Viewers prepare for analog-to-digital move June 12

Nineteen days and counting.

Ready or not, the nation's full-power television stations will discontinue analog broadcasting, and begin broadcasting solely via digital signals, on June 12. And that means viewers who don't prepare for the switch will be left in the dark.

Judge Judy will be dismissed. "Two and a Half Men" will become "No Men at All." And the question on "Jeopardy!" will be, "What happened to my picture?"

Originally, the changeover was scheduled for February. However, Congress delayed the move to June 12 in an effort to give over-the-air viewers -- that is, viewers who don't subscribe to cable TV or a satellite service -- more time to prepare.

And, it seems to have worked. Linda Yun, spokeswoman for the National Association of Broadcasters' digital television transition team, said an NAB poll, taken in late March and early April, revealed that 98 percent of Americans were aware of the upcoming transition, up from about 92 percent last October.

In addition, Yun said, "82 percent of over-the-air-reliant households (are) fully ready for the switch, so we really are pleased to see that."

But, Yun added, about 2.1 million households that rely on over-the-air signals to watch TV programs "had not yet taken any action to get ready for the transition."

The problem affects people who have TVs with analog tuners that won't work after stations begin sending signals out in digital form alone. Their options now are to buy a TV with a digital tuner, sign up for cable or satellite TV service -- cable and satellite providers will handle the signal-converting chores for any TVs that are hooked up to their systems -- or purchase and hook up to their analog TV set a converter box that will allow their old analog TVs to display digital pictures.

Some of the nation's TV stations already have made the analog-to-digital switch. Among them are Southern Nevada's KVCW and KVMY, both of which went fully digital in February. Mike Brown, the stations' director of engineering and operations, says the stations received "maybe 200 calls" the week after shutting down their analog signals, "which I think is pretty light."

About half of those calls fell in the "fairly nasty category," he adds, "just as far as, 'Why are you doing this to me, especially in this economy?' Most of them didn't leave numbers for return calls."

Some even said they'd boycott the stations.

"They're (saying) they'll never watch 'Two and a Half Men' again," Brown says. "OK, but in four months, you're not going to be watching anything."

Browns adds that about 20 percent of the callers "just wanted more information about, 'How do we tune an antenna?' or whatever, so we called them back."

Jim Brockett, owner of Rocky Top Video & Stereo Repair, 4300 W. Charleston Blvd., said his shop so far has received few calls from not-ready-for-digital viewers.

"We've had a couple of customers who were just confused about the actual (converter) cables and how they plug them in, more than anything," he says.

Yun said the 950 remaining TV stations nationwide that will go digital -- low-power stations aren't required to make the switch -- on June 12 now are running public service announcements, many of which focus on viewers' possible need for an antenna post-switch. That, she adds, is because having to reposition antennas and rescan hooked-up converter boxes were "two of the big issues that came out of the Feb. 17 switch."

Some over-the-air viewers who currently require no external antenna to pull in analog signals may need one to pull in the new digital signals. That, Brockett says, is because an analog signal, "even if it's kind of shaky, you could still see it. But, with digital, if a signal doesn't have a certain threshold, it's either pixelated or will not be there. You'll see nothing."

In many cases, the solution will be no more complicated than attaching to the TV-converter system a rabbit ears/UHF loop antenna combo that can be purchased for $30 or less.

Such a fix will "probably work 90 percent of the time for most channels," Brown says. "It doesn't take a really serious antenna unless you're in a fringe area."

However, over-the-air reception in the Las Vegas Valley can vary significantly from neighborhood to neighborhood. So, Brockett suggests over-the-air viewers start with a low-priced antenna and then work up only if it's necessary.

In some cases, an outdoor antenna -- either attached on the roof or placed in the attic -- may be required. The Web site AntennaWeb (antennaweb.org), sponsored by the NAB and the Consumer Electronics Association, enables viewers to obtain antenna suggestions customized for their own home.

"You can always borrow a pair of rabbit ears or try an inexpensive (antenna) to see if it works," Brockett says. "But the town varies so much because of where you're at. You just almost have to try it before really spending money (for) a nicer antenna."

Of course, some viewers may sidestep all of this and subscribe to cable or satellite TV. Juergen Barbusca, a spokesman for Cox Communications Las Vegas, says that, even before February, Cox saw new subscribers sign up for cable as a way to solve not only digital transition issues but general reception problems.

Cox is running a promotion in which new subscribers can get free basic cable for 12 months if they subscribe to phone service or Internet service, he says.

"People have been getting prepared since the beginning of the year," Barbusca says, and viewers are "really alerting themselves to the need to prepare for the transition."

And for those who haven't? June 12 is coming, ready or not, like it or not.

Contact reporter John Przybys at jprzybys@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0280.

JUNE 12