On Sun, 1 Feb 2009 04:29:43 -0800 (PST), wrote:

On Jan 31, 10:17*pm, mm wrote:
On Sat, 31 Jan 2009 11:20:25 -0800 (PST), wrote:
On Jan 31, 2:05*pm, "Ray" wrote:
Our little cheapo 5" screen TV that we use in the kitchen is doomed whenever
TV makes its conversion -- in June now, I believe. Obviously we won't get a
$100 converter box for a $15 TV set.

But I just noticed one of the discount stores has on sale a Prism digital

If it says digital on it, that should mean that it's digital. * And it
probably does, but read the box carefully, plug it in when you get
home and make sure it gets digital stations.

LCD TV. with a 7" screen. My question is whether this one would also require
a converter box -- or how could I tell.

It does have a retractable antenna, if that means anything.

All TVs sold in the US now have to have an ATSC DTV tuner built-in.

Not true. *But they do have to be labeled if they won't receive
digital.



So says you. The FCC says otherwise:

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniont...mz1b5bray.html

"March 5, 2007

Many Americans don't understand digital TV, but they no longer can buy
the old analog technology it replaces, thanks to a federal mandate
that recently kicked in.

All new television sets designed to receive over-the-air signals must
now contain a tuner capable of receiving digital broadcasts, not just
the old-style analog signals we have relied on for the past half-
century.

The March 1 mandate covers smaller sets, the last bastion of all-
analog technology. "


So, as I stated, for about 2 years now, ALL TVs manufactured for sale
in the USA must have an ATSC tuner. Yeah, you might find some TV
somewhere that was built prior to Mar 2007, but the chances of that
are small, unless it's some refurbished piece of crap.


Walmart has non-digital sets on their website. They also sell at least
one set that is "Digital" but has not passed testing for compatibility
with the new system.