Analog TV owners struggle to go digital

Analog TV owners struggle to go digital

Christina Rogers / The Detroit News

The nation's switch from analog to digital television hasn't exactly been picture perfect.

From short supplies of digital converter boxes at retailers to confusion over which boxes to get, TV owners trying to make the change before all over-the-air analog broadcasts go dead next February are hitting some snags along the way and some worry that problem could get worse as the deadline nears.

For some consumers, the coupons being distributed by the government for the converter boxes are expiring before they can find a box at the store. And some TV owners who have already hooked up their boxes and are getting the digital signal have complained that reception is poor and the boxes pick up fewer channels than their old rabbit-ear set-ups. Many stations are broadcasting in both signals during the transition period.

Retailers are scrambling to keep up with the demand for the converter technology; with nearly six months to go before the changeover, some store owners say they're having difficulty keeping the boxes on store shelves.

The transition has been particularly confusing for seniors, many of whom depend on free analog waves to tune into familiar channels like ABC, NBC, CBS and PBS, but who don't have the mobility to shop around for a box.

"It becomes a struggle from them. They get to the store and they're out of the box," said Kristin Wilson, a community planner with the Southfield office of the Area Agency on Aging. Many seniors rely on family members or nursing home staff to arrange for transportation to the store, so when the boxes are out of stock, it only adds to the ordeal, she said.

"In the meantime, the coupon expires."

The effort to get the word out about the conversion, set to take place Feb. 17, is at full throttle, with a multitude of TV commercials, both national and local, designed to inform the public about what they should do. On Monday, members of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission announced they plan to visit about 80 television markets, including Metro Detroit, to publicize the transition. Dates have not been set.

The analog signals that have brought free TV into tens of millions of U.S. homes for more than a half century will be replaced next year by a new generation of digital airwaves that promise better picture quality and more programming choices. The impact is expected to be minimal for the majority of TV watchers who either subscribe to cable or satellite TV service, or already have a digital-ready TV.

But for an estimated 9.6 million U.S. households, including 600,000 households in Michigan, that rely on rabbit ears or outdoor antennas, a converter box will become a necessity to get over-the-air TV, according to the National Association of Broadcasters, an industry group based in Washington D.C.

Coupons go unredeemed

To defray the expense of the converter boxes, costing from $40 to $70 each, the federal government is issuing $40 coupons to consumers who apply for them online or through the mail. The coupons -- good for 90 days from the date they're mailed -- are limited to two per a household, and once they expire, the government will not reissue new ones.

Consumers in Michigan have requested about 989,086 coupons and redeemed nearly 390,342 since January, when the program began, according to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the federal agency overseeing the coupon program.

Nationally, nearly 23.6 million coupons have been requested, with another 8.3 million redeemed. And a little more than a quarter of those coupons expired before their recipients could redeem them, according to the telecommunications administration.

"The demand has been far beyond one's expectations," said Tom Brillati, director of merchandising and training at the Pontiac-based ABC Warehouse, which has 41 locations throughout Michigan. While its stores are now well-supplied with converter boxes, they've encountered times when their inventory has dwindled to nil, he said.

Danto & Company in Southwest Detroit also has dealt with shortages of the boxes.

"They've been very difficult to keep in stock," said owner, Irwin Danto, whose store has two locations in southwest Detroit. "We had them on order for the entire month of July."

During that month, Danto called six electronics distributors, none of which had any in stock. And once they do come in, shipments of about 100 units are gone in a matter of days. "It's just going to get worse later in the year," Danto said.

Converters in short supply

Rebecca Rabano was among those whose coupons expired before she could find converter boxes to buy.

"It seems to be a hit or miss kind of deal," said Rabano, a 46-year-old writer from Bloomfield Township who tried to beat the year-end scramble by buying her converter boxes this spring. But after receiving two $40 coupons in April, she couldn't find the converter boxes anywhere.

"It was very time consuming to call these places to see if they have any in stock," she said.

Then the coupons expired.

When she called the coupon program to complain, its operators recommended she contact her Congressional representative. "The company hired by Congress is actually referring me back to Congress," Rabano said.

For TV owners caught in a similar bind, Todd Sedmak, a spokesman for the telecommunications agency, recommended they ask a friend or family members who don't need a coupon to request one for them.

Hit-or-miss TV reception

Other concerns about the changeover also have cropped up, including the inability to get some channels that were available before and the poor reception quality once the converter boxes are installed.

Some boxes can capture only digital signals, said Jennifer Preslar, executive director of programming for the Michigan Association of Broadcasters.

So Detroiters who want to pick up Canadian TV broadcasts, such as channel 9, might not be able to because they are still sent in analog.

To avoid that problem, people should look for boxes with an "analog pass-thru feature," which captures both signals.

Even then, they might be stuck with fuzzy pictures.

Unlike the analog signals, which may offer a grainy but viewable picture, digital airwaves have what Preslar described as a "cliff effect" -- the picture either comes in or it doesn't.

"When you get the picture, it's sharp and fabulous," she said. "But it's all or nothing."

For analog TV owners who continue to get a snowy picture once they've hooked up the converter box, Preslar advises installing a stronger antenna.

You can reach Christina Rogers at cvrogers@detnews.com.