June 15th, 2009

The transition from analog television (TV) to crystal-clear digital TV as instructed by the government has amounted to a minor hiccup for most viewers, and millions of people directly will be affected by this government-mandated transition.

Television stations throughout the country set up help lines and community organizations held events to aid confused viewers. Most stations did not receive the flood of calls they had expected, a sign that the transition was smoother than many had predicted.

As in the transition from typewriter to a computer, the digital TV switch revealed a number of unexpected side effects, because digital signals are more apt to be affected by interference, many viewers in rural areas said they could see fewer stations than before.

A largest part of American families today pay for television through a cable or satellite company. They were mostly unaffected by the switch, which will allow state-of-the-art wireless services and emergency communications to exist on the newly available analog spectrum space.

But millions still watch free TV with an antenna, and they have borne the burden of the digital transition. While TV is primarily an entertainment medium, government officials are emphasizing its use in emergencies. Frank Michel, the communications director for the Houston mayor’s office, said TV access was vital for the coming hurricane season

Experts warned that the transition would leave disproportionate numbers of non-English speakers and poor people without television. People may not get urgent about it until they realize they are not going to get TV anymore.

Separately, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said 4,000 operators were available at 1-888-CALL-FCC to help people who awoke on Saturday and found their TV sets crippled. The full effects will probably not be felt for days, perhaps until Nielsen ratings show whether some percentage of viewers have stopped tuning in.

To offer help, FCC representatives have essentially walked door to door at places like housing projects and senior centers. FCC said it answered 317,000 calls on Friday. The most common questions were about the coupon program (which continues through July 31) and box installations.