Talk about your big-screen TVs. This one at the State Fair measures 20 feet. But it isn’t trying to sell the latest home-theater gadget; it’s in the Twin Cities to educate consumers about the federally mandated transition to digital TV on Feb. 17.

The DVD Trekker is part of the National Association of Broadcasters’ DTV Road Show, which will be here for the duration of the State Fair.

“Consumers need to learn about the steps they can take to upgrade to digital before it’s too late,” said Jonathan Collegio, vice president of the DTV transition unit at the NAB.  “As broadcasters, our goal is to ensure that no American loses television reception in February 2009 due to a lack of information about the transition to digital. The DTV road show provides a fun and engaging event for families to get the information they need to prepare for the switch to digital television.”

Besides the swanky DTV Trekker, the road show includes kiosks that offer demos of analog vs. digital TV, literature explaining the transition and games.

The DTV Trekker will be at the State Fair from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day through Sept. 1 at the northeast corner of Murphy Av. and Cooper St. Look for the big rabbit-ear antennas.

Ninety-three percent of Minnesotans know about the 2009 nationwide switch to digital television, according to a new poll by the National Association of Broadcasters. The remaining 7 percent call me regularly to ask questions about it.

I’m kidding! But I do receive many phone calls from readers about the federally mandated transition from analog to digital-only TV broadcasts, which happens Feb. 17. Even a passing mention in my story on high-def resources has spawned daily calls in the week since it ran. But that helps prove the survey’s point that people are learning about the switch and asking questions.

Minnesota leads the national average of DTV awareness, which is 90 percent, according to the poll. That’s good, because the Twin Cities viewing area, which covers 59 Minnesota counties and nine Wisconsin counties, has more TVs affected by the transition than all U.S. metro areas but Portland, Ore.

According to the NAB: “An estimated 457,140 homes in Minnesota rely exclusively on over-the-air television, meaning they watch free TV broadcasts using rabbit ear or rooftop antennas. These households will need to take steps to receive a digital television signal by February 17, 2009, when all full-power stations must begin broadcasting only in digital.”

One Twin Cities TV station got short shrift in my recent write-up about high-def programming choices.

The useful website Where Is HD? listed the HD content of Twin Cities Public Television’s TPT HD channel (Ch. 2.2 on the digital broadcast spectrum) as making up 22 percent of its programming minutes. So I simply lumped it in with the other local network affiliates, which all have about 20 percent HD programming, according to Where Is HD? (except KARE-TV, which is listed at 57 percent).

In reality, high-def programs make up about 66 percent of the TPT HD’s schedule, according to Tom Holter, TPT’s executive director of programming. The rest of the channel’s offerings are up-converted PBS programs.

It’s not clear why Where Is HD? has outdated info for TPT HD, because the site says it gets data directly from programmers, but I’m happy to provide a clarification.

Many readers have contacted me to ask which converter boxes are the best for the federally mandated switch to digital TV on Feb. 17.

Bryan Morrison’s recent e-mail is typical:

I have been watching for your comments/recommendations on different brand converter boxes for the TV when Feb 2009 rolls around. Hopefully I haven’t missed them or better yet do you have any comments/recommendations to offer me (the consumer) now?

Actually, I’m not planning to compare the various converter boxes that have been approved for the government’s voucher program, for three reasons: (1) I don’t have an analog TV that receives over-the-air signals — the only setup affected by the transition — so I can’t easily test the boxes. (2) Most of the boxes are just basic devices that do one main thing: convert digital TV signals to analog for older TVs. There aren’t many extras at their price point, $10 to $30 after using a government voucher. (3) Most stores carry only one, maybe two models. There’s not a lot of shopping around to be done, unless you drive around a lot or want to order online.

But now that the converter boxes have been available for a few months, various comparisons of the models have popped up online. Here are some of them (click on each entry to go to that site):

• CNET Reviews: “Which (nearly) free DTV converter box should I buy?”
• Free Electron Labs: “Coupon Eligible Converter Box (CECB)/DTV converter comparison”
• Wikipedia: “Comparison of CECB units”
• High Def Forum: “Any new info on the best converter boxes?”

As far as online retailers, WatchDigitalTV.com tested many of the models available and sells only the few that passed muster.  Solid Signal has probably the largest selection of converter boxes. Both have knowledgeable sales staffs.

Although I won’t be evaluting the converter boxes myself, I hope these resources prove to be useful.

BOB NEWHART!

IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR MY INTERVIEW WITH BOB NEWHART, CLICK HERE. 

Several readers, including Penn, have asked about what they’ll actually see in the Twin Cities when they switch to digital TV.

Quick review: The federal government has mandated a switch from analog to digital TV broadcasts on Feb. 17, 2009. If you receive programs on an older TV using an over-the-air antenna, you will lose programming then unless you (1) subscribe to cable or satellite (whose users are not affected by the switch); (2) buy a new digital TV; (3) buy a converter box using a government voucher to defray the costs. Find out more at DTV2009.gov.

Digital TV allows stations to broadcast multiple feeds, so you will see a slightly different lineup, in addition to what you see now over the air. Only the local PBS station is really taking advantage of the capability, but that might change as more viewers switch; KARE, for example, has a continually updated weather channel. Here’s a rundown of what’s available now on digital TV locally:

• Ch. 2.1 (TPT): PBS fare, some in hi-def (what you see now on Ch. 2*).
• Ch. 2.2 (TPT): Hi-def PBS fare on tpt HD, usually different programs than 2.1 but sometimes simulcast.
• Ch. 4.1 (WCCO): CBS and local programs, high-def if available (what you see now on Ch. 4*).
• Ch. 5.1 (KSTP): ABC and local programs, high-def if available (what you see now on Ch. 5*).
• Ch. 5.2 (KSTP): Standard-def rebroadcasts of previously aired news programs.
• Ch. 9.1 (KMSP): Fox and local programs, high-def if available (what you see now on Ch. 9*). 
• Ch. 11.1 (KARE): NBC and local programs, high-def if available (what you see now on Ch. 11*).
• Ch. 11.2 (KARE): Weather.
• Ch. 17.1 (TPT): PBS fare, some in high-def (what you see now on Ch. 17*).
• Ch. 17.2 (TPT): Standard-def tpt MN — Minnesota public affairs.
• Ch. 17.3 (TPT): Standard-def tpt Kids — PBS shows for kids.
• Ch 17.4 (TPT): Standard-def tpt Create — PBS how-to programs.
• Ch. 17.5 (TPT): Weather.
• Ch. 23.1/23.2 (WUCW): The CW and local programs, some in high-def (what you see now on Ch. 23*).
• Ch. 29.1 (WFTC): Standard-def independent programming (what you see now on Ch. 29*).
• Ch. 41.1 (KPXM):  Standard-def ION and independent programming (what you see now on Ch. 41*).
• Ch. 45.1 (KSTC): Standard-def independent programming (what you see now on Ch. 45*).

* If you’re have anything but digital TV reception.

Finally, I should offer kudos to Twin Cities Public Television (TPT) and KARE-11 for addressing the switchover, digital TV and HD broadcasts in a highly visible way on their websites. It’s no surprise that they’re leading the way in digital layering.

Instead of updating your analog TV set before the federally mandated switch to digital broadcasts, why not just give up TV altogether?

When I wrote at length Sunday about the transition – scheduled for Feb. 17, 2009 — I noted that people with analog TV sets who use an antenna for over-the-air reception had three options in the coming year to ensure that they don’t lose programming: (1) buy a new TV with a digital tuner; (2) subscribe to a cable or satellite service; (3) buy a converter box using a federal voucher to defray costs. My colleague Matt McKinney offered a fourth option:

“My family plans none of the listed options. We’re dropping TV service, which we rarely use anyway.

My sons watch DVDs and play at PBS.org. We watch the Lehrer News hour online and listen to the Twins on radio.

The awful truth is that if we bought cable service it would consume our evenings. I bought cable two summers ago for the Tour de France and spent hours that month watching fishing shows. And I don’t fish.

So no TV. And no regrets. I’m happy to watch our old set become an anachronism. 

I’d bet there’s a lot more folks like me out there.”

What’s interesting is that many of the people I talked to for my original article and others I talked to afterward mentioned that they are not big TV watchers. That probably explains why they still have old TV sets that need to be upgraded. Quitting TV altogether hardly seems like an economic decision; the converter boxes cost as little as $10 after using the government voucher. As Matt’s case shows, this is purely a lifestyle choice.

Would you rather just give up TV than switch?