[0]Last year, I broke down a purchased an HDTV with my income tax refund. Its one of the best purchases I've made in recent years. It's a good think too, since my DTV converter coupons sent to me by the federal government just expired and are now worthless.
If your not familiar with the DTV conversion, let me back track. Next February, the federal government will require all "over the air" television broadcasters to turn off their analog signal and only send out digital signals. This is similar to when DVD first came on the scene. Many tv's needed a special box called an RF modulator to take the digital signal from DVD and change it to analog.
Now, we're faced with older style sets without digital tuners not being able to receive a signal once the analog broadcast goes off the air. In order to keep those sets working, you either need to be hooked to cable or satellite... Or use a converter box, a device that will receive the digital signal and convert it to analog, allowing you to still watch TV on an older set.
The Federal government offered to spot every household two $40 coupons to purchases converter boxes, but the coupons expire three months after they're mailed out. Well, I foolishly signed up for the coupons as soon as the program opened in January at http://www.dtvtransition.org/ [1].
I kept the coupons in my car and anytime I was at a retailer, I took the coupons in the store with me. It wasn't until last month that I actually saw one in a store. I won't name the retailer, but the box cost $69. I keep an old TV in my basement for severe weather instances, and didn't want to be out of pocket $30 just to keep that set running, especially since I knew many of the boxes should be priced less.
I found a display at another retailer that claimed to sell one made by Magnavox for $49. I checked several of their locations over several weeks and never found one. A store associate suggested I call, saying they go out as fast as they come in. I did that several times, and alas, none were ever shipped.
I lucked out a few days ago and found a stockpile of 4 DTV converter boxes at yet another retailer I frequent. Prices at $47, I used one coupon on the off brand product. Total cost to me was over $12 with tax. I'm not sure it works though. I hooked it up and its not picking up any signal. I plan to test it at a friends house.
I held out hope I could get a different brand with the other coupon, but never found them in stock again anywhere else. Now comes word that this is happening to hundreds of thousands of people across the country. The coupons are expiring before people can use them.
Several lawmakers told a House panel this week consumers are having a tough time finding converter boxes, which are sold out in some stores. Don't throw your expired coupons away just yet. These lawmakers think we the people should be given more time to buy the boxes, even if our coupons are expired. The government reports about half of the first 840,000 coupons sent out expired without being used. Stay tuned.
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