Though the majority of US households are ready for the changeover to digital television next month, 5.7% – or 6.5 million homes – remain unprepared according to a report from The Nielsen Company.
This is an improvement of more than 1.3 million ready homes since Nielsen reported at the end of December, the company said, though many of the unready households include people who most rely on traditional, free TV for their information.
Among the 56 local markets that Nielsen measures with electronic meters, the one that is least ready is Albuquerque-Santa Fe, with 12.4% of the households completely unready.
Under government-mandated action, all television stations are required to switch to digital programming by February 17, which will leave viewers without a television signal unless they purchase digital television sets, connect to cable, satellite, and alternate delivery systems or purchase a converter box.
A report from Ofcom last November found that the UK is one of the most digitally advanced nations in the world (see UK leads digital TV revolution).
Not only do 86% of UK households now have digital TV on their main set, said the regulator, but services like HDTV and digital video recorders are also growing in popularity.
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