I am almost convinced that the reason the converter boxes are so hard to find these days is because the makers of flat-panel sets do not want to see older sets in use anymore. They would rather see people junk their old (or not so old, but working perfectly well) analog TVs and buy new FP sets, now that the DTV conversion is complete and all full-power TV stations are digital, than to retrofit old sets with converters.
I am actually sorry this is happening, as it is eliminating the one way viewers can still get free over-the-air television in this new digital age.
I was hoping to be able to find a converter to use with one of my sets just to see if I can get anything at all in digital in my area, which is 33 miles east of Cleveland (some 40 miles from the stations, as their towers are located in a Cleveland suburb seven miles from downtown) and is a poor-signal area for analog (I could only get one channel good enough to watch in analog with an antenna). The only boxes I've seen at this point have been off-brand converters offered at a local Rite-Aid pharmacy; I haven't seen them advertised anywhere else, and I don't think Rite-Aid will have them in stock much longer as the advertisement I saw the other day stated, in huge letters, "LAST CHANCE!". To me this means the converters will likely be available only until the stores' current stock is depleted, then they will be gone for good; the ad also mentioned this, stating that there would be no rainchecks.
This leaves viewers who still want access to local TV stations only two alternatives: one, get a new FP TV with an ATSC/QAM tuner (with a new outdoor antenna and a rotator on top of that needed in many areas), or two, get cable. I currently have basic cable (local channels only) from Time-Warner and am now buying (and renting from Netflix) DVDs for other programming not available on my level of service. Beats heck out of spending over $50 a month for expanded-basic cable. The only programs I really watch on a regular basis on cable these days anyway are reruns of the old late-1960s
Bewitched series on WGN America, and the evening news on NBC.
BTW, I had been wondering for some time how Doug (drh4683) in west suburban Chicago is getting signals to his old Zenith and RCA TVs after the transition. However, I noted tonight in one of his posts that he did mention having an outdoor antenna with a rotor, so that answers the question...almost. The only other thing I'm wondering is whether he is using converter boxes on all his TVs, or does he have just one or two such converters that he transfers between sets? Hmmm.
