DTV and You:  A North Carolina Now Special

For the past decade, broadcasters like UNC-TV have been making the transition from broadcasting with an analog signal to broadcasting with a digital one. For the past couple of years, broadcasters have been sending out programs using both analog and digital transmission technology.  How you currently access these television signals and programs depends on the type of television, antenna, cable or satellite equipment you have.  Congress has now pinpointed a date, February 17, 2009, when television stations must stop using their analog signals entirely.  This new development in the digital conversion creates a lot of questions.  Perhaps the biggest question for consumers, is what does this mean for me?  The quick answer--- it depends on how you are currently receiving television signals.

In an analog environment, your analog television set receives television signals directly from a station's transmitter or through cable or satellite.  In a digital environment, the digital signal is still transmitted from the station.  You can access it either through a digital television set that has a digital tuner inside it. Also, cable and satellite companies can provide converter boxes that provide you with their program streams.  Or you can opt to buy a special converter box that will allow you to access over-the-air digital broadcast signals using an antenna.

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