Monday, September 15, 2008

Digital TV transition: A disaster in the making

Monday was a bad day for Vivian C. Brown of Wilmington, N.C.. The 79 year-old missed her programs as Wilmington became the first city in the U.S. to make the switch from analog to digital TV.

Depending on who you talk to, the Wilmington switchover was either a resounding success, or a valuable learning experience. Regardless, the rest of the country will make the switch next February, and, based on the results in the test market, it looks like there may be a lot of work to do in the meantime.

The switchover worked–that much is undeniable. Analog television sets in Wilmington will no longer display a picture unless they’re connected to an analog-to-digital converter box.

Of more concern is the fact that over 1,000 Wilmington residents called the FCC help line over a two day period. While the FCC is quick to point out that 1,000 help calls represents less than 1% of the total Wilmington market, that number becomes problematic when applied to the entire nation.

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