Preparing for the DTV switch

WILMINGTON, N.C. -- The switch from analog to digital television is six months away for most of the country, but TV stations in Wilmington are making the switch today, and NewsChannel 36 will perform a test so you can see if you're ready for the change.

For 36 seconds during our 6 p.m. news broadcast, we'll pull the analog plug and switch to digital. If you don't see a picture during those 36 seconds, then you're not ready.

NewsChannel 36 will have engineers standing by to answer your questions about digital television. You can e-mail questions to dtv@wcnc.com.

Meanwhile in Wilmington, commercial broadcasters will turn off their old-fashioned analog signals at noon today. The rest of the nation's full-power television stations will convert Feb. 17, 2009.

Wilmington volunteered to be a test market, though the decision has outraged local viewers not equipped to receive a digital signal on their aging televisions.

Viewers who receive programming through an antenna and don't own a newer-model digital TV must buy a converter box. The government is providing two $40 coupons per household to help defray the cost. Cable or satellite subscribers won't be affected.