Digital TV Switch: Last-Minute Tips

Feb. 17, 2009— -- No "American Idol"? No "Scrubs"? No late night comics to fall asleep to?

Millions of Americans who use "rabbit ears" or rooftop antennas to watch TV may find themselves staring at snow tonight when they try to tune-in to their favorite programs.

Despite a congressional decision earlier this month to postpone the transition to digital television to June 12, hundreds of the country's television stations will make the switch today.

That means potentially millions of Americans might need to give their television a minor operation before it's going display a clear picture again.

Of the nation's nearly 1,800 full-power television stations, 220 will have made the switch from analog to digital before Tuesday. By 11:59 p.m. tonight, another 421 will have terminated their analog signals, according to the Federal Communications Commission. (For a full list of the stations switching today, click here.)

But according to a recent poll from Nielsen research, more than 6.5 million U.S. households are not ready for the transition to all-digital broadcasting.

If you're one of those TV watchers suddenly without a signal, don't worry. Here are a few tips to get your set up and running in no time.

1) Before you panic and head out to your local electronics store, make sure your TV's not already digital-ready.

To help make the process a little easier, the broadcasting industry's DTV Transition Coalition created a searchable database to help you figure out if your television has a built-in digital tuner.

If you can't find it there, check your television for any labels or markings that indicate that it contains a digital tuner. Statements to look for include: "Integrated Digital Tuner," "Digital Receiver," "DTV," ATSC" or "HDTV."

Televisions that are 25 inches or larger, or were purchased since 2005, are more likely to have a digital tuner.

If your television was purchased before 1998 or is a smaller LCD set (15- to 18-inches) it probably has an analog tuner.

Also, TVs labeled as "HD-ready," "Digital Ready" and "Digital Monitor" may sound promising but don't necessarily contain a digital tuner.