What is the Digital TV Transition?

Snapshot:

• DIGITAL TV is the new  broadcasting system that U.S. TV stations use to transmit their free, OVER-THE-AIR channels.  It includes studio quality pictures and sound, and HDTV for viewers who have HDTV sets.

• The DIGITAL TV TRANSITION is a three step process to change U.S. TV broadcasting from an ANALOG  to a DIGITAL system.
  

• Currently, FULL POWER TV stations have begun the digital transition by turning on a new DIGITAL TV channel in addition to their traditional ANALOG TV channel. 
  

• On February 17, 2009, they will turn off their ANALOG TV channels and continue only the DIGITAL TV channels.

• U.S. viewers who watch TV with an ANTENNA may need to take action to continue watching local TV stations.

The DIGITAL TV TRANSITION is a change in the way TV signals are transmitted in the United States from a TV transmitter OVER-THE-AIR to TV sets that use an ANTENNA.  It is also a change in the quality, shape, and number of TV programs that can be included in a TV signal.  And it includes U.S TV viewers figuring out how to watch local TV stations in DIGITAL.

Since the beginning of commercial TV broadcasts in the 1940s, U.S. television has used an "ANALOG" transmission system to send TV signals OVER-THE-AIR.  An analog TV signal carries one program at a time.  The picture quality can be excellent, but the signal can get worse if the TV is located far from the transmitter.  Plus, when using an antenna, viewers may get "ghosts" and "snow" if they don't have a quality antenna system. 

In the 1990s, the broadcasting industry developed a new TV system based on DIGITAL technology. This is called the "ATSC" system, after the "Advanced Television Systems Committee," which coordinated the adoption of the new system.  Digital technology allows TV stations to send high definition (HDTV) programs in a widescreen format with over 5 times the detail of regular TV pictures, plus SURROUND SOUND.  Also, TV stations can send several programs in their signal at the same time, called "MULTICASTING."  And all these programs, including HDTV, can be received with a TV antenna, for free. 

Digital television was clearly a better TV technology, and it was adopted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which manages TV licenses in the U.S., in 1996.  To start the transition in America from ANALOG to DIGITAL television, the FCC assigned a new digital TV channel to each "FULL POWER" TV station in 1997 along with a timeline to begin transmitting on the digital channel.  Most had to start transmitting on the digital channel by 2003.  This was the first step of the Digital TV Transition, but at that time there was no firm date for ANALOG TV to end.

That changed when Congress passed the "Digital Television and Public Safety Act of 2005."  This law stated that FULL POWER stations must turn off their analog channels on February 17, 2009, and continue broadcasting only on their digital channels.  This set a deadline for when channels would be returned to the government.  This will open up a band of frequencies that has already been auctioned for private company use, earning the U.S. Treasury nearly $20 billion, and some frequencies are being assigned to emergency and public service agencies.  So this "analog channel shutoff" will be the second step in the Digital TV Transition.

The Digital TV Transition will not be over on February 17, 2009.  There are LOW POWER and TV TRANSLATOR stations that will continue to broadcast in analog, and they don't have digital channels assigned yet.  Someday they will convert to all-digital broadcasting, which will be the third and final step of the Digital TV Transition. 

DIGITAL TV brings broadcasters to the front of the technology revolution.  It lets them improve the picture and sound quality of the programs they are transmitting, and they can broadcast several programs on one channel at the same time. They can add new features in the future, including programming that can be received on portable devices like cell phones and notebook computers. 

The Digital TV Transition is unprecedented in the history of communications.  Never has a nation as large as the U.S. changed a fundamental broadcast technology that has been in place for nearly 70 years.  While the result is a more efficient, higher quality TV system, there will be an impact on viewers who watch TV with an antenna on ANALOG TVs because analog TVs cannot tune in digital channels. 

Nearly 20 million homes watch TV using an antenna only, with no CABLE TV or SATELLITE TV.  Another 34 million homes have at least one TV that uses an antenna.  It is estimated that, overall, there are about 70 million TV sets in US households (of about 300 million TVs total) that are used for over-the-air viewing.  So, many government agencies, industry associations, and TV stations are working together to help everyone with a TV figure out what they need to do to get ready for digital TV. 

What should I do now?  You should figure out now how the shutoff of ANALOG TV channels will affect each TV you own.  If you will be affected, take the steps to watch digital TV this year.   If you act now, you can start watching your local digital stations with quality digital TV pictures, new channels, and CD-quality sound, for free.  And you'll beat the rush on converter box coupon requests and purchases of converters and antennas. 

To find out what you should do, go through Steps 1 through 4 on this website.  You can open the pages and watch the videos. 

Will my TV still work when ANALOG channels go off?  Yes!   TVs won't be "obsolete."  Any TV can still get a great TV picture with a converter box, or with cable TV or satellite TV. 

Are there digital channels broadcasting now?  Yes, and they have been for several years.   95% of "FULL POWER" stations, including public and non-commercial stations, are broadcasting digital channels.  For a list of digital channels in your area, click here.

Is Digital TV the same as HDTV?  No.  "Digital TV" is the entire system of program production and transmission using digital technology.  It includes the ability to produce and transmit HIGH DEFINITION TV (HDTV) shows, as well as shows in other formats.  But HDTV is the most obvious and exciting feature of digital TV and it's been around for several years, so many people think of digital TV as HDTV.  And nearly all digital TVs are labeled "HDTV" and can present high quality HDTV programming. 

When does the analog channel shutoff really happen?  The law requires that analog broadcasting by FULL POWER TV stations must stop by February 18, 2009.  To enforce this, the FCC has told TV stations that their analog licenses will be invalid as of February 18, 2009 (local midnight).  So stations are generally planning to turn off their analog channels some time on February 17 (up to 11:59:59 PM local time), so February 17 is usually mentioned as "the day analog broadcasting will end." 

Are all U.S. TV stations turning off their analog channels on February 17, 2009?  No.  Only "FULL POWER" TV stations are turning off their analog channels. These are stations that are licensed for a strong TV signal that covers the community.  In most communities there are also stations called "LOW POWER" or "Class A" stations that are licensed for lower power signals.  These stations have not been given new digital channels yet and they will continue to broadcast in analog. 

Also, in rural and mountainous areas, there are small TV stations called "TRANSLATORS" which rebroadcast the signals of other TV stations, and they will continue their analog broadcasts.  Viewers who want to watch these stations with an antenna as well as local "full power" stations will need a way to switch between watching digital and analog channels.   See the section "How to Watch Digital TV" for solutions.  To get a list of LOW POWER stations in your community, click here.  

What about Canada and Mexico?  Are they turning off their analog channels?  No. Neither country plans to turn off analog channels for a few more years.  TV viewers near both borders who use an antenna and who want to continue to watch foreign channels as well as the U.S. digital channels will need to find a way to switch between analog and digital viewing.  See the section "How to Watch Digital TV" for solutions.  

Several members of Congress are concerned that, with local U.S. analog channels turned off, viewers on borders will rely on foreign analog channels only instead of watching U.S. TV stations in digital.  So they could miss critical information on severe weather or other local events.  Several bills have been introduced that would allow U.S. stations near the Mexican border to continue broadcasting in analog for a few more years.

How hard is the end of the Digital TV Transition for TV stations?  It's a big challenge for TV stations. The transition to all-digital TV for full power stations is a huge, time-consuming, and expensive project.  First, nearly all stations are running two transmitters, one analog and one digital, sometimes in different locations.  Next, the shutoff of analog channels will begin a large shuffle as many stations have to change their digital channels.  517 stations must move their digital signal to their original analog channel, and 117 stations must move their digital signal to a new channel. 

To manage this, some stations may turn off analog days or weeks early; others may be at low power on digital for awhile, and some may have short blackouts while they switch to new antennas.   (And, with over 600 stations changing their digital channels after the analog shutoff, viewers watching digital TV with antennas will have to "re-tune" their TVs on February 18, 2009, to find the new channels.)

For more information, visit:

DTV Answers - An Initiative of the National Association of Broadcasters
DTV Transition Coalition
DTV Transition Coalition (Spanish-Espanol)
Digital TV Transition - Federal Communications Commission
Ultimate Guide to Electronics - the Consumer Electronics Association
Consumer Electronics Retailers Coalition: Consumer Guide
Advanced Television Systems Commitee

Click the "back button" on  your browser to return to the home page. 

CAPITALIZED WORDS are defined in the Digital TV Glossary.