Now is the time to plug into digital TV

In fall of 1999, hype over Y2K predicted disaster would strike without time-consuming preparation and investment in new technology.

It worked. Years of planning prevented shutdown of everything from banking to street lights.

Feb. 17, 2009, is this decade's version of Y2K. That's when traditional analog television airwaves go away, leaving only digital broadcasts.

For those with cable or satellite service, it's no big deal. The box that delivers pay TV will convert the signal or deliver a digital picture.

For the 285,000 Chicago-area homes that rely on an antenna to pick up a signal, it's Y2K.

With preparation, it's a nonevent.

Without preparation, TVs will go dark.

We applaud Chicago's TV stations and the national Public Broadcasting Service for educational campaigns that encourage customers to act now instead of putting it off until February.

Unlike Y2K, we don't have to wait to see what's going to happen. Digital broadcasts can be picked up today. But there's more to the conversion than plugging in a converter box. Homes will need an antenna. If an indoor antenna won't work, now is the time to find out - before roofs are full of snow and ice.

Local broadcasters this week take a big step to educate the public with what they call a soft shutdown. From 6:53 to 6:58 a.m. and 5:23 to 5:28 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12, viewers whose sets aren't ready for digital signals will get a message instead of programming on local stations.

Most suburbanites have cable or satellite to decode the digital signal for older TVs. Some have even upgraded to high-definition, which delivers such extraordinary picture and sound you can distinguish blades of grass at Soldier Field.

But many have never embraced the idea of paying for TV. These are often older residents whose TV habits center around network offerings like the evening news, public television programs, and maybe a daytime talk show. That's why networks and PBS are taking the lead in trying to convince people to act now.

"Some people think they have to pay a monthly fee when they get the boxes," said PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger. "Or they think you just plug it in and it works. There are a lot of misconceptions."

Each household can order two coupons that almost cover the cost of a converter. So far about 400,000 have been sent to residents of Northwest Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and McHenry counties. The box even adds channels to the free lineup. For instance, instead of simply receiving WTTW's main station, the digital airwaves carry three other channels on the station's multicast.

The Nielsen Company last week estimated that 8.15 percent of the Chicago market remains completely unprepared. That's more than the average 7 percent of households nationwide.

Losing TV signal isn't the end of the world, to be sure. But is an unnecessary inconvenience.

The boxes are almost free. They are easy to connect. They receive more channels. There's just no reason to wait for digital television.