to cable or satellite. If you subscribe to cable or satellite, you will likely need a high definition converter box from your provider in order to receive cable/satellite channels in HD.

Over the course of the next year, you will see many public service announcements on television alerting viewers to the change from analog to digital. The local television stations in Rochester will be working together to make this as seamless a transition as possible for our viewers. If you have any questions, please feel free to write General Manager Chuck Samuels at csamuels@13wham.com.