Everyone knows by now about the execution of analog, over-the-air television. The analog channels will go dark on February 19th, 2009. And as promised, the fed is issuing coupons worth $40 each to lessen the cost of the converter boxes (or digital tuners) that will convert your old TVs into new digital tuning TVs. Every household in the US qualifies to recieve up to two of them.

Major electronic outlets such as Best Buy, Circuit City, Kmart, RadioShack, Sam’s Club, Sears, Target and Wal-Mart (estimated 14,000 stores nation wide) all plan to start stocking these converter boxes by February 17th, 2008. The boxes plan to cost between $50 and $70.

During the first phase, 22.5 million copies of these coupons will be readily available. If needed, the Fed has authorized another 11.25 million more. That’s a total of $1.35 Billion in coupons. Tax payers, get out your wallets! However, it’s projected that the demand for these coupons will be somewhere between 10-26 million copies, which lessens the burden a bit.

 Don’t know if you’ll need one? Well, chances are you have a DVD player or TV that’s equipped with a digital tuner, which voids your need for the converter box. If your TV was purchased after March of ‘07, by federal regulations you should have a digital tuner built in. You can take this quiz to find out if you need one.

Overall, most Americas shouldn’t need one, only those who completely rely on over-the-air broadcasts. To request your coupon, you can apply online at dtv2009.gov starting Tuesday. The government also has set up a 24-hour hotline to take requests, 1-888-DTV-2009 (1-888-388-2009).