The United States planned to switch nationwide from analogue to digital television on 17 February 2009. NAB president David K. Rehr moderated a dedicated panel discussion on preparations for the transition.
Panellists from Sweden, Austria, the United Kingdom and Singapore, all countries that had already completed the change, described their experiences. With less than two years remaining before the US transition, surveys indicated that only 40 percent of the population knew a change was coming and just 10 percent knew the date.
All participants agreed that informing the public correctly was one of the largest challenges. Pierre Helsen of Sweden’s Digital TV Commission said positive coverage in the mass media removed the largest obstacle. He also warned that too much information could cause problems. Sweden’s campaign worried many cable viewers, who then contacted its telephone hotline.
Austria distributed 100,000 vouchers worth €40 each to early adopters buying set-top boxes. Singapore was the only country represented on the panel that had moved directly to HD. Its public-information campaign included competitions in which participants presented themselves on camera for 30 seconds. Entries appeared online, with the highest-rated participants progressing through rounds for a chance to appear on television and win an HDTV set.
UK law guaranteed access to DTV for elderly and socially disadvantaged people, including help installing set-top boxes. The programme was expected to cost around £1 billion over six years.
One reason for replacing analogue transmission was the high cost of terrestrial spectrum compared with cable and satellite. The spectrum occupied by one analogue television channel can carry as many as four digital channels.
The transition also involved political considerations. Sebastian Loudon of Austria’s broadcasting and telecommunications regulator argued that the government did not want basic public service provision to depend on the goodwill of satellite operators. Lim Chin Siang, director of Singapore’s IT&T Media Development Authority, agreed and noted that satellites could also be destroyed.
The change faced resistance in the United States. Rehr summarised critics’ objection that consumers had never before been ordered by government to buy a new product. A US public-information campaign budgeted at US$1.5 billion was scheduled to begin in January 2008. By contrast, an Austrian study found that people there regarded the change as necessary for future generations.
Manufacturers of set-top boxes and television sets benefited from the transition. Around 20 percent of Swedish households purchased new equipment. In Singapore, annual LCD television sales rose from 130,000 to 274,000 units.
