The world of digital television is tempting you with up to two $40 coupons to upgrade your old analog sets.

We've been leading up to this week for a long time now. In brief: If you have a TV set, you are eligible for these free coupons to help buy a digital converter box that will let you continue to enjoy free over-the-air television after the analog transmitters are shut down in February of next year.

Where do you sign up? Just go to the DTV2009.gov Web site.

You may have to be patient, though. After having no problems signing up for my coupons online Jan. 1, the first day of the program, there were some noticable delays in using the Web site the following day—apparently as more and more TV owners attempt to add their names to the database.

It took me several attempts Wednesday morning to get through to the page where you can actually fill out the form to apply for the coupon. Later in the day, access was much improved.

The coupons will go out

There is $990 million of initial funding for the coupon project, which—by my calculations—is enough to satisfy almost 25 million requests. The government can request an additional $510 million from Congress if demand exceeds supply.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the government agency in charge of the coupon program, expects to begin sending out the coupons next month; they will be valid for 90 days from the issuance date.

The arrival of the coupons will coincide with a mass distribution of eligible DTV converter boxes from a variey of manufacturers. The boxes will be available in retail stores and online, with prices expected to range from $50 to $70 (before your $40 discount). Click here for a list of converter box vendors.

If you watch Channel 8 using rabbit ears or an outdoor antenna, I urge you to take advantage of this free coupon offer if you need to update one or more of your TV sets for digital reception. Questions? Check out our WFAA.com DTV info page.

I'm already getting questions about the DTV transition. For instance, users of small, handheld TVs and radios that can pick up the audio portion of Channel 8 want to know if those devices will still be usable after February 2009.

The answer is, unfortunately, no. There's no converer box I've seen that can be used (at least portably) with either one of these products.

So if you rely on a pocket-size TV or radio to watch or listen to local TV, you'll need a new one when analog TV signs off. I haven't seen any yet, but you can be sure there will be a bunch of new digital TV products in the coming months, and we'll be keeping you posted.

Watch Computer Corner every week on News 8 Midday at noon (usually seen on Wednesdays), or online any time.

E-mail askwalt@wfaa.com