TechLifeBlogged

news.com: Americans who want a converter box permitting older televisions to receive digital broadcasts will be eligible for federal subsidies, according to new rules announced Monday that clear up some confusion about how the program will work.

In the US, starting in Feb '09, if you receive over the air broadcasts you'll need a converter box if you don't have one already. That's the current date for the switch from analog to digital broadcasts. The converters are supposed to cost around $50 to $70USD and the subsidy coupon is said be be worth $40.

I think retailers are going to cut the price and offer these things for $40 so in the end it's a wash. Especially the big stores like Best Buy, Costco etc. Why wouldn't they? Perfect opportunity to give something for "free" and get people in there who might not otherwise. Maybe they'll have a look around at all the pretty LCD's and Plasmas that they hadn't considered before.