Residents of Wilmington, N.C. got a sneak peek at the upcoming DTV transition Monday when the Federal Communications Commission conducted a test with local broadcasters in advance of the formal, nationwide switch scheduled for February 2009.

"I commend the Wilmington broadcasters for their pioneer spirit to go first to help the entire country prepare for the final transition to digital," FCC chairman Kevin Martin said in a Monday statement. "This experience has and will continue to help us identify issues that we need to address elsewhere in the country before next February."

To free up valuable spectrum, television broadcasters have been ordered by Congress to shift from analog to digital signals on February 17, 2009. That requires equipment upgrades and technical planning, a process that has been ongoing for years

Wilmington resident Dan DeLeo (brother of our very own Jen "Weird Hunter" DeLeo) reported a smooth transition from analog to digital, as well as better picture quality.

"From my experience with an analog signal, the picture produces static and is often hard to see; when a digital broadcast signal is weak, it will just be broken up and choppy," DeLeo said in an e-mail. "Of course, the picture quality will depend on your TV. If you have a new LCD, HDTV, or plasma, you will notice a greater difference. I have an older LCD model, so the DTV converter was not built into my TV set."

How will your community be affected?

Residents with televisions hooked up to cable boxes will not notice any difference come February 17, 2009, but those without cable will need to purchase either a digital television or a digital converter box to get reception after the transition.

The government has agreed to provide each U.S. household with two $40 converter box coupons to help with the cost. Dan DeLeo applied for a government coupon at dtv2009.gov and received it in the mail about three weeks later.

The coupons, which arrive in debit card form, are valid for the purchase of a DTV converter box at stores such as Wal-Mart, Target, and Circuit City. Regulators have voiced concern about funding and whether retailers will be fully prepared to handle the influx of customers looking for the boxes, but DeLeo did not encounter any difficulties.

"I bought mine in Target and chose the cheapest box, the Venturer DTV box, for $44," he said. "Target employees were aware of the coupons, and I had no problems with using it toward the purchase of a box."

"I decided to opt for a converter box rather than buying a digital TV or signing up for a cable service mostly because I get the major network channels for free," said DeLeo. "I even get some in high definition here in Wilmington. Along with the DTV box, I use a white box-shaped REA antenna in order to receive TV broadcasts."

Prior to the Monday switch, the FCC conducted a preliminary, five-minute test on September 5 so residents could test their connections and make the necessary changes before Monday.

"Since I already had the box set up, I was able to still see the picture," DeLeo said.

Chairman Martin said that these "soft tests" can be useful, but that the commission will likely make them longer than five minutes in the future.

"In Wilmington, the broadcasters conducted a one-minute and five-minute test, and determined that the longer test was necessary for consumers to write down the phone number and information listed on the screen and (b) check all the televisions in their home to see if they are prepared," Martin said.

The commission also learned the importance of emergency preparedness during hurricanes, Martin said.

"At the time we began outreach in Wilmington four months ago there were no battery operated converter boxes available," he said. "So the broadcasters and some folks down in Wilmington were able to work with one converter box manufacturer, Winegard, who recently introduced a DTV converter box battery pack specifically designed to allow its converter boxes to work in power outages."

Martin praised grassroots organizations, like local fire and police departments and churches, for assisting with outreach. "A recent survey conducted by NAB found that 97 percent of Wilmington residents were aware that broadcasters in Wilmington were transitioning to digital," he said.

The FCC announced in August that it would tour the country in the next few months to educate communities about the transition. The commission's first stop was in Anchorage, Alaska on August 27. In each city, an FCC representative will host an event like a town hall meeting, workshop, or roundtable on DTV.

The commission reported last month that approximately 56 percent of full-power television broadcasters are ready for the DTV transition, while 41 percent are still working to meet their goals.