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This is pretty neat. As some of you know, we are a TV-free family. The only time the TV is on is for one rented DVD a week (maybe two on some weeks, but usually one). We have a TV set that my dh was given as a gift back in 1991, and of course it is analog, so we have to convert it to digital or else it will go black in the winter, as you all have heard by now.



So we signed up online for the coupon that our Government has agreed to provide, and a month later, we ordered the box online for a grand total of $2.99 plus $8.99 s/h.

For awhile, I just thought this was a black box that would just keep our TV useable after February. But upon reading my local paper, I discovered that there are digital channels that were available to us as no cost through the airwaves. Hmmm. Are we missing something? While at my friend's house this week, she mentioned that she heard the picture quality would be better, too.

We plan to break our 5 year TV fast in eight days. We want the children to be able to watch the Olympics. But we have no cable, no satellite dish, and no aerial antenna. All we have is a wire attached to the back of our TV and hung on the adjacent wall with a push pin. We never really worried about this, because we didn't need it. Oh, and we do live somewhat in the sticks. So, we have virtually no reception on any major channel except one, and a couple of UHF channels. But, who cared?

We thought we might need to go out and buy an indoor antenna to get the Olympics.

So, I said to my dh last night: why don't we install the black box, and see if it helps anything? So he did, and, what do you know? It scanned and found 32 channels (who knew?) and they are all crystal clear. Besides all the major networks, we get a channel for the local university, several public TV channels, various weather channels provided by the major networks, educational channels and several Spanish speaking and Christian channels. All this, with on screen program guide, parental controls, program descriptions, and much of the interactivity that used to be reserved just for subscribers to digital TV. Every channel is perfectly clear (with no antenna) and it is free!

So I thought that was neat enough to blog about. Although, it still ain't gonna make a TV addict out of me (because I've since become an internet addict) it is neat to have access to a couple of 24 hour weather channels now. So, if you've been meaning to order that black box, go ahead.

You may be surprised at the results.

p.s. This is a time for our family to be careful. Don't want to keep the TV going after the Olympics are over, ykwim? These past several years, the only time it ever went on was for space shuttle launches / landings, hurricanes and tornadoes, and presidential inaugurations.