There’s good news for the 7.4 million people waiting to redeem their converter-box coupons in advance of the switchover to digital TV on Feb. 17: Amazon.com is now selling DTV converter boxes. Since Amazon includes free shipping, it might be a good option for those having trouble finding converter boxes in stores or looking for a bigger selection. Amazon carries 10 models ranging from $60-$80 ($20-$40 after using the $40 coupon). Note the shipping times, though; some models have four- to six-week fulfillments.

But anyone going the converter-box route — instead of simply upgrading to a newer TV with a digital tuner, or getting cable or satellite — should keep in mind that the other key component of the process is to make sure you have a decent antenna setup (especially the UHF portion, which receives current DTV signals) and that it’s pointed in the right direction. Don’t be like this customer at Amazon, who left the following comment:

“The installation is confusing. It doesn’t work once you get it hooked up. I got 3 channels with my antennae cable and now the converter box can find none. I went through all the steps and scanned it several times. “No Programs Found!” is all it says. I will be returning this product to Amazon.”

There’s probably nothing wrong with the converter box. He probably just needed to redirect the UHF portion of his antenna to point directly at the broadcast tower — because with DTV, there’s either a perfect signal or nothing — or get a better antenna. When all is said and done, upgrading to a new TV might be the easiest option.

Finally, if you’re wondering where I got that 7.4 million figure, it’s part of the latest DTV statistics from the federal government. Here are its data from the converter-box coupon program, as of Sept. 10:

Approved households that have applied 14,215,538
Coupons requested 26,686,001
Coupons mailed 25,273,593
Coupons expired 7,866,676
Coupons redeemed 10,006,793
Coupons active 7,400,124
Average daily orders last week 121,876
Average daily orders last 30 days 111,577
Participating retailers/Locations 2,340/29,127

Source: The U.S. Department of Commerce’s NTIA, which manages the TV converter box coupon program. “Apply for coupons at www.DTV2009.gov or call the 24-hour toll-free hotline at 1-888-388-2009 (1-888-DTV-2009).”

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 18th, 2008 at 9:47 am and is filed under DTV switchover. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.