February 2009 may seem like a long ways away, but it's not and it is an important date for your television set.

That's when over-the-air broadcasters like WEEK-TV will switch to a sole digital signal and our analog signal will end. It is a change being mandated by the Federal Government.

Eric Shangraw talks with the spokesman for the Consumer Electronics Association to explain how it will impact you. Jim Barry, "The Digital Answer Man" is the Spokesman for the Consumer Electronic Association.

Jim, people want to know what will happen to their old tube TV sets when stations like WEEK stop broadcasting their analog signal.

"Well, there is a difference between tube sets and all the different ones. But analog signals and digital signals are the real important things to know about. We've been using analogue technology, which sends out pictures and sounds as magnetic waves for sixty years in television. The new system is digital, which uses computer code. The best digital is High Definition," answered Barry.

"All the broadcasters in the country, like your station, have been broadcasting on two channels for eight or nine years. -One digital and the old analogue."

"February 17, 2009, you have to give back the analogue channel to the Federal Communications Commission or Federal Government. They're going to take those channels and give some to "first responders" and others are going to be auctioned off for new wireless services."

"So February 18, 2009 you'll have a couple of questions to be answered. One, will I be able to watch my television?"

There will be no analogue broadcast. If you get your TV through digital cable or digital satellite, you'll have no worries because they are already transmitting those digital signals. If you get your TV the old fashioned way with an antenna on the roof or rabbit ears on the set top, you have got a couple of choices between now and then."

"One is to buy a new TV. And digital sets these days start at well under two hundred dollars. That is for a 20-inch or 13-inch set. So you've got a choice there."

"The other choice will be to get a converter box, like this one. It will be available early next year, 2008. Or about a year before the analogue cuts off."

"This is a simple digital to analogue converter. You plug your antenna in one plug and your TV into the other. So it goes between the antenna and TV. It is very simple to use and this will let you watch the new digital signal on any analogue TV. -Even that old 1984 Zenith."

"Early next year, 2008, you will be able to get these converter boxes in stores and you'll be able to get two coupons worth 40-dollars each to apply to the price of a converter box. They've said these boxes will be about 50-dollars and they may come down lower. So you will spend little or nothing to get a converter box. You will not have to buy a new television."