The transition to digital TV has been relatively tranquil.
[ Photo courtesy of woodleywonderworks. ]

Despite some trepidation about how the shut-off of analog TV broadcasts would go, by most accounts the switch to all-digital over-the-air TV broadcasts went fairly smoothly, with no widespread outages reported.

There also appeared to be ample supplies of DTV converters for last-minute shoppers, although the FCC did report that there were some shortages of antennas. It’s recommended that you shop online if you can’t find a converter box or antenna at a local retailer.

Make sure to rescan channels
The FCC, which monitored the DTV switch by 971 full-power stations last Friday, said it received more than 315,000 calls to its toll-free help lines. The most calls came from the Chicago area, followed by Dallas-Ft. Worth, New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore markets.

Of those calls, almost 30 percent had to do with digital converter boxes; the FCC reported that most issues were resolved simply by having the callers re-scan their converter-box tuners to receive stations that had moved to new frequencies.

So if you’re still having any problems, try rescanning the channels; also, some stations will be upping the power of their broadcasts, so you might get a channel you previously couldn’t. If problems persist, you can still call the toll-free help line, 1-888-CALL-FCC, or visit the DTV website for more information.

Also, note that 118 stations have agreed to maintain analog “nightlight” broadcasts for up to 30 days after the transition. These stations will continue to broadcast emergency and DTV transition information via analog signals in the evening for those who haven’t been able to successfully make the jump to digital. Here's a list [PDF] of the nightlight stations.