DTV Converter

Apex digital TV converter box analog pass-through DT250A - 1st unit was purchased with government coupon on 9-04-09 + $10.86. It ran very, very hot to touch, would frequently make audio slow and very baritone. I had to unplug and reprogram each occurrence. Unit failed and warranty exchange at Best Buy on 7-09-10, + $5.00. 2nd unit failed and was returned on 4-22-12. All the same symptoms until again, total failure. Best Buy refused to warranty as unit had expired warranty by 8.5 months. This is not a very long life for a modern device that never worked properly or safely in the first place. I'm on SS disability and cannot afford to buy another converter box or a new TV. I, therefore, am a citizen denied my right to the public airways.

I live in the city and half the channels seem like all the megapixels are so messed up. Also, WLUK, a fox channel, may come in a sunny day. Half the channels don't come in at all, unless it's nice out. Boy, this was a sure scam.

When television signals were digitized, they wanted us to buy converter boxes. So, we went out and bought one. After that we, bought HDTVs. The new TV's were supposed to have receivers inside that display digital signals. After about a year, we couldn't even receive regular channels we used to watch, like Fox, CBS, and PBS educational channels. Who's making the big bucks from controlling and cutting off these services we used to get for free? The big cable companies. Isn't it enough that they make money from commercials they bombard us three or four times between 15-18 minute shows?

I never have been able to watch TV with the converter box. I live in the woods.

Like a ton of other folks I have a DT250 Digital TV Converter Box that has stopped functioning after some 12 months. The remote control will not allow the box to switch from the red light to the green light. In brief, it's a piece of garbage now that will soon be rusting away in some land-fill.

Ever since the switch to digital TV, I lost my job. I can't afford the raised prices of the Dish company's cable does not come out my way. I couldn't afford it anyway if it did so now all I can do is stare at the walls because the new great digital signal does not reach my home. I think if the government made the switch and now I don't get it. They should pay for me a satellite dish.

The conversion from analog to digital has been a very poor experience (and I mean this in both senses of the word). The change has meant a big problem to the low-income in this country. We are forced to either purchase an expensive new equipment, lease such equipment, or do without. To top it all off, the digital equipment is far more susceptible to poor quality, with the consumer completely at the mercy of big business. Broadcast may have been at the mercy of the weather at times, but at least it was free, or we had a choice. Now we have to pay for cable or satellite. What a scam. This was a really bad idea, and very expensive for the people of this country. To top it all off, the promised benefits have never materialized. Pixelation, black screens, slow or interrupted picture; considering the cost, this is a huge rip-off. Not only that, digital is much more dependent on complex computer equipment which is much more likely to break down or malfunction than the old equipment.

Yes, just another scam brought to you by the big corporations that run our government. We have 2 different converters but between them we can only receive half the channels that we used to. When I researched why, I discovered that DTV is only broadcasted in UHF! Funny how they didn't advertise that before the change. UHF is blocked by hills, buildings and trees and the signal drops off much more quickly than VHF. In a place like SF, that means you won't be watching much broadcast TV. I guess the TV networks agreed to this because they got to sell off their old VHF bandwidth for big cash. Your government is sending you a simple message, buy cable or die!

I'm sorry to have spent $40 on the converter box at WalMart to save money. It stopped working and never gave me more than a few channels anyway. What a rip-off for the American people-shame of whoever is responsible!

The change from analog to digital is a rip off. My TV viewing went from 7 channels to maybe one on a good day. Another fine mess our government has got us in. I pray for the old system back or maybe have these UHF TV towers boost up the power so everyone can get a half way good signal. Remember, our politicians can afford satellite, maybe on tax payer's money.

The conversion from analog to DTV is another government ** idea. It in no way serves us, the people. It is useless! It constantly pixels out and stalls, making my TV totally useless, no matter what sort of antenna I use, with or without a converter box. I bought a brand new TV and it made no difference whatsoever! Why is this DTV conversion garbage continuing? Why does nobody care that this is not working? To what government agency do we need to complain and demand a remedy? I cannot afford fios, cable, or any other expensive services.

We need to be able to watch the debates, most of which have not even been aired on regular TV. The one last night on CBS my brand new TV still could not receive. I suspect that the services such as fios, cable, etc. Were lobbying for this and the government got a kick back so that these services could cash in? This conversion has certainly not been good for taxpayers.

The change from analog to digital is a rip off and is another way for cable companies to boost their revenue. Again, our brilliant politicians pass a law, and try and save us from ourselves.

Whose brainy idea was it to convert everyone from analog to digital? We've invested a fair amount of money in converters that only got Spanish speaking stations to two new TV's that just a few more stations. So we've invested money we didn't need to spend, to have fewer viewing choices. At this very moment, our TV has been stuck on one picture for the last 15 minutes, the other TV says, "this channel doesn't exist". Looks like they just cut another channel from our viewing choices, just because we don't want to pay for cable! What kind of scam is this on the American people?

I am complaining about the pathetic DTV reception in Warrnambool, VIC. The ABC is coming through with a good clear reception. As for all other channels, they are wasting everyone's time and money. I get a pixelated picture from 7:00 PM on every channel. This is happening more often than not. Who was the bright spark to suggest turning off the Analoge Network? It has taken away our viewing choice. I wasted my money getting the latest Digital LED TV and Digital Antenna to find this huge glitch in the digital network system. I am not happy.

They are absolutely the worst DTV converter ever. I hate it. What a rip-off digital stream. When you press the EPG button, sometimes (a lot of times) nothing comes up except "EPG not found". Don't buy this product, and to think, I bought 2 of these P.O.S! I didn't know that they did that until about 3 months after I bought them. I want to take a hammer to them both!

According to the pre-HDTV hype, HDTV was going to give me a wonderful, perfect picture (bright and clear with great color and resolution). The picture is good, when it comes in! When it's not breaking up (pixelating). I'm forever having to move my antenna around. If an airplane or helicopter fly over, the picture goes crazy. During a thunder storm, the picture is horrible, etc. It's quite frustrating. Can anything be done? (I have an older TV with an HD converter box and antenna).

They are blocking channel access unless you buy their digital converter boxes. They say that it is a network upgrade. In actuality it is a way for them to charge $1.99 for every TV you have in your house. Oh, you do get 2 free adapters. Most homes have 4-5 televisions in them now. The government was offering free digital converters. Why did Comcast wait until a year after the free offer to upgrade their network and start charging for the boxes? More **.

I purchased 4 of the Digital Stream digital T.V. converter boxes model # dtx-9900, two years ago. Two of the converter boxes went dead. The problem was found to be capacitor #209 on the power supply circuit board in both units having the wrong maximum voltage rating. The capacitor will go bad on every one of these converter boxes sold across the U.S. due to this design error.

The repair is the replacement of this 16 volt 330 microfarad capacitor with a 25 volt 330 microfarad capacitor. The digital stream company should be responsible for recalling every one of these model units and other possible models made by Digital Stream. When the capacitor goes bad, the units LED indicator will either blink or go out. The capacitor can be visually monitored for going bad because it will start to form a bulge in the top of the usually flat cylinder. All Digital Stream DTX-9900 converter boxes will go bad over time due to this flaw which will cost each consumer between $40 to $60 to replace.

I purchased the Apex DTV converter with a government coupon from Best Buy. It was always dropping the signal and now a year later, it won't turn on. Just the red light that won't turn to a green light. It will flash when I attempt to turn it on, but won't. There is also a high pitched buzzing sound coming from it while plugged in but turned off.

Re: Digital converter boxes. I had two boxes stop working suddenly. I purchased both boxes at Walmart on the same day, now they have conveniently stopped working since it is outside the warranty date. I called the customer service # at Funai (the manufacturer.) and was told that there was nothing else they could do.

This has to do with the DT conversion, not the box as much as the entire system. I feel like I'm living in a third-world country. Since mid-June when this fiasco started, we haven't watched a single show on a single channel that hasn't had numerous dropouts and pixellation.

We don't have cable or dish, but we spent $200 on an antenna that's been arrayed and re-arrayed without any resolution to the problem. Just what was the point of this futile exercise? This change wasn't good. It would be nice to know if anyone was following up on these complaints, and maybe someone with a few advanced degrees could come up with a solution.

All I know is that I was forced to buy one of this stupid converter boxes due to the big changes with the FCC and digital. I have a RCA bow I bought from Wally World and after about 5-6 months, it fails completely! I called only to find out they only gave a 90 day warranty and they stopped selling them about the same time, which leads me to believe they were aware of the problems with the said unit! I can't seem to find anyone who can repair it and been told it would cost more to repair such - rather than out right buy another!

Also, with this box, I had a tough time even getting a decent signal on it and when I talked with Wally World during the failed box, I was then told that it was suppose to have a "Smart antenna" connected to this, which no one said. Boo too me about when I purchased this! I also was led to believe that one box off the antenna was enough to feed both TVs. This also isn't true and would have to run upstairs to change the channel or buy yet another box to feed the one down stairs!

This FCC was quick to push all this crap on us and looked the other way when cheap crap filled our electronic stores (conveniently available) and has done nothing to even stop the sales to other innocent people out there who are also going to be victims to this. They pushed this "Digital" thing but never told us that the signal was going to be much lower. Thus, almost impossible to pick up without yet another sale of an outdoor antenna, which I can't now get due to the laws that our apartment management has told us that no amenities are allowed outside the buildings.

Since day one of getting the RCA Digital Converter box, the reception was lousy and I could barely get any of the channels. I went out and bought a new antenna which helped a little bit, but I still cannot get some of the channels. Then the remote control stopped working, so I took the one out of the extra converter box I bought for a spare TV and that one didn't even work straight out of the box. I got the remote from my sister who has cable TV but bought a converter box for a spare TV she had, but she wasn't using and that remote also didn't work straight out of the box.

I cannot get the "info" without the remote and also cannot get to all of the same channels that I can with the remote. When I looked online at RCA to see if I could buy one, I found they cost $15 plus shipping. Who is to say that one will even work! This whole thing is such a rip off, I am sure to benefit the cable and satellite companies as well as some congressman's pocket (and China).

The DTV converter boxes do not work very well. They constantly lose reception on most channels or have weak signals and the picture becomes distorted. You have to re-scan the channels several times a day causing you to miss the picture you want to see due to reception problems. Also, many of the major channels don't all come in at the same time. I have 2 HDTV televisions, 2 converter boxes and 2 HDTV antennas and can barely watch it. I wished they would left the television signal alone because I used to be able to watch a show and enjoy it. What a waste of $120.00. Some people can't afford cable and invest in the converter boxes and expect to watch TV in peace. I feel like I wasted my money because I can't enjoy the use of the boxes and antennas. I have to now borrow and purchase to have something to watch. I hope DTV would fix their signals so that us, customers, can watch TV.

We now get only 3, 5, 8, and 61. PBS 25, and ThisTV 43 don't come in at all. The picture on the existing channels is often affected by plane traffic. This was a neat lobbying success by the cable industry to pull up sales, and the biggest victims are lower income families. Hopefully, people, like us, will just find something better to do. I lost free access to television. Th e cable costs around $75 per month.

Apparently they did something to the basic system for televisions. Our master box changes channels much more slowly than it did about 10 days ago. Whatever they did is no acceptable. Much longer time required to change channels using the remotes you forced us to have.

I got a coupon to purchase these boxes. I went to said Best Buy Store. I went with my coupon on the last day (due day). I am a busy person, work, so I had in my daily log the date marked in red ink so that I would not go over the due date. On that day, I went to buy the box, left home at 8 pm. Store was to close at 9 pm. I arrived to the store, looked amongst the different types and decided on one, walked to the register and waited in line. Coupon said, expires on XX day. It was 8:55 when I reached the register. The cashier begun doing some calculations and then proceeded to process my coupon. Suddenly she said, "This is strange. Your coupon says it is due today but the computer says it is expired." "No way," I said, "it is 9 pm as we speak, on due date." So we called the 800 number on the coupon and I was told that I was out of luck because although living in California, the time used on coupons is the eastern standard time!

I was livid. We live on Pacific Standard Time here in CA, but the government, I can see, rips off as many people as it can with that scam about eastern standard time, two thirds of the nation could easily get ripped off. I was told I could not get a new coupon. Once you are issued on, that is it. Then, the dorky box broke down. It would not turn on, stays on off ( red light as opposed to green). It does not respond to manual or remote commands. Best Buy says it does not sell boxes anymore and will not take it back or exchange it.

What a rip off. I can see the government is trying to steer us all into purchasing cable or satellite TV service, which is not regulated and hence, those sharks charge a lot of money, not even allowing the customer to choose his/her own channels. It would take 2 or 3 "packages" to be able to get the few channels you really want to see. These boxes last only a few months, break down and there is no warranty on said boxes. Stores refused to take them back. Coupons are recanted based on eastern standard time requirements imposed on central and west coast citizens, and the digital signal is worse than analog, with channel reception falling off the air constantly.

Who cares? The government makes money out from taxes and fees on cable and satellite TV, so this scam was geared to rid the coffers from us, people that watched TV without feeding the cable/satellite industry. Thanks to the greed and collusion that the government and private business have created!

The new digital conversion is a mess. When I watch any station on PBS, the picture breaks up and the sound skips. I paid $30.00 for 2 good antennas because the cheap ones didn't work and 22.00 for each converter. I don't want cable on every TVv because I own because if it goes out I have nothing. My view ship of network TV is down because of these issues. The Govt' or someone needs to fix this service.

Another take over by the government to manage the news. Another move toward socialism. This digital TV is a disaster. The picture breaks into small pieces and forms back like a Jigsaw Puzzle and disappears altogether. What's going on with this picture? No picture, no entertainment after a hard day at work. It looks like they're forcing people to pay (in which I can't afford) cable or some other paid program.

about 2 weeeks before the digital white wash i bought 2 of these apex dt250a converter boxes and ended up throwing out a perfectly good tv due to a problem that was caused by this pos converter. not only did this piece of junk not get any channels to speak of, but the sound would suddenly change to a voice normally used to mask the right voice. (like a voice changer used for ransom telephone request). anyway now that worthless piece of chinese crap wont even turn on. guess now we all know who was behind this stupid digital change over. the chinese. how do i get a replacement or my stupid governments money back? the question of the day???better yet, how do we get our government to pull its head out of its ass and wake up??

Problem, I think, is not with the retailer, Best Buy, but the product, Apex DT250 digital converter boxes. Purchased six (I handled for three households) with the government coupons in July 2008 and installed them a week before the switchover. One failed in October, two others this month (December 2009).

Best Buy told me they had no reported problems with this product. Didn't contact Apex because the warranty information in the box had a one year limit. Just purchased two more from Best Buy and noticed that the model named changed from DT250 to DT250A. The problem with the three failed units was identical - they just turned themselves off (red light) and wouldn't turn back on (green light) by remote, manual or even after unplugging for a few days.

I'm suspecting a defective component - and also suspect I'm not alone in experiencing this problem. Is there recourse?

I have four TVs using converter boxes, two connected to an outside antenna and two using rabbit ear/oval antennas. The stations come in sometimes no matter which method is used. I have been on the roof twice [due to the danger I'm not going up there again]to adjust the direction and can NEVER get most stations. I have finally been able to set each TV to get some of the channels and I have to watch whichever works for a particular station.

I also believe the government does not gave a hoot about those of use forced to use these boxes. They are really useless. I have lost my job and have no other choice but use them. I'm glad I like to read because I have turned more to books lately than ever. My friends in Europe tell me their transformation a while back was so painless they did not even know when it occurred and they are not required to be these useless converter boxes.

Again the US is so far behind. Thank goodness I did not fall on the roof trying to get reception but I was careful. I still will not go back up due to the danger. It is foolish to think this will fix the problem anyway.

TARGET DTV APEX A AND RCA Converter. This thing is a piece a junk. Very bad reception and when compared to the RCA it only picks half the channels no matter what kind of antenna you have. I purchased 2 APEX and with in 35 days both remote controls stop working. APEX does not have any buttons so you have to buy universal remote and even with the right codes the APEX only responds 10 % of the time.

Within 45 days one of the APEX completely stop working. I had to go to 4 different Targets before I found one that would take it back and they just resealed it like it was new and put it back on the shelf. The 2nd APEX has either gone alien or poltergeist. It changes channels on its on, mutes itself , resets itself, shuts off during football games and refuses to power back up. It's not funny when you miss the best part of the game.

The government got ripped off with the $40 coupons or guess it was a bailout of Electronic industry and Cable industry. Your tax money that your Congressman spent! For months and months we searched for DTV Converter and everybody was sold out or tried to sell me and many many many other people equipment we didn't need.

Finally a day before my coupon expired Target got a truck load so I called and told other people who I had ran into while looking for DTV Converters As of to date 20 of the 25 converter boxes have failed. Unfortunately I already used my coupons at TARGET so I guess I'm stuck with the RCAs that don't work much better. THANKS A LOT FCC and CONGRESSMAN, WAY TO SELL OUT!

After the installation we had nothing but frustration and headaches, none of the 4 tv's in the 2 houses. 1 in front and one in back received the same channels. only 1 recieved all of the local channels except 36-13,and even though we bought 3 attenas the tv that got the most channels had an old set of rabbit ears with one side bent and nothing to but it on the tv with, I had to memerize the attena positions for each channel and change it accordingly.

Besides this, the remote controls for each box even after programming worked different for each tv even though 3 of them were RCA. Either the volume didn't work, or you could not use the #buttons to enter a channel you had to use the arrow keys on the remote, the converter box remote would not turn on or off thr tv in one room but it did change channels with the arow keys. Also every time there is the slighist movement or noise the channel would go out.

we called the dtv coversion line and were told that in our area we should recieve 27 stations at least, after scanning and rescanning we had 1 tv that finally got 17 channels the rest never got more than 3-8 and most of them were in spanish. Like I said I am disabled and do not drive so most of my time is spent watching tv, especially my soaps from 12-3 m-f. Now I can't get any channels on my tv in the bedroom which was the only one of the 4 that got channel 10 now it does not get any channels aqt all.

we connected walmart about an exchange the said no. we called rca and they wanted $25ea plus S@H there and back to fix them and there was no warranty. I have searched the web and found numerous compliants similar to mine and my mom's and I don't think that it is fair that during a recession our government has decided to force all americans to buy cable or satellite tv or deal with the daily furstration of the converter boxes not to mention having to purchase new ones every 5 months or so do to manufacture area in design or whatever the problems seem to be.

Not to mention that none of the commercials or announcements regarding the purchase of the converter boxes informed you hat you had to get a special smart attena that cost $30 or more and even with the smart antena we only got 8 channels at first and now it says that we get 17 but they require that you spend at least 15mins to 45 mins to adjust the attena and then you can't move or breathe for fear of the signal going out

It seems to me from all of the compliants I have read online, my personal experience, and talking to neighbors, friends and store employees that the public is being ripped off in this recession and with the hard times it is a form of cruelty to deprieve the unemployed, underpaid, disabled, seniors, other americans that can't afford the luxury of cable or satellite to go with out tv the one thing that all americans used to be able to afford no matter there financial status, and also the only way for people to get the news and important information necessary to have.

Personally I do not have the money to purchase another converter box that may or may not go ot 5 months from now so after over 20 years of watching my soaps from 12-3 and feeling like I was a part of each of the story lines I am going to have to due without my favorite shows.
I just want to say that when you are disabled,live alone, and can not drive you tend to rely on television for not only entertainment but for social interaction.

I feel that the government or the makers of the converter boxes should take care of the people who purchased there products in good faith and are being left out to hang.

I recently tried to find a Converter Box for my old TV so that I could pick up the few free channels there are available without having to pay for cable. Only Brighthouse Communications services my area and they want the cheapest 63.00 dollars a month. I went to Target, Walmart, seems like everywhere looking for a box and somebody told me Best buy had them. After driving all over town I went to best Buy only to find the shelves empty and the sales man told me all converter boxes were on back order and they would not be getting any for a long time. before this digital switchover all I had to do was put on an antenna and bing I had at least three channels but now you are forced to buy a converter box that nobody has in stock this is not fair to the consumer. you are forced to buy cable television and they set there own price with has doubled in two years, it used to be 30.00 dollars a month which is reasonable. Why are there no converter boxes available for the poor people??? this is a rip off of the American People who cannot afford cable TV.

I bought the DTV converter box and a good antenna for my tv, but can only get ONE CHANNEL...not the 2-13 and more channels they originally bragged about offering. This is a rip-off. Nothing works. Wasted $50.00 for two boxes, even with those discount coupons, and still have to pay for cable service.

box required for the conversion of TV analog signals to digital. However box runs extremely hot in a short time of use. Not just a little hot either, I'm talking blazing hot where you can't touch it nor the connections without searing your fingers. I keep it unplugged which is a very big hassel each time I want to power it up to watch any TV not to mention needing gloves for protection to unplug it.

I am concerned consumers may leave it plugged in as nowhere in the owner's manual does it mention the temperature this plastic encased converter reaches. It can't be safe. I wanted to leave this post so it is on record. The product cannot be safe at that temperature plugged into an electrical outlet. Once again not just mildly hot but burning to the touch.

I've seen other posts about this unit running hot by worried consumers so this is not an isolated case. It is a fire hazard in the making for sure. My fingertips were seared and scorched just trying to unplug the box. Just want to leave a Beware post to let people know Access HD digital converter box runs scorchingly hot. This plastic box should not be trusted left plugged into an electrical source. The owner's manual does not warn of the heat but it is enough to cause a severe skin burn and possible electrical fire.

Since the High Def TV switch, we don't get any reception using the HD Converter Box anytime there are clouds in the sky. Cable is not an option and to many trees in the direction we need to point a dish. Very disappointed and frustrating.

I purchased a digital converter box and it has made my user experience with basic television three times worse. It's almost like I'm watching satellite television: when a plane flys over, a storm is approaching or some out of the blue glitch, this false contraption fails to perform. Where's the justice? I'm a very unhappy customer and this experience has made watching television horrible. I can't afford an almost $200 bill for basic cable each month and New York doesn't give a plethora of options when it comes to cable options. What does the FCC have to say about this? They promoted this crappy contraption for almost 6 months and i havent heard anything about how they are going to make the user experience better. This just seems like scheme for the government to make some money. Horrible!

Like everyone else using an analog antenna to receive a TV signal I was forced to switch to a digital converter box when the digital conversion took place. Even though I bought mine in January in preparation for the original conversion scheduled for February I have not been able to receive a constant or steady signal since the beginning. I got the coupons online and they had an expiration date on them. I used one before they expired but not the other. Since I believed the coupon to be expired I threw it away after which time it was announced that the coupons would still be accepted after the expiration date printed on them. I went online to try to order another to no avail and I was unable to contact anyone concering this matter. Recently I noticed when the signal is lost the guide reads: DTV PROGRAMMING. I was unaware that a private company had taken over the broadcasting of all public "free" programming. This is especially upsetting as since I have converted, my signal is very unstable and doesn't include many networks that I had before including CBS and at times NBC and ABC.

What is even more frustrating it that DTV is the only cable provider for my neighborhood. It seems as though I was forced to buy a converter box that does not have the capabilities as were described through the commercials that claimed "Digital cable is so much better than analog that the FCC had required the conversion". However it seems more like the FCC allowed DTV to monopolize the singnal and not only that but to have the ability to force people into buying cable through them just to receive the basic broadcasts. I live in a somewhat rural area in Coastal NC and when a hurricane comes these network are typically where I receive pertinent information as to evacuations, business closings, and city wide curfews. IS THIS LEGAL? WHAT RECOURSE DO I HAVE? I have contacted the troubleshooting hotline and done as instructed and while the signal is strengthened for a short period, within an hour it is back to limited channels with the signal fading in and out on the ones I do get.

I cannot watch TV anymore. I have the converter box for my TV. Since the changeover my stations are gone. The consequences are that I as a citizen am less informed about the world. I refuse to pay for cable. Our citizens have been cut out of the loop for profit.

I long for "the good old days"! We had an antennae for years and never complained, but decided to get cable in order to be able to get more channels. It eventually got pretty costly - so we tried satellite service for a year. What a mistake! Any time it rained in the next state, we lost the picture, the sound, or both. As soon as our contract with "the dish" was over - we went back to cable.

For over a decade we have had cable (bundled with broadband internet) and our only complaint was that it is expensive. Now the govt. made this grand decision that the whole nation has to convert to digital -vs- analog. We didn't think that we'd have anything to do (or worry about) since we already subscribe to cable, but the joke was on us (the consumer)!

Within days of the digital conversion, our cable company sent out notices that they were also undergoing their own digital migration, and if you had an older set - you'd need a conversion box in order to recieve the upper channels. Naturally, we got the boxes for our TV's...it took several attempts to set up each box and we even had to have a tech come to the house to reprogram one of the boxes. My problem with all of this is...#1)we are dealing with a govt sanctioned monopoly! Either you subscribe to high priced satellite or cable, or you have to go out and buy new equipment just to watch TV. #2)

The quality of the cable reception is just a poor as it was when we had satellite service...the picture pixelates whenever there's bad weather in your area (or when planes fly overhead) #3) The basic rule of supply & demand - if EVERYONE has to go this route, then the price should be reduced!

Now I'll give all in Washington DC a little something to think about... remember Katrina? People relied on TV and cell phone service for everything. If all we have available to us is this "new" digital service, what's gonna happen when the lights go out for a few days/weeks? At least before, someone in the neighborhood had an antennae and we could get important weather and news updates.

I was able to watch channel 2 through 68. Alot had 2 channels different programs showing. Some days the channels would freeze or the sound would change almost like a monster sound.

Two weeks again i came home turn on the tv no picture until i realize the light on the box was red. I use the remote to turn the box back on. I light will not turn back to green. Several attempts and it did change to green. I was able to watch tv. I went outside for a few minutes came back inside and the same thing happened. But this time the box was very hot and won't shut off. The light is not turning to green at all.

I unplug the box and called Best buy store where i purchased the box. They said i will need to call the manufacture to find out what the problem is. I called Apex the manufacturer. They suggested i mail the box to them. I paid $11.00 to mail the box. I did everything they told me to do before mailing.

A week later i called Apex to find out if they receive the box gave me a hard time. I called back a 2nd time said the computers was down call back in an hour. I waited more than a day to call again and was told to call back in two days. I did call them back they said in order to figure out what the problem is or replace the box i would need my sales receipt which i don't have. They were told this info before i mailed it out to them.

Buttom line is if i don't mail them the receipt they will dispose of the box. So today 9-8-09 the other box i have also stop working. Same problem. They both was purchased from Best Buy at the same time. There is no tech support dept or help once these boxes stop working. You're on your own. Now i have no tv to watch unless i take the chance and buy another box or subscribe to cable or directtv. DTV just came on the market but it is something of the past already that [is] real bad.

Have been in service with dtv since 2006.Went to a new system (HD) and got a new box with a continuing contract . I decidd to look around for better service and pricing I wanted to give DTV a chance to give me a better deal with no luck. So I susp. contract for two session and decided to cancel.I waited one month then caled when thy told me I owe them one month. I didnt agree but told them I would send back the receiver and we will talk about the money later.

I got the box for my receiver and also got a serprise, that DTV took out not only the 132.00 but another 300.00, ALL UNAUTHORIZED by a card I made a payment with, but did not register it with DTV. I did call DTV and talked to operator#10036788 and gave me the advise that I shuld reactivate and then I will get my money back, In what form I have no idea.

Then I askd to talked to her sup. when then she told me there was not one available which I couldnot believe and persisted on one. Thirity minutes lter I got one operator#00097394 and he told me that I got my HD on march 22 08 and that was a lie cause DTV was at my house on XMAS of 2008 on aservic call for my HD.

so for my early cancellation I am responsible for the fee of 300.00 all deucted unauthorized and all the other [lies] came along with it. My big concern is the fact that they can pull out as much money as they want with no authorization. This needs to stop. PLEASE HELP!

I am disappointed in the government for making the tv stations make the switch without knowing how the rural part of US will be affected. I call around to find out how to remedy this situation and am told to get a new digital antenna, switch to cable(which is not available at my address) or get satelite tv. I can not afford to get these things. I get on the antennaweb.org and search my area and it comes up with "no stations available in your area"

when we had to switch to a converter box we lost our main station that we watch for news, and nightly entertainment. We are not paying over $45.00 a month to be able to watch tv. Why was this necesary for the entire US to be put in a state of absolute loss of our basic source of communication...

new digital signal and all that goes with it sucks ...who is responsible? poor tv reception...screwed...more costs for less services..my tax dollars bought everybody a tv box...everything ok if u pay big money once a month >>I could go on & on,,tv change..better off quit watching tv...

TV DIGITAL TRANSITION. . .been reading a lot of consumer problems concerning the digital switch; mostly from people with the analog converter boxes. Although I do have one TV on an analog converter box; my problem is with my main TV, which I opted to buy a brand neew HDTV and a NEW DIGITAL DIRECTIONAL ANTENNA - even though I did not gain any digital stations - I lost ABC, which in CT. is CH8; and what I'm hearing from the electronic retail stores, CH8 is the biggest complaint from their customers. I thought I had lost it because we were having so many rain storms; but I waited days and now weeks, I went on vacation and back now; still no ABC broadcast from CH8. I live in Hartford county and I'm only 18mi. from that TV tower. All other channels on my HDTV come in crisp and clear. So what is wrong with CH8 ? why can't they get their act together?

we have bought a new convertor box, the second one, new anteana and still do not receive any tv reception. If there is bad weather the only thing we had was the analog tv before, now we don't have that. I can't aford 50 dollars a month for satelite. this is the same for everyone in the community where we live

Digital TV reception is spoty at best always rescanning. My goverment lied again! I have to pay for TV if I want to watch it in these hard economic times when going to the movies cost min of 20.00 per person.

i have no television signal. i purchased the converter box and obtained a new antenna - indoor. i live 31 miles from the nearest tower and the indoor range is 20 miles. the fcc rules do not allow me to put an antenna on the roof or in the common areas because i live in an apartment/condo complex. my complaint to the fcc resulted in an email informing me that they had made a "decision" to let the television stations take the fall for the lack of service. the chances of my having reception again are pretty unlikely. i am on a fixed income due to disability and cannot afford to move or purchase cable or satellite or another antenna for that matter. all it would take to provide coverage to people like me is a change in the fcc rules to make apartment/condo developments provide a central antenna for the use of tenants who do not have the funds to pay for premium services. the cost would be small for the owners and could be passed off in slightly higher rents. since the fcc has chosen to pass the buck and not take responsibility for their mandate, we as low income consumers are the ones who are without something that has always been and should remain free. is there anyone who will take them on and make them responsible for their decisions. to mandate something and then discriminate against people because of money should be illegal. someone needs to find a way to hold them accountable. although i really do not have a lot of hope that anyone will care or take action, i am writing in the hope that maybe i am wrong.

OTA tv is history - - If you want tv anymore you have to pay for cable - - where's the lawsuit.... I can't afford cable so I'm stuck like so many others with poor to no tv. How are we suppose to get news/weather if we can't get any channels? Somewhere someone has got to be filing a class action lawsuit and I want to know who and where because I want to join in.

I just wanted to complain about dtv....with analog I had about eight channels, now I only have two, unless it's cloudy or raining, then I don't have anything. After purchasing two converter boxes, it kind of ticks me off. Cable isn't available in my area, and I can't afford satellite. It just goes to show what our elected officals will do to us for a dollar in their own pocket. Shameful and disgusting........

When we hooked up our converter box the volume on our tv went down. We have to turn the tv up as loud as it will go and we can still hardly hear it. What's up with that?

I feel so powerless to this change to dtv. I have one old tv for which I have tried 3 seperate antennas in an effort to obtain a descent picture. The channels received along with the quality of the picture varies from day to day. Even if I flip to another channel and return, there's no guarentee that the picture will come back. I am also tired of pictures freezing in mid-frame, or pixels hanging in air. I can't even listen to the sound, like old time radio, because it will also "drop out." I bought a brand new plasma tv, but the same thing occurs. I am tired of trying to figure out which part of the room I should move the tv to get better reception; nothing works.

To be optimistic, I figure I am getting a little exercise each time I have to jump off the couch to move or adjust the antenna. One thing I know for sure..the best reception occurs when I literally sit holding the antenna while watching tv. I feel like this was some type of ploy to make people buy cable, something I do not want to afford when there are more necessary things in life, such as funding your children's college education. I remember having to manually change channels or volume on the old tvs as a child, but I am up and down off the couch much more frequently with this dtv. I would much prefer the analog.

I would like an explanation on what is being done. I feel like the country was forced into this, and that it was a ploy to force Americans to purchase cable. As I see, we are not alone in our frustration, from reading comments from other consumers.

I've got the right antenna, we got the box! Every channel has a tendency to skip like a bad DVD or freeze up and pixelate. Why did we switch again? At least with the old UHF if the signal wasn't perfect, you didn't miss whole portions of the storyline, whither by lost picture or lapsed dialogue. I just don't get why we, as a country were forced to take a worse option, pay for it, and have no option to improve without contracting with some bs cable company or satellite provider.

I live about 30 miles from the nearest TV station but because of the high elevation and large antenna on a 50ft tower, I could receive 14 to 17 tv channels. The news came about TV stations switching to digital,so I purchased the required converter box and hooked it up. This was in late May and I was happy to see that I now received 27 channels,mostly digital with only 5 analog. Then came the analog shut off day in mid June. I believe it was June 12. I went from 27 channels to 2. These 2 only have fair signal. So I purchased a digital antenna with no better results. What the hell happened? I've spent over $100.00 and still have little reception. I really need to have someone explain to me how Digital TV is better. I'll take a snowy analog picture any day over one thats not there.

When the TV stations switched to digital, we lost all of our TV stations. We bought a booster, DTV converter and a new antenna and we do not get a single TV station. All we get is a message that says "bad or no signal". We are totally disgusted since the only solution right now is to dish out $60+ for satellite or cable. I'm sure those companies are laughing all the way to the bank. Whose big idea was this anyway? It is really hard on the elderly, on a fixed income, who stays at home and can't even watch their favorite show to help pass the day. I know several elderly people in the situation. What a fiasco!

FCC demands for the switch over to Digital TV without thoroughly investigating its ability to work properly as analog did. I live halfway between Lexington and Louisville, KY. With analog, I received 10+ channels. Four of them came in clearly. I now get one in which is a cartoon and old black and white show channel. I sometimes get 3 others, but they usually freeze or fade in and out. Digital TV acts just like satellite TV, only much worse. I have always relied on the weather channels so I can be safe and get inside when there were approaching storms, especially for tornado and severe thunder storm warnings and watches. I come in, turn on a station and find out if I need to stay in or go to the basement for a tornado warning. Or if I could go back out and work if none is coming my way.

People who live and work on farms rely on those weather reports to determine if they need to cut hay, tobacco or other crops. They help determine when to go out or stay in. They are the ones that are most affected by the switch. The ones who are not living on top of the stations don't get reception or get very poor reception. I used to have satellite TV, but it goes out during bad weather also. It does no good during storms either and we don't know if we need to take shelter during a tornado warning. With Digital, I lose reception anytime when it rains, it's cloudy, windy, slightly breezy or even humid. Yes, humidity affects the signal. The time of day affects it also. It is much worse than satellite TV. I am in an area that does not have cable TV so that is not an option, besides, I am a very hardworking fellow American.

I am 55, I hold down 2 jobs working one day for 24 hours straight and 2 days I work 17 hours each on my feet the entire time, many times with no lunch break. I basically work 7 days a week 80-108 hours a week. I take 2-3 days a year off. I still barely make ends meet. I have almost nothing on the one and only credit card I have. I can't even afford medical insurance, let alone, satellite TV. I sure would appreciate being able to relax and watch a little TV with what the little free time I have. I live a very frugal life. I don't buy anything I don't need. Now with the digital switch, I don't even get that luxury. I have been in contact with the FCC and the local TV stations and they just keep giving me the runaround. They keep saying that it is my antenna, car interference, building interference. Anything but admitting to their mistake.

My antenna was just fine until the very day of the switch over. I live in a 30-foot tall 3 story house that sits on top of the tallest ridge in the county. There are no houses visible except one neighbor, one ridge over. When I get on my roof, I can see over the top of all of the trees, that is all I see. There should be nothing to stop my reception. I usually sit on my roof to watch the thunder over Louisville and the 4th of July fireworks, both of which are 35-45 miles from me. I think they need to switch back to analog until they worked all of the bugs out of digital.

I am very disappointed with the new DTV. As victims of the economy, a cable network is no longer an option for us and we are very displeased with the reception we are getting. Even with the box apart from the picture breaking up, we get a big black box in the middle of our TV screen, the mouths and the voices don't match, not to mention that we can now only get one channel. Our house is situated such that we should be able to get decent reception but not now. TV watching is a luxury gone by. Our nation is regressing due to governmental regulations and taxation.

We have connected our box, got the proper antenna, scanned our channels, got them all at 100% signal strength only to find out if it is windy, overcast, evening, raining or who knows what it affects the signal. We may completely lose a channel or have it break up so much that it is impossible to watch a program. We just had Best Buy come out, as referred by your website, and we were told that we have indeed done everything right and the only option is to get up and physically move the antenna around the room to try and improve a signal or to get a roof antenna or of course to go to the expense of cable or satellite.

Moving the antenna around the room each time I change the channel, is not acceptable. Getting a roof antenna may not be an option for us for various reasons and therefore, that leaves a monthly expense so we can watch TV. And this is what makes me angry. The government has sold us all bunch of crap in saying this would work if we all did the right things. The Best Buy person told us that we, in fact, were in better shape than most people she sees and that she doesn't have an answer for any of us except that is the nature of digital. So are there any plans to change this so it actually works, or are we left to pay the bills so the government can make some money off the airwaves at the expense of the rest of us?

This so called improvement sure looks like just about everything the government brings along. Sounds great, in reality, it's terrible, much worse than before. Why can't these folks do some testing and experimenting first, the way any logical group would do before introducing a product. They must be taking lessons from one of their employers, the pharmaceutical industry. Just throw it out there and hope nobody notices. I no longer get any PBS stations where I used to get three. This must be a Bush thing. Those Republicans hate PBS because they can't control them.

I started using the converter boxes and my channels came in and out all the time. I had more channels without the boxes. I spent all that money when I could have used it on cable.

I got 2 converter boxes with the government coupons. I spend more time trying to get channels in than I do watching TV. I even bought the new antennas for the boxes. I used to get about 5 channels with my rabbit ears. Now with my "high tech" antenna, I might get 2 channels. That I have to adjust every few seconds. I hope the government gets this new system working better real soon or shows are going to start being cancelled because nobody can watch them.

I purchased and installed the converter box together with a new DTV antenna. I experienced near total frustration with the limited number of channels and the terrible reception. It felt like a dreadful hoax - nothing was performing as promised. I decided to purchase a small TV with HDTV reception and a stronger antenna. My new television set provided me with exactly three versions of Channel 4, NBC. I called the manufacturer of the TV set, Toshiba, who told me that was all I was going to get on the new set - all that was available to me in my area. I'd already checked and knew I was only 12 miles from the Manhattan transmitter and 15 miles from the one in Newark. There was no reason whatever that I would not receive all the stations in my area.

Then the person I talked to suggested I try hooking up my converter box to the new TV, that might give me more channels. I did that and it did. Seven more channels and no PBS at all, the only stations I watch regularly. The reception I do have is erratic and frustrating and I am thoroughly disgusted with what I see is yet another fraud perpetrated upon us by the corporate cable interests, who have now taken away any possibility of free television access from us all. I've resisted the outrageous overcharges of cable service and I am very angry now that I am being deprived of the only quality television being broadcast in this country - PBS. I'm told that perhaps an outside antenna will improve my reception, but no one can guarantee that to be true. I feel the public has been grievously defrauded by this supposed improvement of television broadcasting. I'm sure it has done wonders for the cable companies and all their advertisers raking in the profits from all those people now being forced to use cable and nothing else.

I am a truck driver and the switch to digital TV totally disrupted my TV watching. As I am on the road 9 months of the year, I have no cable or TV on my truck and no generator to generate electricity. I am without a TV at all. I cannot connect a digital converter box to my now defunct TV and I cannot use the defunct TV. I have a portable DTV, but cannot watch digital TV unless I am at a perfect stop and then it does not come in if there is any movement outside the truck. At least, with air TV, I had bad reception but I had reception.

Now, I have no consistent TV at all while on the road, having a 12 volt hooked up all the time just runs down my battery if I had a 12 volt (which are very hard to find and expensive) converter, plus the TV. This change has totally trashed my TV watching while on the road. No news or TV while on the road driving my truck 9 months of the year because of the digital change. The air TV was much better and at least I did get news.

I bought two boxes, need a third but can't afford the $50 to buy it. I live in an apartment and get no reception at all. The only channels I get are Spanish or the religion channels. If the government expects us to climb on top of a building to put an antenna up, they have totally lost their minds. Basic cable should be a free service to everyone, pay for the extras if this is what they want to reduce us to. Shame on them for moving us backwards instead of forwards. What are the elderly or the extremely poor supposed to do? The government cares about no one but their own fat pockets.

Like many of the common complaints I have read on the ConsumerAffairs.com website, I, too, spent good money on a mandated DTV converter box (i.e. if I want television without paying for it). I have also lost all major network channels and receive only a few undesired channels, which includes, for example, a Spanish-speaking channel. There's nothing wrong with a Spanish-speaking channel, but I don't speak Spanish. I contacted the FCC on June 16, 2009 only to learn that I should be receiving many channels and a good signal as I am only (on average) 22 miles from Baltimore and 22 miles from York, PA. However, I do not. The few TV channels that I do receive are scrambled and broken whether or not the weather is bad.

Additionally, the volume is too low and when it is turned up, it makes a "buzzing" sound. The FCC representative advised that I may need a roof antenna. I didn't have one beforerabbit ear antennae worked just fine. She also advised that I would need to "re-scan" every time that I moved the antenna or after bad weather. The "scanning" process I've experienced takes 5 minutes or more. I asked sarcastically, but nicely as it's not her fault, if there were government coupons available to purchase a roof antenna. She just laughed because the answer of course was no. This whole process has cost me (and others) valuable time and money only to have fewer channels (if any than what I started out with and terrible reception, not to mention the fact that the picture no longer fills the screen. And the zoom button on the DTV remote that is supposed to correct this does not. I am very frustrated!

I have done everything recommended by the FCC to prepare for the digital transition. I brought the converter box and paid another $40 for an antenna. I have rescanned dozens of times, repositioned the antenna and all the other troubleshooting recommended on the FCC website. If I am lucky, I can get one channel. I find myself trapped into watching DVDs or listening to the radio. As a senior citizen, I feel that this transition hurt only the poor and the elderly.

No one can help. It's a class warfare action! Poor people are out in the cold with essentially no TV! I bought and properly installed their ** converter box. But nonetheless, I can now only get one public TV station - the supercilious "Create" channel (how many cooking show repeats can one watch!?), and the (sorry my Spanish is not the good!) Vme Channel! I can no longer see any local news, no more local network weather reports (tornado warning - forget it - I'll just be out strolling!) Essentially nothing! I love PBS - just not as my only TV station!

I, too, am a very discouraged pre-analog TV owner. I bought two digital converters - one for each of my TVs. One of the TVs does not work with the digital converter at all, so it was a waste of money. The other one is very choppy. It skips and freezes, so I lose parts of both video and audio approximately once every minute for one or two seconds. It is enough that I could miss critical parts of the news as well as other programs. I lose the whole message in a sentence sometimes. I was very happy with my analog and had had a $400 outside antenna installed a few years ago that was working wonderfully. Was...

Now, I am stuck with a useless TV system. I don't believe that the government did us a favor even by giving us coupons. I paid about $30 even with the coupon and totally lost 50% of any video/audio, and the part that I can see and hear is extremely poor. I paid money and received an extreme downgrade of service because of the government forcing me to switch to digital. I refuse to pay for cable or satellite, especially with the way the economy is. That's why I bought the outside antenna a few years ago. The government should have left things as they were. I am giving up on a good portion of my TV watching.

I'm reading others' complaints, too. Just think of all the potential customers that are no longer receiving TV advertisements because they can't access their TV stations as they used to. Did the government think about this? Wait until people who are no longer receiving news about approaching storms and tornados are hurt or killed as a result. Are there statistics on how many people have given up on watching TV? Are the advertisers aware of this?

I barely make enough money to eat. I basically work to pay rent and stay alive. I have 2 TV's without cable because I can't afford it. I went out, got the converter box for $5 and went and bought 2 different antennas. Until this day, I can only watch one channel, which is the Muslim channel. I don't know why but this converter box is unbelievably bad. I get the channels but they go in and out all the time, it is way too frustrating to put up with.

The sorry thing is that my grandma is trying to work those converter boxes, it is sad too watch, the old lady can't even watch TV anymore, probably the only thing she ever looks forward to now a days. And even in her house, the channels do not come in good at all. Whoever wanted to make this change was only looking out for themselves and is not thinking at all about the people who can't afford cable. These channels are so bad continuously that I can't even watch TV anymore. I'm thinking of just throwing my TV's away to free up space since now I have no use for them. Thanks for the selfish acts I might as well turn over and die now.

I am also someone who no longer gets many channels. I even bought a digital TV. Before the transition, I received as many as 20 channels. Now I get three. I refuse to pay for cable, so I guess my TV watching days are over. I just want to thank my elected officials for their handouts to their corporate sponsors.

I have new TV black boxes. Yes, I got the red card to buy the black box that is approx. $49.00 at Wal-Mart. But they don't tell you that you pay tax on the total amount and you can't charge the $10.00 plus tax on all most $50.00. You have to pay cash or use a debit card. If I had extra money, I would have cable or a spanking new TV, which I am sure, is the reason this is all happening. I no longer get CBS. The channels keep going in and out and I get lots of non-English channels and they don't even have English subtitles. There are promo commercials to buy junk. I can't afford food or my medications. I don't need constant commercials for 30" to buy gadgets nor do I need cartoons. I am constantly having to rerun the channel searches, etc.

I have given up and just listen to the radio, which isn't all that great either. Who ever dreamed this up to sell more cable and or new TV's and black boxes and new antenna's for them must really be enjoying their retirement and / or able to pass disability time stuck with all this junk. But their time will come and I hope they remember when they are disabled what misery they have caused. Of course, they will have cable from all the money they have made and or new big TV's.

I have a 52" HD TV and ordered a special high gain VHF/UHF antenna. I received 42 channels beautifully. When the transition came, I lost all but one channel (NBC) and that constantly breaks up into fragments and the sound is always fading in and out. I cannot watch any PBS channels, local network channels. I live close into the city and got superb picture on my old analog TV. The new system is simply a way for the crooked politicians to repay the monopoly cable companies for their huge campaign contributions. I am on Social Security and cannot afford $150 a month for basic cable as it is the rate in this area. So I have to choose between eating and television. My new HD TV is now for sale.

I would just like to file a complaint about the great new converter boxes the United States government thought everyone needed! What a joke. Thank God we only bought four since we do need anywhere from eight to ten. The picture quality they have is nothing like taking a step back five decades! Today, I woke up and what a surprise, there was no TV.

Thank God we rushed out and bought those boxes so we were not left in the dark! I can't believe you can't even get a single when it's so sunny outside--let alone this weekend. When it was raining and storming, I wonder how many people are going to be killed because of this ** move of the government! I think the government should be placed on notice for their lack of knowledge and their big mistake. What is going to make the converter box not work? Let me think--clouds, rain, snow, humidity, and the cake topper sun. I'm so glad I live in a country that has to stick their nose in everyone's business, but can't seem to take care of itself.

The government decided that we would be better off with digital TV instead of analog. Now, I have fewer channels and a much worse signal and the ones I have keep digitizing. How communistic of our government to decide what's best for us. They can't get TV right, you can't wait to see what they do to health care. Maybe the government needs two class action lawsuits, one for messing up TV and making the elderly spend money on a converter box. Even with their coupon, it still costs the elderly money out of their pocket for something they didn't ask for. They should give the elderly a coupon for free converter boxes not discounted. And the second lawsuit should be for allowing cigarettes to be sold when they knowingly cause cancer, sickness and death. They can take red die #3 off the market because it might cause cancer and yet they allow cigarettes to be sold and keep raising the taxes on them because these people that smoke are clogging up our healthcare and causing insurance rates to go up. I lost two parents to cigarettes and now have a son of 21 years who decided to take up smoking and there isn't a ** thing I can do about it. Maybe our government should be held accountable. I am sincerely considering becoming a citizen of Canada.

DTV transition was a disaster for me. I don't have cable and lost all but 3 channels with the converter box.

The DTV conversion is a huge load of crap. Not only do I get half the channels I used to get but the channels I do get are like trying to watch TV with a strobe light attached to my TV set. In summation, I'm not at all happy with it.

I bought the digital converter box and hooked it up right. Channel 7 in Washington state did tests to see if my TV was DTV-ready and the test said yes, it was. Okay great, but when the switch took place, I lost almost all my channels. I now get one public and a couple of religious ones, and one Spanish-speaking one. No major network channels. Nothing, nada, zip. Who do I complain to and who and when is this going to get fixed? This is just **. I don't think it is a government conspiracy or anything like, but somebody got bought off. I have a small coffee shop in Issaquah, WA, not out in the sticks somewhere and I cannot get free TV. How the heck did this thing get pushed through and who is responsible for the mess now?

Since the change in Dallas, I lost all major networks; PBS and the only semi reliable channel is USA Sports 5.3 and it sounds like Max Headroom. How is this better then analog when I could get all major networks, PBS and some small independent networks?

I bought the converter as instructed. But except for channel 4 and channel 5, I do not have television anymore. I have been scanning for digital channels all night and can not get CBS or any channel besides NBC and Fox. I think that this change was to force people to pay to have TV. I feel that this is an aggression to my rights. Even channel 4 and 5 work in pulses and do not stay. So, I am having the feeling that if I want to have television and be connected with the world, I will have to have cable TV. I want to express my repudiation to whoever pushed this situation over me. I will not get cable TV and will not watch TV any more.

This is the worst thing to happen to antenna (don't know if I spelled that correctly) TV. Since the switch, I don't receive half of the channels that I used to. Also, the ones we do never stay on. I have yet to watch a whole program without it losing signal or stating that there is no program at all. Is this just a scam to get everyone to pay for TV (which I have never done) or is this fixable? Sure the pictures are clearer, but that is kind of worthless when the channels don't stay on through a whole program. I again ask, is this just yet another government scam to keep all of us little ducks in their row? I have lost the ability to unwind at the end of my day in front of my TV. We already have enough stress in our daily lives without losing a way to unwind afterwards.

The switch to DTV has brought nothing but grief to our household. We did exactly as instructed by the government in purchasing DTV box, have a proper antenna, and followed the scanning procedure to the letter. Result is, whereas before we got about 15 analog stations in rural WV, but now we get 2. No more PBS was the biggest loss. This is really such a scam especially since the government auctioned off the bandwidth to cellphone companies.

The switch to digital gave us a couple of new stations and took away four favorite standbys. We have an extensive antenna array but those stations, which do come in are sometimes choppy and unwatchable. Two of the three biggest stations in our area are no longer available unless you have cable.

This is another government boondoggle geared to forcing everybody to cable. Why bother? We'll watch an occasional rented DVD movie, but will save a lot of money by no longer running a TV set much. Maybe this will bring back reading. It sure will in this household.

I am one of those urban residents who lives in a building that cannot use a roof antenna. I am a disabled senior who has better reception than others in my building. But even though I have done everything the government has told me to do, I cannot get a constant signal from DTV TV and have lost one of my PBS stations in my bedroom where I used to value my free TV during illness. I have sent a complaint to the FCC and think the government should do something about having a roof antenna on city buildings where poor urban people live.

I, as many older people do, used my free TV to help with depression and loneliness. It's unfair to urban poor with no access to roof antennas to have to give up what many people think is just a luxury. We are homebound for hours, and it was a way to connect. I am not interested in a money complaint. I think there should be a collective suit to ask for some help for antennas. I know this seems stupid to a lot of people, but especially in this economy where we are drowning in debt with medical, utility, transportation, and food bills, every little luxury can mean a lot.

We have the box on a TV at work and the reception is awful. The picture comes in good for about a hot minute then it breaks up like cable does when there's a storm outside even though it's sunny with barely a cloud. This is a joke and the government isn't fooling anybody! Who did they sell to and why the American public wasn't made aware of the buy-off?! This is a tragedy to those who cannot afford satellite TV, it's too expensive. The American public should go to the White House and complain over this intrusion of their liberty. This brings no happiness whatsoever!

My TV picked up channels 3, 6, and 10 out of Philly, 90 miles away for 40 plus years and now I can't get 3, 6 is often pixelated, and I am getting all kinds of channels that I have no interest in such as religion and beach volleyball, cartoons, etc. I have bought and installed a better booster, have the converter boxes, etc. Now FCC Help Line says, "Oh, well, there's nothing you can do. Get a dish."

Before the digital transition, I used to receive channels 2,4,5,8,17,30,39 and 58. Now, I receive channels 2.1, 2.2, 4.1 (weak), 4.2 (weak), 8.1, 8.2, 17.1 (weak, unwatchable), and 17.2 (weak, unwatchable). I've lost CBS, CW, UPN, and FOX as networks I can watch. I went from 8 broadcasters to 3. How is that an improvement? I am only 19.8 miles from Nashville. This should not be a problem, especially with a 46 dB powered antenna. 2 is the only channel with a decent broadcast power. It reaches 50 miles out.

I followed all the directions provided by the local and state governments, as well as the local KTVO (Channel 3) and Fox Station, but after connecting my new converter box, the local stations are no longer available. I scanned, I reprogrammed and now I am told my only option is to purchase cable or Satellite TV. I no longer have local weather, news or programing. And I am told I will have to purchase cable or satellite to receive signals. I am very disappointed that our government authorized this fiasco. I work very hard to pay taxes and this is another example of misrepresentation and misuse of tax dollars.

As of 6/14/09, digital TV signals have replaced all analog broadcast, rendering my property (TV set) useless. I, like many Americans, refuse to pay for cable, or any other form of TV since for my entire life I have received "free" over the air signals. I have not bothered purchasing a converter box because I feel very strongly I should not have to. The signal is changing through no fault of my own. My TV has been rendered useless by the acts of others. I am hoping a class action suit is filed against the FCC.

Furthermore, the FCC is perpetrating something of a fraud since they contend that the $40 coupon will purchase a converter, which is all you need to continue to view OTA broadcasting. Of course, in many cases this simply is not true. You may also need a new antenna due to the weaker signal or you may not even get a signal at all, which with the all or nothing digital cliff is too often the case. But no matter, any additional equipment or cost incurred to continue to receive reception is not provided by the government. You have essentially been charged an unofficial fee for continued use of your property. This is why I have not applied for a coupon. I refuse to make any tacit approval of this act of a taking. I would like to see a class action suit made against the FCC.

I have an HDTV for which I purchased a $50 HDTV antenna. No signal is the consistent message. Prior to this debacle, I had a 4" black and white TV in my kitchen, using rabbit ears, and I was able to view channels 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, and 11. With this digital system, all I get is no signal no matter where the $50 HDTV antenna is placed. It's another rip-off for the consumer. My analog TV in the bedroom is cabled and no problem, but the back does not have all the connections to hook it up to the converter box, so I can't even switch that one to my kitchen and place the flat HDTV in the bedroom.

Digital transition - I should be given free cable. Channel 7 WLS Chicago is breaking up and never once did they break up before even on their digital channels. Conspiracy between the station owners and cable company operators to defraud the public and force us into paying for basic service. It's called theft by deception. The FCC, the FBI and the SEC should launch an immediate investigation into the mass nationwide swindle ongoing with the transition.

All the media is reporting on how well the "switch to digital" has gone. None of them seems to want to mention that many people who have been watching digital TV for years can no longer receive certain stations. It seems that many stations in markets like Los Angeles (such as ABC, FOX, and KCAL) were broadcasting digital UHF up until Friday night.

For example, our TVs were mapped to make us think we were watching channel 7-1, when in fact it was channel 53-1. It was mandated that on Friday, these channels switch to their natural channels (e.g. switch back to 7-1 and abandon 53-1) which are much weaker signals. Now many of the channels, which prior to Friday came in well, no longer come in at all.

The stations' only response is to re-position my antenna and try re-scanning. The problem with this is that once I do this, I may get a new channel, but I will lose some other channel. I'm beginning to wonder if the "switch to digital" was really engineered to force the public to start paying to satellite or cable.

I spoke with an engineer at one of these stations today, and he told me that through all of their tests, they expected the signal to get better after the switch. He admited to me on the phone that two days in, they now know that is not at all the case. After all the ads and public service announcements, it appears that while I was ready for the switch, the TV stations are not.

I get only 2 Spanish TV stations. No local NBC, PBS, CBS, etc. The converter box and the new antenna are pulling in great Spanish TV but I don't speak Spanish.

My mother has a new digital TV in New York City and, despite repeated scans since the transition, can only get a couple of TV stations and no PBS. I live in Los Angeles wanted to see what my digital TV would pick up. I disconnected the cable, ran a scan, and have exactly zero TV stations, just black and white "snow" on every channel, no reception at all. This whole thing appears to be a scam and a way to force the consumer to spend money they don't have to pay hundreds of dollars per year to subscribe to cable or dish service.

Two converter boxes bought at $105, 1 digital indoor antenna at $50. I live in the city of Minneapolis. Digital TV is pathetic. I no longer receive major channels. What does come in is OK. I now get channel 2 four times. I like public television, but only one of those channels is any good. I no longer receive channel 9 or 11 as each time I scan for stations, they do not pick up. If you adjust the antenna to get one of those stations and rescan, another station is lost. The antenna constantly has to be adjusted for reception. We heard for months how great this would be. What a joke. The public will receive more stations. Yeah, a cooking channel, 2 weather, and rehashed news, and oh, yeah, the same station two times. This is more?

Please be advised the conversion signals are broken. We have a new digital antenna, WFLD Channel 32 Fox Chicago told me that a tube was blown in its transmitter and they can't find one. They need to be investigated. They were broadcasting in digital before the market tanked, and that was over a year ago. I smell a rat that is being paid to reach a certain area by advertisers, which has dialed down its power. The stations need to be monitored and there signal strength tested on a regular basis. Any station that has ties to local cable companies is very suspect and the FBI needs to investigate why all of a sudden after watching the channels for over a year perfect, Channel 32 is all broken up.

I tried to get my converter box coupons and found out that someone from my building had used my name and address to get my coupons last October. We don't have locks on our mailboxes, so anyone can get in. When I applied to get my coupons, the coupon website said that since someone had already used my name, I could not get any, even when I explained I did not make the request and that they were scammed and that made it impossible for me to get the coupons I deserved for myself.

I am an older woman, with congestive heart failure, have no job, do not have the money to buy a converter box and now have no TV because of the way I have been treated. I have been denied my rights to get the coupons I was supposed to be able to have because people in my building used my identity to scam the government. I have worked in law for over 20 years and I know I should not be denied my rights. With the economic condition of the country, people cannot afford even food or housing, let alone to buy a converter box. If I had been able to get even one coupon, I could have gone to the Michigan Ave. event, presented my coupon and gotten a free box.

Since the digital change, I have lost all Cincinnati TV stations. I can no longer get my local news or traffic reports. I do get Dayton news, but what for? I have never even been to Dayton nor do I plan to go. How do I get Cincinnati stations back. I no longer get information or advertisements of the area I am in and I have no reason to buy cable. Please pass on to anyone who cares.

Currently, I don't have any digital signals. Since I hooked up my Venturer converter box (coupon plus 10 bucks), the only channels I have ever received, and not consistently are 50 (stays in approximately 15 minutes then no signal), 65 (none of them in English), some Spanish stations (they look interesting but I don't speak English... the caption feature doesn't seem to work); and well, that's it! No New York mainstays, like 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 31 like before. Moving the antenna doesn't help, which can't be moved very far, owing to the short AC adapter and antenna cords. Basically, I just don't use it. Why bother? It takes forever to move the antenna around to get a less than clear picture that only stays around for less than half an hour. I watch old VCR tapes and DVDs or internet TV (which is the only bright spot in this retched transition). Now, if all the channels provided a copy of their shows on the internet, grand! Provide them in real time... Spectacular!

Here's what I think is part of my problem: One major problem may be that I live near a park; we have trees all around the apartment complex, literally. I have a trio of huge, wide and tall trees just 10 ft. or so from my living room window (where my TV antenna is located). Not even heat penetrates those leaves in the summer (that's not actually a compliant). I have two side by side windows; one of them has an ornamental tree right smack in front it, leaves almost coming into the window. It's a huge sucker for an ornamental. I also live on the first floor, so unless that signal is going to dip down between telephone and cable wires and treetops to get to my windows, I guess I'm screwed until I get a digital TV and would that even work, considering the layout?!

Another big old' problem for me is that while the government was giving out all this converter box info, they neglected to tell us how to install the box to your analog TV when you have a zillion media units attached to your analog TV via stereo receiver (not the home theater set ups). I have a DVR/VCR, a VCR, a DVD player/CD player recorder, a cassette deck and all this (almost all) attached to the stereo receiver. And it took days to do it. There's no way in heck I'm going to tamper with that layout to try and figure out how to get a better signal that just may not be possible anyway. Apparently, the government overlooked the complexity and uniqueness of people's home entertainment systems.

For the past two months I have had no analog signal. It suddenly went out and never came back in except for 31 and 50, but not clear like before. I haven't watched the news or any shows in all that time. I feel out of sync with the world. I've been watching internet TV, but a lot of NY mainstays won't provide episodes on their online websites, **. In fairness, I could watch (I think) news on the internet but I'm not sure it's in real time. The world could come to an end or a terrorist attack could have happened and I wouldn't know about until much later. Another problem where internet TV is concerned is that I don't have much RAM, so it's hard to watch internet TV and use Microsoft Word (or any other program, don't even try to use Google Earth and watch online TV). Internet TV drains the RAM like you wouldn't believe.

I just wanted to voice my complaint. I will wait until I can afford a Digital TV and antenna. Of course, that will have to wait until I get new glasses, buy a bed, and buy some dressers and bookcases so the bed will actually have room to fit on the floor. Oh, and go to the dentist, the doctor, buy a bus card so I can look for work, pay the rent and utilities... all that on unemployment. The government forgot that there are poor, struggling folks out here. Well I feel better, thanks for the outlet.

I did everything the government said to do. I got a new antenna and bought a converter box—and the result? I used to get 14 stations from both Washington and Baltimore and now I get 1 station. One. I have rescanned repeatedly all day. I moved the antenna around inch by inch in a complete circle and still I get 1 station. All the info that is thrown to us from the stations and the government are lies. There is no better reception, there are no "extra" channels, and there is no easy fix. These are just lies. There are far less channels and the reception is just awful if you don't live right under the station's antenna (like I do for the 1 channel I can still get). And the worst part? Even with the coupon I actually spent money to be in this situation. The DTV converter box (even the cheapest model) cost more than the $40 we are allotted. So I have paid money for a box that does me absolutely no good! I am not happy with this and there is no way to get it fixed.

I am a student and I am in debt because I am in school and can't find a job that works around my school schedule. My only outlet to the outside world was the television. Now, I don't even have that. This is not good. I cannot afford to get cable or dish or some other paid way of getting TV. That is why I was watching only the stations I could get. Now, I have nothing and I am not happy. Somehow, there is no place except here to complain. The FCC DTV government page just tells us to move the antenna around and everything will be just great. Well, I want to tell the world is that, as usual, the lower income bracket just got ** again. I wonder how folks would react if they just shut off all the internet and phones off for a day. Maybe then they would have some idea how I feel today. This was not in my best interest. This whole situation is a scam. And worst of all, no one asked the consumer and no one in the government cares. There is no recourse to this situation and that is just wrong. What do the people who have fixed incomes, have lost jobs, are working several jobs and still can't make ends meet to do?

We purchased a digital TV and also the digital conversion box to prepare for the change. Everything works perfectly except that we are now out of range for all but one station and it doesn't come in clearly. Even if we purchase an expensive new antenna, that is all we'll receive. That station doesn't even have the news broadcasts (CW channel 2 for our area). We are being forced to purchase a dish or cable contract in order to receive just the weather and news. My husband is 74 years old and now he can't even watch free TV anymore. Is that what we call progress over his lifespan?

Cost of the converter box, $400 for the new TV. If we tried it, the cost of new antenna that probably wouldn't work, expected cost of monthly subscriptions just to get basic weather and news. We don't watch TV more than a few hours a week but will have to pay $50+ a month for that. I'm sure an attorney can't help. We just want someone to know how much we are being hurt by this. We have a choice between going back to radio for our necessary weather information or spending $50+ a month out of our retirement income for it. We have been locked out of the very basic communication that everyone expects today. Free TV no longer exists for us. We are devastated.

In Mar 2008, I informed my US senators by letter that I believed the transition from analog to digital TV broadcasting was a boondoggle. The NTIA and FCC believed that this was best for the American public. We would get more TV channels, for the PAP they serve up and a better TV picture. I decided not to fight the coming change so I called for the coupons. I also called the toll-free FCC number and was assured I could connect my uncabled, analog TV (which got 15 channels and the picture was just fine) easily. I bought the box. My son (who is pretty sharp) connected it and it didn't work! I returned the box, got my share of the cost refunded and lost the coupon. I then tried cable TV, which provided me with sports, old movies, talk shows, shopping networks for $70.00/month (it was bundled with an ISP).

I cancelled the cable TV and kept the cable ISP (for $42.00) per month. I then purchased a 32" digital TV for $650.00, which has worked fine except for pixelating from time to time which I believe is due to the broadcast company's fooling around with the signals during this "transition" stage. I gave my analog TV away (it still worked fine in its analog mode). Please ask the government not to do me any more favors. It's always a pig in a poke! Whether it's telecommunications, bailouts, green programs, etc. Economic cost, probably about $1,000.

What is the FCC doing to keep citizens receiving the networks that they are currently receiving with analog? The FCC must be aware that millions of citizens will be looking at a blue screen on June 12, even after spending the money to get the converter box and after getting a rotary antenna and doing everything that the FCC said we need to do. The facts are that a digital signal does not have the characteristics of analog, and millions of us who exceed the 50-mile range of the digital signal will be dropped from the information world of TV.

I live in New York. All the major New York networks transmit from the Empire State building. As the crow flies, that is over 60 miles from my home. After re-scanning my converter box and facing the antenna properly, I cannot receive a signal for any of the network TV I am used to watching. Is the FCC thumbing their nose to millions of citizens?

For months now, I have written to DTV.gov, FCC.gov, and any other website the FCC is throwing out during TV commercials. The only comments I get from these people are to turn my antenna and face it toward Connecticut. The few stations I can receive when doing this, do me no good. I live in New York; I need to receive New York news stations: WABC, WNBC, WCBS, WPIX, FOX. The one Connecticut major network I get does not give me New York News. When is the FCC going to put up repeaters, just like every cell phone company knows it has to do, to get its digital signal out to the world?

my mother was trying to get the most economical package of cable tv and they do not have univision the number one latin american television channel, before the transition that is about to happen we use to get that channel thru an analog antenna and it was very clear. now we got these converter boxes that does not even have at least one of the spanish channels. we thought we can go ahead and get the most econmical cable tv package and they have tell us there is no univision channel on any of their packages and i really think that is discrimination agaisnt the latin american in the florida. we are a real low income family and can not get any entertainment for our 3 children what's happenning i am a citizen and i know i have rights.

I called the end of December 2008 for coupons and i did not recieve them and know they wil not give me any more

digital is NOT better. the government needs to quit F*C*ING us over.

I purchased our converter box, and hooked up the tv to a very high outside antanea and I still have no signal. I can not watch tv due to every channel goes in and out at ALL times.I am very tried of this. I feel that the goverment is tring to force people to either get a type of cable tv or have no tv what so ever. This is 2009 but I feel like I live back in the day befoer tv's came out.

Purchased two Venturer Converter Boxes right before my govt coupons expired. Hooked them both up in Jan 2009, 3 months later one TV has brightness issues and now am seeing signs the other TV is doing the same thing. Picture on the TVs becomes so dark it is not viewable, and non-viewable if looking at a night scene. Ironic that both TVs would have the same problem after hooking up this converter box.

Have a feeling that something in this converter box caused the brightness issues on both of my TVs. With these converter boxes being so new on the market, more consumers will be complaining in the same manner of this issue. Not sure if there is any legal stance, maybe one day there will be if enough people complain and are having the same type problem.

Digital Conversion Rip Off. My husband and I are retired, have suffered in this economy as our nest egg has dwindled and now you are taking away the only entertainment in our lives - our TV. We complied with all instructions and bought a new digital indoor antenia but still we only received 1! cancel on our TV. After numerous online searches, I found a government site that could tell us if we could receiver High Def signals and the answer is NO! We are too far away from the signal tower and the indoor antenia could not pick it up.

By the way, our analog rabbit ears picks up the channels just fine from the same signal location. When I asked how can I fix this the advise is get cable or satellite tv. We cannot afford these products which start with a teaser rate then climb into the 100's after the promo period. It is sad that our only form of entertainment will be taken from us. Do the companies who advertise know how many viewers they will loose! We need to band together to get someone's attention.

I finally bought the converter box and an antenna that works with digital tv. However, every thirty to sixty seconds I get a box on the screen that says to rescan or move the antenna. I have rescanned and moved the antenna numerous times. I have only had the converter box less than a week. The picture on my tv gets frozen alot. Or the picture looks like a jig saw puzzle. If I can get sound, it is like a broken record or a scratched up cd and once again the box displays unable to tune this channel. This sucks!!!!!! Can someone tell me a number to call and complain to the government about how this decision sucks and the quality of the digital boxes? Who made this decision to all digital? Is this a gimmick to get people to get cable television? If the government has indeed recieved complaints don't they know the situation?

I can't watch a full program.

I am disabled and on a fixed income raising a granddaughter I adopted. I have been on antenna TV for 5 years with no problem. I got the converters last July and have been using them. It was very annoying that the signals were so pixilated at times, but then, I could switch to analog and still see and hear all. Since the conversion date, I have been losing channels that were coming in before. It started with one TV, now it is both. Even moving the antenna does not help. I feel this is a way of forcing us into having to get cable or dish just to view the 6 stations I watch.

It appears that the only alternative I will have, will be to get cable or DirecTV and I really cannot afford it.

If they wanted to do this, then they should have bought us a new DTV and paid for satellite or cable, and shove the converter boxes where the sun don't shine. We are absolutely up the creek without a paddle now. We live paycheck to paycheck and don't have money for new TVs or antenna's or satellite. We don't get cable up this mountain. Thanks alot for taking away another piece of our life. You're on a roll now.

On Jan 23 I was told I could not use my coupon on Best Buy's website or through their support number, support directed me to call their DTV number 1-877-BBY-DTV9 (1-877-229-3889) which was closed friday evening and wouldn't open until monday Jan 26. When I called, they said I couldn't buy a converter box over the phone. No reason was given except I had to go to a store.

My coupon expired that day so I was unable to use it. I was refused a replacement coupon and ended up buying a box at full price as one of our stations had already converted and the other two were planning on converting about 10 days later. The box by the way didn't work, but I am expecting a replacement.

It cost me $40 additional and I still don't have a box.

Hooked it all up as directed and get no channels 99.99 % of time. The little bit that it does work is filled with missing pixels of garbage and cannot be discerned as to what is there. I feel we all got duped into buying a piece of junk that does not work and it was known that it would not work. The Government also made no mention of the fact that for many to near all area's would need to go out and buy an antenna and even at that, that is no guarantee that it will work. We all got duped into making more money for government by paying for a piece of junk in the first place and they used the gimmick of a coupon, well what good did that do if we went out and bought the item and then it still does not work,

so, in turn it was a waste of money that I would not have spent in the first place and had we been told the God's honest truth that we were going to need a lot more than this useless box then I would not have wasted what I did buying what I cannot even use. So I have a useless box sitting there that I paid for. Great job our government has done once again.

Lost income to box that does not work, spent money I did not have to allocate to a piece of junk box that does not work, hardship on a budget that is already stretched to its limits and to then not even be able enjoy at least the basic channels I did with analog of the news at the least is outragous to say the least. What happend to the emergency broadcast that goes along the screen, how will people like me now get that, as I do not listen to the radio and have not in years and now that the little TV I did listne to is taken what or how is one to receive these kinds of broadcasts?

This letter is to convey the frustration level felt by myself and other Vermonters alike, regarding the switch from analog to digital.

We do have both a television that is HDTV and had to purchase the converter box for another. We had no idea that we will now have to purchase an antennae to hopefully pick up on more stations. We used to get 8 channels where we live. For the amount of television we watch, that is adequate. As of the switch date, we get 2 channels - both PBS. I don't count channel 3 now since what comes in on that is Spanish. Others have purchased a new antennae and still did not get any better receptions only to have to pay monthly to get satellite or cable, which is where my household is headed.

At a time when the economy is difficult, we will have to pull out another $40 a month in order to stay connected to the outside world. We tried this past week to do other activities when nothing interested was on the 2 channels only to find ourselves going to bed a bit earlier and having a hard time sleeping because of the increased sleep time. Atleast, if Vermont had opted to wait until June (as was passed to be delayed) with days being longer we could have stayed outside gardening or other activities to fill that void - that's what we usually do in summer anyway. We could have transitioned a bit better.

Also, even if we did still get more channels our remotes are not set up for dash channels. CBS is reporting most of Franklin county is a dead zone to them now and seems to feel the trade off must be worth it - after all if we miss them enough we'll shell out the money to get cable or satellite.

I do feel Vermont was prepared with the equipment but not the fact that the broadcasting areas would change.

I'm very frustrated and angry with this process.

I apply for 2 coupons back in Fall of 2008 for my father, he never received the coupons. I have check through the web site dtv2009.gov and its said that the coupons have being deactivated. I have try to call 1-888- and try to explain the situation but the operator just hang up the phone. I try to re-apply through the web site, but was denied since the household has been approved.

Contact the again 1-888 I was told that they only process applications refer me to the web site again which refers you back to the 1-888. This is being going one for months is very frustrating. Is there a live person that we can speak who I can explain my situation and get the coupons for my father who is a senior citizen on a fix income. If any one knows a number or a web site can you please me provide me the information I would really appreciated. Thank you.

My father is unable to purchase the converter for the two TV's he has since he is on a fix income.

I purchased a Magnavox Digital converter box on 11/8/08 from Walmart in Findlay, Ohio. A week or so the box stopped working and when I took it back to the store to return the item, the service customer person advised I was over their 90 day policy by 3 days and they would not take the box back and that I would need to call the 800 on the box and they would replace it. I then called the 800 number on the box and they advised me that they would send someone to my house to get the box and repair it. I advised them that I did not want it repaired, I wanted it replaced as the box is not even 6 months old and as the costomer service person advised me to do.

The people at the first 800 number advised me to call another 800 number and after calling 3 times, waiting and listening to music for 20 mins. at a time and yet have been able to talk with anyone. I then called Magnavox and they said they could not help me and they gave me the same 800 number that was on the box.

I called the FCC they advised they couldn't help I complained to her about having to purchase these converter boxes and she told me that she works afternoons and she never gets to watch TV. So, now I'm turning you, the Federal Government is making all us purchase these converter box by mandating the digital change and then we use our coupon that they so graciously have given to us and only allowing 2 coupons per household. Now that I have used that coupon, the box doesn't work, and my 90 days are up to return it to the store. I don't feel it's fair that I now have to purchase a new converter box at $50.00 a pop. How many more are we going to go through and have the same issues? I just want someone to give me some answers and some customer assistance. Thank you for your time.

I Purchased a home and finalized on that purchase on August 29, 2008. I spent 2 months making the home livable before I could move in. At that point I applied for my coupons for my converter boxes since that is the only access to TV that I will have. I was denied. They said I had already ordered coupons for that address which I absolutely did not do. I at that point appealed like the website asked me to do. I asked them to please check the first and last name associated with the coupons they supposedly sent out and compare there info to the information I gave them regarding my name and the fact that I had just bought the home. They denied me again with no explination as to why. I was sent no coupons with my name or my wifes name attached to them. When I tried to call someone and explain the situation,there is no number to call, and when I tried to appeal there decision, they gave no connection to do so. I am writing to you to complain and to try to get help with this situation. Thank You

My mother purchased her DTV conversion box and I properly attached it to her tv. She was able to pick up three of the local channels of commercial television, which she rarely watches. The one channel that she does watch, PBS, does not pick up at all with her current antenna. Our local station has already completed their conversion, so analog is no longer available.

She lives about 36 miles from the PBS booster tower, not really a long distance at all, and isn't able to pick up on any signal for this station. She can't afford to upgrade her antenna, and was under the impression that all she needed was a conversion box. She can't afford and doesn't want cable, so now she is stuck. Think of how many people that are further from a tower than she is. Shame on the government if this is how they are going to let things ride. TV should be free for those who don't want to pay. Something needs to be done.

I ordered two HDTV converter box coupons and received them promptly. The coupons were valid and I got the converter boxes and HDTV works pretty good.

By the government's own figures they issued 18 million HDTV coupons @ $40 ea. worth $720 million which were redeemed. Government figures also state that 13 million coupons @ $40 ea were issued but never redeemed and have expired. This is $520 million of coupons which were never redeemed and the money never spent. What happened to this money which is over ONE HALF BILLION DOLLARS? Why is there is push for further funding, when half a billion dollars worth of coupons were never redeemed?

We ordered our digital tv converter box coupons shortly after they were offered. They arrived promptly and we purchased our boxes. The deadline should not be extended for very long for those infomercials are causing my husband to develop carpal tunnel syndrome from muting the TV so often so we want here the ad again, again and again.

I requested 2 coupons in June 2008. None arrived to my mailbox. I do not recieve mail at my address site, but a student box address at my university. I think the program sent to the wrong mail box address site. The website now says the tickets are expired. I tried several times to contact the DTV coupon program by their 1888DTV2009 telephone program. The customer representatives will not send any more tickets and say there is nothing they can do. The customer service representatives are rude, unhelpful, and have hung up on me.

Oct 1, 2008 I placed a request for one $40 converter box certificate on the recommended government site address: https://www.dtv2009.gov/ govt site for certificates It is now Jan. 30, 2009 and I have given up waiting, knowing that the govt. no longer is even sending out certificates. Today I ordered a box entirely at our expense. I do believe the certificate program should have been better handled.

Obviously, I am out $40, having paid entirely for the converter box myself. Psychologically, it's just another example of why I have little remaining faith in my government to do much of anything right.

I applied for and received acknowledgment I was excepted. After 3 weeks I checked back and was told the certificates (?) were mailed. 3 weeks later no arrival. Found a way to contact dtz2009-- they emailed back that there had been trouble mailing. 4 weeks later -NOTHING ---- no way to contact!!! Tried emailing gov. consumer affairs -- NO Responce.. Finally found way to try to get replacements-- NO responce.. Next in mildly inclement weather the signal is a jerky mismash of pixels -anologe signal just gets a little more snowy. NEXT-- I am so tired of hearing about how the government is GIVING these $40 coupons. THE GOVERNMENT doesn't give ANYTHING!!!!! WE the tax payers pay for it all

The DTV $40 Coupons are expired. There is no option to redeem or renew.

Unable to view TV once switched over to Digital Tv.

Like many other households,I also have dtv coupons that have expired. Now what happens? Can consumers get extensions on coupons? This is very confusing.

Because of the upcoming change over to digital and since I live in a fringe area I completely upgraded my antenna system with the best rated components of coax cable, antenna, rotor, and signal amplifier. My performance was very much improved with the upgrade on the analog system. When using my top rated converter box I actually receive less channels in digital TV than I do with analog and the converter box disconnected. The channels that came in with some snow but were completely useable do not come in at all with digital. In my case I was certainly better off without digital.

After spending a considerable amount upgrading my antenna system I will end up receiving less channels when the transition to digital is complete.

I applied for the coupons for the converter boxs and never received any, now ever time I try to call or contact any one. I am told by the automated voice the I have already been approved and it may take up to seversl wks to reach me. I never received any coupons. Now my family will be with out, because of a jacked up system.

Like many,we will not have tv to watch 02/2009.On a waiting list for the no coupon problem!I like many will not have the funds to purchase the converter box.Once again,we have government not doing the job!Oh well.Who cares anymore.Me.I am going back to reading.

No Tv.No advertisements to watch,no information on news,weather and so.Damages.Who cares anymore.........

I ordered the two household coupons for dtv months ago and never received them. I went back in Dec and applied again, in case my application had been lost. The response was that I couldn't apply again because I already had applied and that approval status had yet to be confirmed. I now have been officially denied the vouchers, but given no explanation as to why. This is one of the worst government scams ever endured by the people these United States. We shouldn't have to pay AT ALL for a technology the government is forcing on us. Where is the outrage? Where is the voice for the people? This obviously will widen the current chasm between the rich and the poor in this country.

Consequences? Apparently, I will lose the ability to watch television, which for all of my 43 years in this country, was free. I will not pay out of my own pocket for this. I will not subscribe to cable or satellite services. I will not buy a digital tv, nor will I purchase a converter box.

I applied for my coupons online. AFTER WAITING A LONG TIME, I CHECKED BACK WITH THE SITE AND THEY SAID MY COUPONS HAD ALREADY EXPIRED. I NEVER received the coupons. They will not re-issue coupons. I know of other people that this has happened to. Did ANYONE ever actually GET a coupon or is a the whole thing a scam?

I have ha no problems at all. I ordered two coupons and I received twi coupons. I needed four converters, So I used the two coupons, and paid full price for the other two. I am not writing with a complaint. I whent to WalMart, I was taken good care of. This program worked out very well for me. I do have a question about the programing. I don't know if this is the correct place to ask this question, but I will ask and hope someone can help me. I live in Chicago, Il. I hooked up one of my converter boxes to one of my tv's. I am able to get al of the chanels with the exception of CBS chanel 2. Does this mean that after 2/17/09 I won't be able to watch chanel 2 any more? Can some one please answer this question for me. Thank you

I was one of the first individuals to apply and receive the DTV converter box two coupons six months before the analog transmissions is scheduled to be turned off. One month ago, long before DTV transmission begins, I found out while in line at the store the coupons had expired. Why would the coupons expire long before the DTV deadline? That's stupid! And of course replacement coupons are not issued.

The program has wasted huge amounts of time for consumers who had no reason to believe the coupons would expire.

Applied fo dtv converter box coupons beginning of Nov. 2008. End of Dec. 2008 contacted them asking why I had not received them. Only response was that coupons expired or lost would not be replaced. This system is CRAP! I do not have cable or satelite service and as of Feb will not have tv at all. Something should be done about this.

Will have to purchase 2 $50 converter boxes myself instead of using the coupons to get them at $5-$10. I am a student who lives below poverty level and this system was supposed to HELP people like me, not jerk us around and treat us like theives trying to get more than we are entitled to.

on january 12, I ordered from meritline a digital TV converter Box, that was on stock, (I used the $40 coupon provided by the goverment) after one week I called them, they said they don't have the box. when I asked for my coupon they refused to refund my coupon. I went to a store, to purchase digital converter, I couldn't use the $40 coupon, they said it's already been redeemed. meritline redeemed the $40 coupon for box they don't have, I called several times none wants to return phone calls. I believe that meritline is running a scam, by redeeming the coupon for box they don't have, not giving others option, no refunds.

soon will be without TV, when transition to digital happened

I complained I never received the coupons with the FCC and they replied back that were not handling the program and gave me a phone numer of who to call and also said they are no longer taking phone calls and you can only senc an email. I sent an email and still havent received a reply. These people should be disiplined and management should be replaced.

No television in my RV, only one room in the house has a satelitte receiver and we will not be able to afford that any more.

I applied online in May 2008, I faxed my request to 1-877 on September 18th and 19th and I mailed a paper application to them on 12/13/2008 AND I HAVE NOT RECEIVED THE TV CONVERTER BOX COUPONS YET! I even gave them my Mailing Address for Delivery. What is the problem? Why haven't I received the coupons as advertised? I need them to save money on the converter boxes

I applied for the government coupons early and received them but they expired because there were no retailers locally that had any. I do not buy on line. I am very disappointed that we can't get replacements now that there are finally some in the area even though they do not stay in stock for long.

The economic impact is that I am not ready for the conversion and due to the area I live in may still not get a good enough signal after purchasing the converter. I am very disappointed that this has become necessary. I have 4 older tv's that will no longer work. I feel like I am being forced to purchase tv's or boxes or services I can't afford in addition to being unemployed due to economic conditions.

My applications for the coupons have been denied because: '...our records indicate your address is a business address. ' (Appeal denied in April of 2008.)

I live by myself in a single-family house on a block that is ZONED residential.

I appealed on line with this information but I got a form letter back denying the appeal but inviting me to apply again.

I applied for DTV coupons last year and was approved for two. The coupons were sent out to my address but the postmaster had put that I had moved and ended up retiring so all of my mail was sent back to the senders. I then spoke with the postoffice about the problem and it took them six months to figure out what had happened and they apologized and sent me a letter in which I sent a copy to DTV and they stated once they received the letter they would re-send the coupons.

it I have not received any letter in the mail or the coupons and when I call to inquire about it the customer services reps hang up the phone and tell me there is nothing they can do for me and that I cannot speak to anyone above them. i have been patient and i am tired of not getting any answers and being hung up on and do not feel like I should I should be treated like this when it was not my fault that I never received the coumpons to begin with.

I applied for DTV coupons last year and was approved for two. The coupons were sent out to my address but the postmaster had put that I had moved and ended up retiring so all of my mail was sent back to the senders. I then spoke with the postoffice about the problem and it took them six months to figure out what had happened and they apologized and sent a letter in which I sent a copy to them and they stated once they received the letter they would send it out but I have not received any letter in the mail and when I call to inquire about it the customer services reps hang up the phone and told there is nothing they can do for me and that I cannot speak to anyone above them. i have been patient and i am tired of not getting any answers and being hung up on and do not feel like I should I should be treated like this when it was not my fault that I never received the coumpons to begin with.

i received dtv converter coupons went to target and was told newer style & better converter boxes would be coming out. my coupons expired and i was unable to use them. i was not able to order new coupons. i will be unable to convert my tv to digital or will have to pay full price for converter boxes.

I ordered 2 coupons back in December '08 and was told that it would arrive in 10 days after December 22-26, '08. So far, I got nothing in the mail and tried to email-contact the program to find out where the coupons were. I sent 2 emails and still got no reply so far. How do I know if they were really sent out? Please help as I have no way of talking to a real person about this and my emails were not answered either.

I wanted to buy the converters with the coupons to get ready for 2/17/09 transition but so far could not do so without expensive costs because of the MIA on the coupons.

I applied for the tv analog to digital converter box coupon in late october and still haven't received my coupons. I can't afford to purchase these converter boxes without the coupons. What is going on with this program. I read a lot online, but would like to have an official answer.

Got the Gov coupons but everytime I went to buy the converter box they were out. After 2 mos I was able to get one, but coupons expired before I could find another business with one. I hooked it up and no channels come in, now being told I need a bigger antennae. I am on a fixed income, first the $10 I had to put out for the box, now god knows how much for an antennae. I cannot afford Dish TV, my area is rural..no cable and cannot afford to buy a new tv. I don't even know if the antennea will work.

cost me $10 for the box, now have to find money to buy a big antennae

My complaint is with the Government's TV converter box coupon program. When I received the coupons in the early part of 2008 none of the retailers had the converter in stock. when they finaly got them in the coupons I had had expired. This I found out only when I to purchas the converter unit.

I applied for and received my coupon for the DTV converter box in July, which I redeemed without any problems. About two months ago I started to see ads on TV saying that you need a different antenna if you have an old TV, even though the original ads said that the box would work with any old TV even those with rabbit ears. I looked on the DTV antenna website and the one I currently use is shown. However, when I hooked up everything as directed, I only get three TV stations, one of which is a Spanish Language station (I don't speak Spanish). I can't afford a rooftop antenna nor cable. Somewhere in the conversion we were not properly informed of ALL the changes that needed to be made in order to convert our old system to the new. Guess I'll be going to the library and renting DVDs.

Cannot afford extended changes and will be without TV reception.

The digtal converter has alot of bugs that need to be corrected. Specifically the volume on each channel isn't equal, secondly the programming could use a change. Clean up all those religios ones to maybe one or two channels and more family ones.

Not worth watching if these problems are not corrected.

We moved and applied for a coupon at the new address in my sister's name. It was refused because the previous people had received the coupon already. What a joke.

I ordered 2 coupons for converter box via NTIA's website on 11/06/08. And got them in the mail on 11/25/08, pretty fast compared to some people who have complained about this program.

No damages, actually a very happy consumer, the coupons had an expiration date of 1/31/2009, lots of time to get us a box.

I was trying to see if there might still be a chance to get a card for the DVT Converter Box for Feb. 2009 because they are going digital, which I am not sure as to why the government decided to go that route, I mean some people out there cannot even barely afford the internet much less the DVT Box. Personally I think the gov. just did this because the economy is in debt right now and they need money to get out of debt so that is one more thing that us US citizens have to pay for. This IS UNFAIR.

The Gov. should and needs to have something more than the dumb NICA putting rules on oh we only have so much funding or some type of fundraiser for the citizens and low-income families who cannot afford the conversion. The united states is getting more ridiculous as the days go on. I believe that the people have sense when they say 2009 will NOT be any BETTER than the end of 2008, which is when this whole america in debt recession began.

The economy is already wasted and now they are wasting the american people who are low-income who cannot afford this DTV, when the government decided to put a fund on this I believe that they are trying to raise the money to get out of their debt. In my oppion this is just a money making con from the government to try to raise the money that they are in debt from, no matter if your low-income and work and have just enough to scrape by, or if you have enough to get by and then some, which in todays recession economic downfall, there are probably not too many like that.

Received digital converter box coupon from the government in Dec 2008. The reference number is rejected. Although entry of number and all other info in the required box at the vendor's site has been verified as correct, the coupon is rejected. All other required information is also verified as correct.

I an unable to get a converter box, now that the governmental program has run out of money.

I cut the cards up. I agree with several of the other comments on this issue, they should be able to tell if the card has been used or not. I say try leaving the TV alone for a month and see just how productive you become, if it works leave the dumb box to the department of commerce. Just a thought.

No real economic hardship other than some community classes that were being taken, but I can get them online just as easily. It is a pity to have to deal with something that is very simple to resolve.

I applied for a coupon for a converter box on 9-19-08 (reference # 16426865) It NEVER arrived. When I checked the website (dtv2009.gov) for a status on the coupon, it said it was expired. I applied online for another coupon on 1-5-09 (we're supposedly entitled to two), it said that because program funding is not currently available, you will not receive coupons unless more funding becomes available. I thought the government was supposed to be helping us with this DTV transition.....what a SCAM!

I don't plan on paying full price for a converter box because the government can't do what it said it was going to do. I just wonder how many other people have experienced the same thing!

The digital converters signal is to weak. Plus the choices of channells 6 to 7 religious, 4 to 5 legislature, and all those wasted channells showing infomercials. Something can be done about this and should be what about a cartoon network station, and a few oldies showing programs like Sanford and Son, Happy Days, Chico and the Man. The programs chosen are to plain and blah. They should have more public structure to suite or needs and not the industries. y complaint is with whom ever chose the station and the designer ,because things need to be improved for the consumers.

The converter box is worthless the way it stands and the programming choices are disastreous.

I applied for and received 2 coupons for digital converter boxes. I used 1, but when I tried to use the other one, I was informed it had expired and according to the governments website, they will NOT issue a replacement. I think that is completely unfair. Also, I think the whole digital tv deal is just an arrangemen whereby our government is assisting the electronics manufacturers in forcing consumers into buying new TV's, or signing up for cable.

The government doesn't care about the citzens any more. And, when the government instituted the coupon program, they just drove up the price of the converter boxes. I will bet that if there had never been coupons then the boxes would have cost no more than what we are paying with the coupons, not to mention the tax-payers dollars going to fund the coupons.

DTV coupon program sends out 2 coupons that are only valid for a very short time, and if something happens where you are unable to use them before that date, the cards expire and you cannot get them replaced even if the original cards were NEVER used. This is completely unfair! Things happen in life that you cannot control and they will not even check their records to see if you used the original cards sent to you. If they would just check their records, they would see we never used the original coupons issued to us and could just re-issue new cards.

With this digital converstion, and the coupons that we tried to use, Wal-Mart couldn't keep up with the supply and when the coupons expired there was no rain check like most stores use, and they refused to place names on a list so we could use the coupons in a timely manner. Also from a info-mercial on Dec 20th, 2008 in the morning it was stated that if your VCR or DVD didn't have a digital tuner then there would be a need to have two converter boxes - six cables and a switch. This allows viewing the TV -OR- taping on the VCR or DVD, but you'd be unable to watch something else while recording. They said it's be cheaper in the long run to just buy a new VCR or DVD.

Now we have to buy the converter boxes at full price. This stinks. It's not the consumer's fault. The stores are only partly at fault - there should not have been an expiration date on the coupons. This is also more expense upon the consumer to buy a new VCR or DVD or two converter boxes and all the extras to make it work on an old TV.

I applied for the convertor box coupon in March.have been denied one time then they said I was approved.Still no coupons Reference numbers 21774742 & 28480143.I am retired and the cost of the boxes will hurt me.Why isn't there a person I can talk to? Why is the government doing this to the American public.What can I do now?

My coupons were mailed on 9/29/08 and never received as of 12/22/08; and will expire 12/29/08. By law, I am unable to receive coupon replacements under any circumstances including coupons that were lost during postal delivery. It is also impossible to communicate with customer support except by an online inquiry form. Their response to an inquiry is that they were mailed

Because of this mismanaged program (there are thousands of complaints similar to mine online) if I want to receive the new and only digital TV signals after Feb. 17, 2009, I will be required to either buy a new TV or a converter box in order to use my existing TV which is only 2 years old resulting in economic hardship

I got my dtv coupons in the mail. I didn't know they had a expire date on them. I was laid-off from work and the coupons expired. I tried to get ones to replace them and they said they were sorry you have only 1 chance to get the boxes.I also told them I would return the expired ones but they said Thhat won't do.

In July I applied for the coupon for converter box for dtv, it never come. I checked on line, on the web site, information says it has expired. I reapplied in Oct. like before the coupons never showed, on the web site, again it informed they had expired. There is'nt a phone number to call to talk to somebody about it.

I requested two coupons early, as I was told that I should. When they arrived, I promptly put them on a shelf where they would be safe and out of the way until needed. Now I find that the deadline on my 2 coupons is already more than 2 months in the past! Common sense told me that they would be valid AT LEAST until the changeover date in Feb. 2009. I saw no reason to examine the contents and consider the fine print until I really needed to purchase the converter boxes.

Obviously my coupons are now useless. Now what do I do?

i ordered the coupons for the dtv convertion after instaling it didn't work i only got less then half the chanels. so i go to the web site and find if you don't get all the chanels you need to get a n antenna ,so i buy a new antenna. low and behold i still don't get all the local chanel.i am on a fix inome from ss i can't afford to pay for cable or dish network . so does that mean i am out of luck can't watch tv ay more. i can't put up an out side antenna not permited.

befor this so called up grade i had no problems with tv reception. what is my goverment going to do about or are they on the take from cable compenys ,getting a kick back. i think if some homes can't get eceptions the gov should pay for cable or come up with a plan to fix this problem . so please tell me what to do and don't tell me i need to spend more money so far i have payed for two convertion bxes two digetal antennas . this is so unfair. please help.

Applied early for 2 DTV coupons. They expired May 27 2008 before boxes were in stock. They refuse to reissue or extend the coupon date. According to news reports, I am one of some 7,000,000 people in this situation

I am a senior on a small fixed income. Buying a box is an economic hardship. I am penalized for responding promptly to their program.