Deeds: Digital TV conversion is a great excuse to buy an HDTV

Although Bogus Basin season-pass holders might disagree, staring at snow is not usually considered fun. But that's precisely what you'll be doing in 74 days when you turn on your TV, unless you're prepared for the much-publicized digital signal conversion.

Full-power TV stations in the United States will stop sending analog signals on Feb. 17. They'll begin broadcasting only in digital. The changeover, mandated by the government, will free up the airwaves for public and safety services and wireless carriers.

Most viewers won't be affected. They're getting their TV channels through cable or satellite providers. But if you use the ol' rabbit ears or antenna-on-the-roof approach - it's estimated that as many as 21 million households still do - there's a good chance you need to do one of two things pronto:

Purchase a digital TV converter box.

Better yet, use the impending analog shutdown as a perfect excuse to buy a new digital-ready TV.

That's the option my parents took - much to my shock - when I visited them over Thanksgiving in rural Nebraska. My folks didn't even break down and buy a color TV until I moved out. (A riding lawn mower, either. I still snivel about that every time I visit.)

My father, who enjoys watching sports on the tube, has been won over - finally! - by the 50-inch HDTVs at his spoiled sons' homes.

Last week, I helped Dad choose a modest, 32-inch, flat-screen HDTV for $618. It has a built-in DVD player. He even plans to sign up for the HD package from a satellite provider.

Unbelievable! If my folks can do it, yours can, too. An HDTV would make a sweet Christmas present - even if they claim they don't want it.

On the other hand, times are tough. Nobody can be blamed for taking the cheaper route. The government provides a $40 coupon for a digital converter box, making out-of-pocket costs $10 to $20. Visit www.dtv.gov for details.

Kevin Anderson, general manager at Best Buy in Boise, says dozens of customers roll into his store every day wanting converter boxes.

"It's been like that for three, four months," he says. "People coming in, in droves."

Best Buy staffers might point out attractive financing options on new HDTVs, but they don't try to sway customers into buying a fancy new flat-screen instead of a simple digital converter box, Anderson says.

That's my job. Think of it this way: By spending money on an HDTV, you're being a good American and pumping cash into the economy.

If you do decide to go with a digital converter box, make sure you actually need one. Unsure? Write down your TV's model number and stop by an electronics store. Best Buy has helped some customers realize that they don't need to buy anything at all, Anderson says.

ENTERTAINMENT NOTES

KTVB Channel 7 began offering its local programming in digital widescreen a few months ago. Is it HD? No. Is it a noticeable picture-quality upgrade that gives it an edge over the competition? Absolutely. KTVB now uses widescreen cameras in-studio and in the field. The local newscast fills the entire screen on an HDTV without having to stretch the picture. "It's fully digital from start to finish," president and general manager Doug Armstrong says.

Don't hold your breath waiting for any local newscasts in HD. KTVB probably would be the first to take that very expensive step, and Armstrong says there are no immediate plans for it. However, "We're not done," he adds. "We're going to keep moving forward on digital."

Dennis Miller's rants will replace longtime local radio hosts Jon Duane and Chris Kelly, who are off the air at "63 KIDO," or 630 AM.

"The Jon & Chris Show" has been replaced temporarily by Fox Sports. Beginning Jan. 5, Miller's syndicated show will air from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekdays. Duane and Kelly were nixed for economic reasons, according to Peak Broadcasting of Boise.

Etcetera: Boise restaurant City Grill, 199 N. 8th St., Boise, has closed. ... The cheap, er, $47 seats are gone for Jerry Seinfeld's Jan. 22 gig at the Morrison Center, but the rear sections of the $62 and $77 ticket scales remain (unsurprisingly?). ... Tickets for the Meat Puppets gig Jan. 21 at the Grizzly Rose are $15 advance, $18 day of show. ... Idaho folk singer Rosalie Sorrels just nabbed her second career Grammy nomination for her CD "Strangers in Another Country."

Michael Deeds co-hosts "The Other Studio" at 9 p.m. Sundays on 94.9 FM "The River." This week: Grammy nominations and 2008's most popular iTunes songs.