We hear the question all the time. What will happen on Feb. 17, 2009?

Well, to be honest, no one is quite sure. At midnight, as February 16, 2009, turns to February 17, broadcasters will shut off the analog broadcast signal and switch on the digital signal.

If every TV in your house, analog or digital, is hooked up to a satellite receiver or an analog or digital cable box, or even just the naked cable line, or if you have a digital TV with a digital TV tuner attached to a digital antenna, it's likely Dave Letterman will continue his Top 10 and tête-à-tête with some movie star as if nothing had happened.

But, for folks with an analog TV tethered to either rabbit ears or a rooftop yagi antenna, you'll likely see snow at 12:01am, regardless of the weather conditions outside.

So do you need to buy a new digital TV? Honestly, no. You can buy a digital converter box such as the Zenith DTT901, and get $40 off the price via a coupon available from the Federal government. More on the converter/coupon program in a minute.

But first, since you're knee deep in a special advertising section on HDTVs, you'll understand if we try to convince you to buy a new TV anyway.

21st Century Color
No major TV maker has made or sold an analog TV for years. So it's a good bet whatever analog TVs you still watch are at least five years old, if not older.

Even if your analog TV successfully displays a picture after February 17 thanks to a cable connection or Zenith digital converter box, you will get a more stable picture but not a better picture. Your cable provider and the digital converter box turn the digital TV signal back to old fashioned analog since an analog signal is the only picture your analog TV can display.

If you're still an analog TV owner, you're quickly becoming a disadvantaged minority. According to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), half of U.S. homes already have purchased at least one HDTV. This year, CEA expects nearly 30 million DTVs to be sold. Like Mr. Know-It-All next door, a lot of people are already on their second HDTV.

There's also a lot more to be seen in HD. There are around 70 dedicated HD channels, including all the major broadcast networks, and almost all primetime shows on the major networks are broadcast in HD. There are nearly 1,500 films available on Blu-ray high definition DVD. There also a growing number of download services offering high definition films for purchase or rent via internet TV devices such as Netflix's LG-made HDTV set-top box.

The Price is Right
HDTVs aren't as expensive as you think, either. CEA says the average selling price for an HDTV has dropped 40 percent in the last four years.

Believe it or not, 40 years ago, color TVs cost more than twice to five times as much than today's DTVs. In 1968, 23-inch color TVs ranged between $500 and $900, around $2,500 to $4,500 in today's dollars. That kind of money today can buy you an LG 52-inch LG70 1080p LCD HDTV, the LG BH200 dual Blu-ray/HD DVD player and about 10 Blu-ray movies, with enough left over for some microwave popcorn.

We're sure you remember clamoring your parents to upgrade to color because you kept having to go to friends' houses to watch your favorite Saturday morning cartoons, after school specials, American Bandstand or Barbara Eden's navel-less tummy in "I Dream of Jeannie" in color.

Today, your kids are shuttling next door to Mr. Know-It-All's house to play video games on his HDTV, glaring at you with a "if we had an HDTV we'd stay home" look as they walk out the door.

Coupon Redemption Center
Even if you have an HDTV or plan to buy one, you may still have an analog TV in your home not connected to anything except an antenna. If you do, you'll need a digital converter box to watch the new digital broadcasts after February 17, 2009.

But you won't really have to pay for this converter box. The Federal government will send you up to two coupons worth $40 each toward the purchase of two converter boxes per house. As of mid-June, nearly 17 million coupons have been applied for from nearly nine million homes.

But if you order a coupon, you have to use it or lose it. Coupons expire 90 days from the date they are issued.

You can apply to the Commerce Department, which is administering the program, for your DTV converter box coupons by calling 888-DTV 2009 (888-388-2009), or apply on the Web at www.dtv2009.gov.

Not all DTV converter boxes are created equal, however. Zenith's DTT901 has – along with a universal remote control, one-touch closed-captioning control, accessibility to Second Audio Program information, a "what's on next" program guide button, a signal strength meter, V-chip parental control, a sleep timer and automatically turns off after four hours of inactivity – a feature called analog pass-through.

Only full-power TV stations are mandated to turn off their analog broadcasts and switch to digital. Smaller, local low-power stations will still be allowed to broadcast in analog. If you live and receive broadcasts from one of these low-power stations, the DTT901 with analog pass-through let you receive both these low-power analog signals as well as new digital broadcasts from the more powerful broadcasters in your area.

In all events, there are plenty of ways to make sure there'll be snow only on the ground at your home on February 17, 2009.

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