Test of digital TV transition is planned

Government agencies and broadcasters are working on plans for a nationwide test this month of the country’s June 12 switch to digital TV, saying millions of Americans remain at risk of losing reception.

Details of the test, in which broadcasters would switch from analog to digital broadcasts for a few minutes on May 21, are still in the works. Owners of older television sets that have not been equipped with a converter box would be able to tell whether they were prepared to receive digital programming.

Three months ago, 6.5 million households were unprepared for the switch, according to research firm Nielsen, and Congress voted to delay the transition from February to June. Now the number of households said to be unprepared has been cut nearly in half, to about 3.5 million.

Most Americans are aware of the switch, said Nielsen spokeswoman Anne Elliott. “I think it would be hard to imagine that anybody who watches television has not heard of this transition,” she said.

But everyone involved in the transition agrees that some households will be unprepared.

Coupons are available under a government program to help pay for converter boxes, which cost $40 to $80. Earlier this year, there was a backlog of 4 million coupon requests after money ran out. But with new funding under the $787-billion economic stimulus bill, the backlog is gone.

Viewers who watch TV via cable or satellite don’t need a converter box.

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Musgrove writes for the Washington Post.