According to the FCC, the switch to digital television has been smooth. FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein said, "It's looking more like Y2K than the Bay of Pigs," while acting FCC Chairman Michael Copps used a baseball analogy, "We're safe on third right now... We all need a bit of patience and perseverance. This is a momentous change and it'll take time to get it right." About 800,000 people have called the FCC's hotline in the past week and a little over 400,000 called on the Friday and Saturday, which is lower than the 600,000-3 million calls the agency expected for the first day of transition; on Friday, most calls came from the NYC market. However, some people found themselves needing to buy new, stronger antennas. The FCC says it will keep staff available to answer questions on the hotline until the end of June, at least. Here's the FCC's DTV guide. more ›

As of midnight, TV stations made the switch to DTV. WABC 7 said it started its transition at 12:30 p.m. yesterday, "Many people calling WABC-TV on Friday needed to rescan their converter boxes or had antenna. In some cases, the fix was as simple as moving or expanding the antenna. In other cases, a new antenna was need." (The FCC says to make sure all channels are rescanned.) In Baltimore, one station's programming director said, "One person called in, and it turned out she hadn't turned her converter box on." While those with cable or satellite connections are fine, it's estimated that 1 million people are unprepared for the switch. Cincinnati's Freestore Foodbank gave away free converter boxes; one man who waited over four hours but was told they ran out spoke to the AP, "I'm on disability, and I can't really afford to buy one. I can't get anything on my TV now, so I guess I'll have to go to friends' houses if I want to watch anything." The FCC's DTV site is here; here's the converter box troubleshooting guide. more ›

After some delays, the country is finally switching its TV signals from analog to digital. And the government is expecting a lot of confusion from the estimated 1 million people who are unprepared for the switch—the AP reports, "The Federal Communications Commission put 4,000 operators on standby for calls from confused viewers, and set up demonstration centers in several cities. Volunteer groups and local government agencies were helping elderly viewers set up digital converter boxes that keep older TVs functioning." If your TV is hooked up to cable or satellite feeds, you should be fine, but if you're wondering, the Star-Ledger has a good guide on the new world of DTV (did you know the FCC is still giving $40 coupons for convertor boxes—they just take 9 business days to arrive). Here's more at the FCC's DTV.gov site. more ›

If you're using rabbit ears for your TV reception, you better get ready for the switch to digital transmission next month! The House of Representatives just rejected a bill delaying the switch to June. The vote was 258-168, just under the two-thirds majority needed to pass the bill; the bill was passed by the Senate on Monday. Earlier this week, Mayor Bloomberg held a press conference to discuss the transition, "Although most New Yorkers do not have to do anything to prepare for the national conversion to Digital Television because they subscribe to cable or satellite services, about 300,000 New York City households receive television signals over the air and may have older TVs that cannot accommodate a digital broadcast." Tips are here. more ›