The digital conversion is coming to a TV screen near you. Are you ready? It's on February 17, 2009. You may not be thinking that far ahead right now...but you should be! David and Jackie Hock are in the market for a new TV. "I'm thinking probably 40 inch, not high-line, but probably mid-grade," David says. Their old television had seen better days. "Our other one had a fatal error, and ended up in the garbage," David laughs. The trash. That's likely where some old TV's will end up on February 17. That's when all analog broadcast signals will convert to digital. Stacy Zaja is with Time Warner. "This is to provide more space on airways so they can provide more access for fire departments, police...for emergency situations," Zaja explains. But the conversion doesn't mean you have to trash your old TV, or go out and buy a new flatscreen. In fact, if you have cable or satellite...you don't have to do anything at all! However, if you use rabbit ears or antennas, you'll need to make some changes. You can either subscribe to a pay service, buy a new TV that's digital-ready, or you can buy a digital converter box. Joel Hoffman is a manager at American TV. He says many people are asking about the boxes. "We do sell quite a few of these boxes, they're very popular right now," he says. If you need to buy a converter box, the government will help you out. You can order a $40 coupon online at www.dtv2009.gov. If you decide to buy a new TV like the Hocks, it won't take much guess-work to find the right one. All new TV's are required by law to have a digital tuner. Overall, David is pretty indifferent about the conversion. "It's not a real big issue. Inconvenient for some people, not a big issue for most," David admits. "I think the important thing is to act now, and this will be an easy transition come February 17," Zaja says. So what about your old DVD player or gaming console? They'll still work as long as your TV is ready for the digital conversion.