The end of analog broadcast television early next year will not mean that consumers need to buy a new TV set.

Analog has been the norm in TV broadcasting from the beginning. It uses a signal that continually varies like sound waves, whereas digital, analog's more high tech replacement, uses a more compact, steady signal.

This results in a clearer picture for viewers, but digital is still relying on government to push analog out of its place as the broadcasting norm.

The death of analog is the result of the Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005. The act ordered that all high-powered broadcast TV stations switch their signals from analog to digital by Feb. 18, 2009.

The switch won't mean that everyone relying on the old rabbit ears will have to sign up for cable or other pay TV services. Likewise, consumers don't need to run out and buy new TVs. However, it could mean that some people will have to purchase additional equipment to get their analog TVs to receive the new digital signal.

The equipment is an analog to digital converter and the government has set up a program to help pay for the conversion.

The Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act carries $990 million, most of which will go toward coupons to help people to afford the converters.

Each coupon will be worth $40 off of the purchase of a converter. The coupons are to be given out with no income requirements but there is a two-coupon per household limit.

Another stipulation with the coupons is that they have to be given out through the mail. The government feels this will deter people who don't need the coupons and will make it easier to enforce the two-coupon limit.

To request a coupon, a person can go to http://www.dtv2009.gov, call the 24-hour hotline, 888-388-2009, mail a coupon application to: P.O. Box 2000, Portland, OR 97208-2000, or fax a coupon application form to 877-388-4632.

The TV Converter Box Coupon Program will begin mailing out coupons Feb 17.

To find out if a TV will need a converter look on the TV for any labels that read "Integrated Digital Tuner," "Digital Tuner Built-In," "Digital Receiver," or "Digital Tuner," "DTV," "ATSC," or "HDTV."

Any of these labels mean that the TV already contains a digital tuner and won't need a converter. If the TV doesn't have a label like those listed it will probably need a converter, but to be sure consumers also can contact their TV's manufacturer and ask if it contains a digital tuner.

The converter box is fairly easy to use. According to the Kirkwood Mall Radio Shack it's no more complicated than hooking up a DVD player.

For all the hassle of the switch, it might seem like more of a problem for consumers than a blessing but digital TV comes with its plusses.

According to http://www.dtv.gov, a Web Site set up by the FCC to inform consumers about digital TV, "Digital Television is an advanced broadcasting technology that will transform your television viewing experience."

On the scale of quality, digital TV falls right between high definition and analog, meaning that it is not quite as good as high definition television, but better than what viewers might be watching with their analog service.

Although HDTV is a digital signal, not all digital programming is high definition. The two aren't one in the same.

There are actually three common levels of quality for digital broadcasts. First, there is Standard Definition TV, which is pretty close to the same as what consumers are already seeing with analog, but without the snow and "ghosts."

Then comes Enhanced Definition TV, which has a better quality picture than SDTV, but not quite as good as HDTV. The best quality is with a HDTV broadcast, but not all stations provide these and not all TVs can receive them.

Only TVs marked as high definition will allow users to view programming in high definition regardless of the use of a converter.

Just where the broadcast's quality falls on this scale is solely up to the broadcast station.

Digital broadcasting also allows stations to take advantage of multicasting.

Since a digital signal is compressed much smaller than an analog signal, stations will be able to simultaneously broadcast several streams of programming in the same space as one channel of analog. It's called multicasting.

With multicasting, stations can actually run multiple programs simultaneously meaning more advertising revenue for them and more viewing options.