Director's Cut Blog with Frank Macek

Complaints have started to come in about the government coupon program designed to help people get ready for the switch to digital television. Where they live can make it harder for some people to get the discount on the digital converter they need. When the rules were first written, they were very specific. Coupons could only be delievered to a residential household with it's own address. This causes problems with people who live in nursing homes, RV parks and mobile home parks where everyone's mail is delivered at a single address. Though the rules will be changed this fall, it's causing some folks to come up empty when they apply for their two, $40 converter coupons. Scott Friedman has more...

News out of Washington today... Congress forgot to budget enough money to mail out the digital converter coupons to consumers. No kidding. Reuters reported today that lawmakers may be asked for more money to get the coupons from the Commerce Department to your homes. The problem arose after consumers who were already mailed the coupons failed to redeem them within the 90 day time limit. Therefore the unused coupons are cancelled out and new ones are issued for those that apply or reapply. This has created a strain on the NTIA budget. The NTIA or National Telecommunications and Information Administration is the the arm of the Commerce Department charged with overseeing the converter box program. Rep. Edward Markey, the chairman of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, summed it up best "This sounds like it could be a big problem here." Deep! The NTIA decided to delay an official request following a hearing until July when it will have a better handle o...

I've been getting many emails from our viewers about the switch to digital television and the whole process involved with getting your 2 free coupons for the converter boxes. Since the boxes can cost more than coupons, I've been asked to let people know where to get the cheapest boxes available....so the out of pocket expense is minimal. Since I have not personally looked for a converter box yet, I will look to those of you who have to share with out readers where to get the best value for the lowest cost. Please drop me an email to fmacek@wkyc.com and I'll gather and post your recommendations for everyone to share.

The battle over business for the new digital to analog converter boxes just ramped up today as EchoStar (owner of Dish Network) announced its plans to offer two new digital-to-analog converter boxes at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The boxes will be distributed in anticipation of the Federal Communications Commission's requirement that all full-power broadcasters cease the transmission of their analog signal by Feb. 17, 2009. EchoStar's TR-40 over-the-air, digital-to-analog converter allows analog TVs to receive digital over-the-air broadcasts and comes with an onscreen setup wizard for easy installation. Other features include up to a seven-day electronic programming guide (EPG), program search, parental locks and VCR auto-tune timers. The box will be sold under both the EchoStar and Sling Media, Inc. brand names for $39.99 at retail, and can be purchased via the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's Digital-to-Analog Converter Bo...