As all television broadcasting transitions to digital, you will not need to buy a new television set to watch what you currently have with the same quality. But if you want a sharper picture, bigger screen and more, then you will need to buy a new TV set that is labled HD-ready or HD-built-in. Not every large, expensive set is HD capable, so be careful.
If you subscribe to cable or satellite, you can get your programming over cable or satellite just like you do now, or you can upgrade your service to get HD signals, provided your TV is capable. However, if you only watch over-the-air broadcasts you will have to buy a new digital television or a converter box that some predict will cost $50 to $75.
Congress, in the past, has considered offering subsidies to consumers who must buy this converter, but such policies have not yet been approved.
