AUBURN - In 2005, Congress passed legislation requiring free local television stations to turn off their analog signals by Feb. 17, 2009 and begin broadcasting exclusively in digital.

The digital format will allow stations several advantages, such as broadcasting with higher quality picture and sound, but this change will have an impact on those that receive them over the air.

To help viewers understand these changes and what options are available, Seymour Library hosted two talks on Tuesday by WSTM-WSTQ's Jim Marco and Laura Hand.

During the evening discussion, Hand explained the change to digital would not affect those who get their television by cable or satellite.

These changes will impact the estimated 19.6 million U.S. households that receive only over-the-air signals with televisions that use antennas or are equipped with analog tuners.

“The federal government has reassigned those frequencies,” Hand said. “They are essentially turning those analog channels off and they are selling them for use by cell phones and Blackberries and things of that nature.”

This reassignment comes with several advantages, along with higher picture and sound quality, Hand said stations will be able to do what is known as “multicasting.”

“We are keeping the basic numbers you know,” Hand said. “So it will still be channel 3. But we will have channel 3.1 that is WSTM and 3.2, which is CW. And other channels will have the same thing, 5.1, 5.2; one of them will have a 24-hour movie channel. So you will have the opportunity to see a lot more. It just depends on where you live and what you get.”

To make this possible, viewers will need to make some changes to their sets. The televisions that have made traditional over-the-air signals viewable will no longer work as of Feb. 17, 2009.

Hand said there are options.

Viewers can of course subscribe to a cable or satellite service or buy a new television. Hand said that most sets made after 2007 are high definition compatible.

“That would solve the whole problem,” Hand said. “I saw a small set this week for under $200. I think in the after-Thanksgiving sales that is going to be a premium item.”

But for many, buying a new television or spending the money for cable may not be within their budget.

For them, there is another option. Many manufacturers are selling DTV converter boxes. Hand brought an example of one, which can easily be hooked into an existing analog television set with either coaxial or A/V cables.

The federal government is also offering a $40 coupon to help subsidize the purchase of these converters, which are available at most major retailers, such as Wal-Mart, Circuit City and Radio Shack.

Hand said these converter boxes range from $50 to $70; the coupon will dramatically reduce the out-of-pocket cost.

These coupons can be requested for free online at www.ntia.doc.gov. Hand said they take approximately six weeks to arrive and that as the changeover date approaches, she suspects it will get busier.

They can also be ordered over the phone by calling 1-888-388-2009. Hand said online was the most efficient way so people receive a confirmation number to be sure they will receive their coupon.

Many stations have already begun to broadcast their digital versions and Hand said it would be advantageous for viewers to make the switch early.

“A lot of us have the high definition up and running,” Hand said. “You can check now and see what you get, don't wait.”