A bad dress rehearsal, supposedly foretells a good opening night, as theatre superstition goes.

If true, then the switch from analog TV broadcasts to digital in June, bodes well for USA, as Tuesday in the lead-up to the smaller-scale switch-over, ended up confusing for viewers, as well as, TV stations.

For years, viewers who did not have cable or satellite were warned that they would have to make the switch from analog to digital signals on 17th February. However, running out of coupons to subsidise TV converter boxes and, because Congress was concerned the deadline would not be met, it passed a bill delaying the switch-over to 12th June.

At the same time, Congress gave stations the option of switching signals on 17th February, if they liked. With a third U. S. full-power stations ready to keep the February deadline, the Federal Communications Commission placed extra conditions on a few of them, clarifying late Friday, which stations would be getting rid of analog by 17th February, and which would have to wait till 12th June.

A patch-work of 641 stations across the country, mostly in less populated areas, including the densely populated areas of San Diego and Santa Barbara, Calif.; Providence, R. I.; La Crosse and Madison, Wis.; Rockford, Ill.; Sioux City, Iowa; Waco, Texas; Macon, Ga.; Scranton, Pa.; and Burlington, Vt., will see many or all major-network stations cutting analog.

Robert Prather, President of Gray Television Inc., an Atlanta-based company with 36-stations thinks the delay is ridiculous and will only cause confusion amongst consumers.

It is not known how many viewers will be impacted by the switch this week, though by Nielsen estimates, 5.8-million U. S. households, or
5.1% of homes, are not prepared for the transition.

For more information on how to obtain coupons or a converter box, visit www. dtv2009. gov or call 1-888-DTV-2009.