NTIA OK's 19 Boxes, 250-Plus Retailers

NTIA OKs 19 BOXES, 250-PLUS RETAILERS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The National Telecommunications & Information Administration told a Consumer Electronics Show audience in Las Vegas Monday that it has certified 250 retailers, including QVC -- and 19 DTV-to-analog converter boxes. Others certified include Best Buy, Circuit City, Kmart, RadioShack, Sam's Club, Sears, and Wal-Mart. NTIA will begin mailing the coupons Feb. 17, a year out from the DTV-to-analog switch, but some viewers may want to wait depending on whether the anticipated $60 dollar price point for the boxes comes down in the wake of EchoStar's announcement Monday of a $39.99 box. That box won't widely available until June, unless someone steps up with a similarly-priced box before that, the coupons of the earliest adopters could expire before the cheaper boxes hit most shelves.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6517843.html

See also:

* EchoStar/Sling Unveil $39.99 DTV-To-Analog Converter
EchoStar announced Monday that it had teamed with Sling Media to brand a converter box that it says will comply with National Telecommunications & Information Administration's specs for devices that can be covered entirely by NTIA's subsidized $40 coupons. The NTIA-compliant TR-40 converter box will be available "in limited quantities" starting in March, said EchoStar, with "unlimited quantities" starting in June.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6517714.html?desc=topstory

* EchoStar Set to Offer $39.99 Digital Converter
“That means every home in America, for two TV sets absolutely free of charge, can convert to the digital transition,” said Dish Network chief Charlie Ergen. “There is no reason the digital transition can’t take place by February 2009, and there is no reason it will cost the consumer a dime.” EchoStar will also offer the TR-50 DVR digital-to-analog converter box that includes a digital video recorder, allowing customers to view, record and play back local over-the-air analog and digital broadcasts, including high definition.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6517833.html

* EchoStar to Sell $40 Digital TV Converters
http://www.tvpredictions.com/echodtv010708.htm