Tivax Approved by NTIA for Coupon Eligible Converter Box (CECB)

Tuesday, January 15th, 2008

Mountain View, California — Tivax Digital TV Converter STB-T9 obtains the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) approval for the Coupon Eligible Converter Box (CECB). The boxes will be available to the retailers in mid February.

On February 17, 2009, all major TV stations are required by the U.S. government to turn off their existing analog broadcasts and switch to digital broadcast. As a result, after February 17th, an analog TV set will require a converter box to receive over-the-air television programming.

According to the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) report, about 15.5 million US households watch over the air TV programming.

The US Congress created the TV Converter Box Coupon Program for people wishing to keep using their analog TV sets after the analog-to-digital cutover date of February 17, 2009. The Program allows U.S. households to obtain up to two coupons, each worth $40, which can be applied toward the cost of eligible converter boxes.

Michley Electronics started development of the digital to analog converter boxes in early 2005 by helping to supply converters to a local PBS station that had already disconnected their analog broadcast then. Michley is proud to continue serving consumers for their needs by providing quality and affordable converter boxes. Tivax STB-T9 supports all 18 ATSC digital television formats, and has a user-friendly interface. This model also meets all of NTIA’s CECB requirements and exceeds Energy Star requirements. MSRP for the STB-T9 is estimated to be $59.99.

Michley Electronics offers dedicated retailer and distributor customer support programs. Michley Electronics expects to announce a Tivax Digital TV Converter Direct Reseller Program in early February.

An updated list of certified converters is available at http://www.ntiadtv.gov/cecb_list.cfm.