Our family "went color" in 1969.

Many of us can remember the excitement and anticipation of the arrival of that first color television set; it was going to be like being at the movies - just all of the time!

At 13, I thought it just couldn't get any better than that. And I was right - for a while.

An interesting note with regard to "couch potatoes: in 1955 Zenith Radio Corporation developed a television remote that was known within the corporation as "Lazy Bones" that was attached to the set by a wire.

Most of us had cable TV in the 1980s and viewing options were becoming unlimited - depending on which "tier" you subscribed to, anyway.

As we approached the 21 st century, plasma, digital, LCD and high-definition (HD) TVs appeared on the scene and with them came digital transmission.

As of February 17, 2009, digital transmission will replace the current analog transmission for broadcasts. Federal law will require all full power television broadcast stations stop broadcasting in the original analog format, and broadcast solely in digital format (DTV, digital television transition).

Congress mandated the law because utilizing all-digital broadcasting will free up frequencies for public safety communications (fire, police, rescue, etc.)

A secondary benefit is higher quality picture and sound - something your digital TV viewing friends and family would attest to.

As of May 25, 2007, all TV equipment sold must have digital tuners, and if they do not, they must be identified as such.

Markings to look for to determine whether your TV is DTV include "integrated digital tuner," or "digital tuner built-in."

The following letters may be found: "DTV," "ATSC," or "HDTV."

"HD" is high definition and is the highest quality digital transmission.

Cable companies offer broadcast in digital and HD format.

Time Warner describes HDTV as having "…five times the resolution of standard definition TV…" with "…theatre-like picture and sound." So much for "going color" to bring the theatre atmosphere home!

HDTV sales grow larger with each passing year and a boom was expected for the 2007 holiday season due to lower prices.

How high were sales this year? Video Loft sold 10 during the holiday season - Tom Dewey reported three on one day - "…and that never happens," said Dewey.

Wal-Mart in Brunswick sells only digital TVs and reported selling twice as many HDTVs as were sold in 2006.

For those who are not in a position to purchase a new digital TV, converter boxes will be available for those old-faithful analog sets.

This box, sometimes called a set-top box, will be available in spring of this year.

The converter box is reportedly easy to install and hooks up to your analog TV.

The federal government is offering coupons, good toward up to two converter boxes, worth $40 each. To apply, visit the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Web site, www.ntia.doc.gov. Or, call the hotline at 1-888-388-2009.

Television viewers will also need to use of an over-the-air antenna with the converter box. If you currently use an antenna, it will serve the purpose.

The other option available for viewing is to subscribe to cable or satellite TV. The company you choose, whether Time Warner or Dish or DirecTV, may encourage you to sign up for one of their digital tiers. No additional equipment is necessary unless the cable company, i.e., digital cable boxes, requires it.

As digital, HD, LCD and plasma TV sales continue to climb, the pile of analog TVs seen at recycling centers will do likewise.

In September of 2006, the Boothbay Region Refuse Disposal District (BRRDD) began recycling old televisions and computers, known in the trade as "e-waste" or "universal waste." By late December that year 64 pallets, equal to three tractor-trailer loads, were shipped.

Lincoln County Recycling (LCR) picks up this e-waste or universal waste. Mike Thompson said LCR collects the universal waste from Waldoboro, Union, Richmond, Dresden, Whitefield, Boothbay and, occasionally, North Haven.

"I am very impressed with what the Boothbay district has been collecting," said Thompson. "They are one of our biggest contributors."

"The bottom line is the state does not want these items in the landfills. We have a new building and it is a free program for us to keep these items out of the mainstream."

Thompson said from LCR the discarded electronics are transported to state approved consolidator E.W.S. in Brunswick.

Rick Dumas, an administrator at E.W.S., said they trek the universal waste to a sister company in Montreal, Canada. There, TVs and computer screens are broken down; the glass is sent to Samsung-Corning in Singapore where it is broken down further (the lead is separated from the glass) and reused in recycled glass products.

Dumas said E.W.S. has a 99.4 to 99.6 percent recycling rate.

"We are looking to improve on this current rate and have begun researching other uses for the recycled products," Dumas said.

"Right now we have two big commodities, glass and lead which are separated by smelting or chemicals. The new hybrid cars use lead-acid batteries and are a potential market for the lead," said Dumas.

Dumas added that finding ways to reuse recycled products in the state is ongoing and that Maine is proving to be a model for other states in the nation.

Most recently, Connecticut has been modeling its recycling program to begin in 2009 on the Pine Tree State.

"The increase," said BRRDD operations manager Steve Lewis, "sounds impressive. But the facility did not begin recycling universal waste until September 2006; had the district been collecting all year, the amount could have been comparable."