Our first stop was a big box store.

"When are they going to stop broadcasting the old way?" Joan asked. The saleswoman said she wasn't sure. She answered next year, or the year after that, but she couldn't come up with an exact date.

For the record, the switchover will happen on February 17, 2009.

The salesperson seemed to know about converter boxes, though she incorrectly called them "HD boxes."

Then Joan asked if they had the boxes in stock. The salesperson said the store has stopped carrying the boxes and won't be carrying them again.

She may have had them confused with another piece of equipment since the boxes are not even available for sale just yet.

We heard something similar when we went to the department store. The salesperson there said they did sell the boxes, but for $300!

We called around to see who had the converter boxes in stock, but again, no one is carrying them just yet. They should start arriving in late February or early March.

The boxes should cost between $40 and $70, far less than the $300 we were quoted in the store. Coupons will also be made available to further reduce the cost.

Three of the stores we visited did have the correct information about the converter boxes.

The salespeople knew about the $40 coupons that people can apply for. One salesperson even explained that Joan could buy a new DVR (Digital Video Recorder, similar to a TiVo) or new DVD player with a digital tuner instead of a converter box and use that device as the converter.

But back at our first stop, the misinformation continued. The saleswoman said to use the converter boxes, Joan's TV would need to be HD ready.

That is not true and is a common source of confusion about which TVs need the converter boxes.

The point of a converter box is so you can continue to use your old analog TV if you don't want to buy a new TV that is digital compatible.

The bottom line is to make sure you do your homework because you can't guarantee your salesperson has the correct information.