Las Vegas, NV–With only 405 days until full-power analog TV broadcasts in the U.S. are switched off, consumers are flocking to request $40 government-issued coupons for Digital TV Converters such as the RCA DTA800. Just certified by the Department of Commerce as eligible for the coupon program, the DTA800 is going into production to meet retailer demand for affordable boxes that will be widely available to American consumers. The DTA800 is on display this week at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, home to the largest trade show on earth devoted to consumer entertainment.
The RCA DTA800 joins the list converter boxes that fully meet the reception and functionality requirements of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Federal Communications Commission. With more than two million coupon requests received over the past week, the DTA800 will be one of the boxes sought by consumers hunting for an affordable way to make the transition to digital TV.
Consumers who live in households that rely on an outdoor antenna or ‘rabbit ears’ indoor antenna to receive favorite TV channels soon have an important decision to make. Analog TV broadcasting, which is the way that TV shows have been beamed to homes since 1939, officially comes to an end on the evening of February 17, 2009. On that date, full-power TV broadcasters must complete turning off their transmitters and switch all programming to new digital broadcasting. The least expensive choice for consumers will be to purchase a converter box.
