SAN MATEO, Calif.-- On February 18th, U.S. television stations will transition to all-digital broadcasting, but are analog TV owners getting snowed over by both their rabbit ears and their cable companies?

"Despite what cable and dish providers would like you to believe, you don't need to buy their services to make your analog television work," says Yaniv Bensadon, CEO at DIY repair site FixYa. "We're in a recession, businesses should be doing what they can to help families."

FixYa's (http://fixya.com/) 12 million members and visitors share, learn and connect to save items that might otherwise have to be replaced - this includes analog televisions. With more than 1 million solutions on more than 6000 brands of TVs, electronics and computers, FixYa's community offers a variety of DTV-related tips.

According to a recent Nielsen Company report, "12.6 million U.S. homes will contain at least one television set that will no longer work when the digital transition occurs." This translates to roughly a fifth of American households being unprepared for the switch in February.

Says Lauren Chang, FixYa Community Manager, "Our experts are in an excellent position to provide families, assisted living facilities and hospitals with the advice they need to maintain access to local news and TV programs."

From least expensive to most expensive, FixYa's experts suggest the following options to weather the DTV transition:

1. Watch TV on your Computer: NBC.com, ABC.com and Hulu.com provide shows legally over the internet. If you're patient, you can often watch your favorite program a few days after it has aired. This option is totally free.

2. Purchase a Digital Converter: Analog television owners will need to purchase one converter per television and the average cost is generally forty dollars or more. According to FixYa user lone99star, viewers can sign up on the waiting list to receive a coupon towards a converter box. Information on retailers and coupons are available at dtv2009.org.

3. Purchase a Digital Television: An ATSC enabled digital TV with an antenna will deliver over-the-air shows. The cost of purchasing a new digital television costs $120 dollars and up.

For information on converter box installation or specific television models, the public can visit http://fixya.com.

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ABOUT FIXYA: FixYa is a community of 12 million members and visitors, who share, learn and connect over tech and consumer support tips. Rather than depending solely on manufacturers for answers, our community shares real world experience and practical advice. From fixing cars, to cameras, to iPhones, FixYa's community members are part of a DIY revolution that helps empower techies, tinkerers and hobbyists across the globe. http://fixya.com