Barring last-minute action by Congress, on February 17 television signals are supposed to go digital — no more analog broadcasts. Consumer Reports tells you how to still get free TV — even high-definition — without having to sign up for any services like cable or satellite.
Neil Horowitz has a new high-definition TV set and gets a great picture.
Horowitz says, “Every time I turn it on, it’s jaw-dropping. To see such detail. It’s like you’re in the movies. It’s that sharp and that clear.”
The best part? He gets it all free.
Eileen McCooey of Consumer Reports says, "Many people think that you have to pay for cable or satellite to get high-definition programming, but you don't. You can get it absolutely free from an antenna."
Consumer Reports says people who use a UHF—VHF antenna to get free HDTV are actually happier with the picture than those who pay for cable or satellite.
The reason you need an antenna is that most stations broadcast on the UHF frequency. A basic model costs about $20 at an electronics store.
If you just want to keep your old analog TV working, you'll need a digital converter box that costs anywhere from $50 to $90. These digital converter boxes convert a digital signal to an analog signal, so that way your old analog set can receive it and display the image.
Consumer Reports tested dozens of digital converter boxes and found all of them will give you a good picture — some even as good as a DVD. So a converter box, or new HDTV set, will give you free digital TV without having to pay for cable or satellite.
For Consumer Reports' ratings of 36 digital converter boxes, click on the related link above.
