Yearly TV Licence? ...Really?

[Carol]

Marion wrote:
<snip>> 
> And Carol, I can't beleive you missed all those ads on TV.  They
showed them nearly every hour on network television.  They generally
showed a senior citizen talking about how next February the government
will convert all signals to digital, etc. etc. 
> 
> I bet you can still get the coupons - just do a Google search for TV
convertor box.  You sign up and can have up to two coupons sent to
your address, then pick up the box at Radio Shack or Best Buy.
>
Carol responds:

I knew about the ads (the ones I've seen show a cartoon of an old
rabbit-ear TV with sweat rolling down its face--er, screen), so I knew
about the switchover. It's only the coupons I didn't know about. but
then, I only watch certain shows and certain channels, not nearly as
much as the average American. I think I use my TV as a DVD player more
often than as a TV.

I've found out how to get the coupons, but evidently I'm better off
just keeping cable (unless I really, really need to cut expenses, in
which case, a converter box will be a lot cheaper than a cable bill!)

One more question: I have a new TV (bought less than a year ago) but
it's an inexpensive model (I didn't need a built-in DVD player and all
that). How can I tell whether it's analog or digital?

Carol, who really wishes that bureaucracy and technology didn't make
slaves of us all!