DTV transition: Most viewers ready—after a few headaches

With less than two weeks remaining until analog over-the-air broadcasts end, the vast majority of Consumer Reports' readers who receive TV via antenna say they're already set up to receive digital signals—albeit after a little grief, in some cases.

Data on 38,000 subscribers, drawn recently from the 2009 Annual Telecom Survey conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, found that 12 percent of respondents receive free TV to a set-top or rooftop antenna. Of those people, 85 percent said they had already completed the steps required to be able to receive over-the-air broadcasts after June 12, when the analog broadcast era ends.

More than half of those households—56 percent, to be precise—have purchased a digital converter box to facilitate viewing digital signals on an old, analog TV set. (see our free Ratings of more than 40 boxes.) But, in news that will hearten the consumer-electronics industry, 30 percent of respondents prepared for the digital transition by buying a new TV—since all new sets have the built-in digital tuner required to receive the new signals from broadcasters.

Also, about one in ten respondents who were prepared for the transition already own a relatively new TV (bought in the last few years) that is capable of receiving digital signals without a converter box. Finally, some 8 percent of respondents made their old TV ready to receive digital broadcasts by buying a DVD player or DVR recorder that has a built-in digital tuner.

However, nearly one in four of respondents who were set up for the transition had to replace the set-top antenna they were using to receive analog signals. Most were able to receive digital signals by buying another indoor antenna, but about a third who replaced an antenna were forced to buy a new outdoor antenna, which is generally pricier and involves some installation.

New antenna or old, some 20 percent of these respondents said it was difficult to receive all available stations with their antenna (see our guide to antenna troubleshooting.) And 17 percent said they were unable to receive at least some of the channels they received via analog signals.

It's possible, however, that some of those missing channels will become available on June 12. Some stations are yet to make the transition to digital broadcasting, while others are transmitting digitally are not yet at full power, as some stations continue analog broadcasts and so divide their transmission power between analog and digital signals. We advise periodic rescanning of channels to pick up stations as they begin or boost their digital broadcasts.

These findings have prompted Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports, to today urge the Federal Communications Commission to step up its efforts to assist consumers who still face problems obtaining digital signals. We'll continue to report on some other findings from our survey as our DTV coverage continues. Meantime, for help and more information, check our free Guide to the Digital TV Transition and our many other blogs on the DTV transition. —Paul Reynolds