TV Stations Switch From Analog To Digital

Television broadcasters are switching to digital transmission by turning off their analog signals Friday.

Some local stations such as WFXT-TV (Ch. 25) dropped analog months ago. The rest are required to pull the plug Friday. WBZ-TV (Ch. 4) will turn off its signal shortly after noon. WHDH-TV (Ch. 7) and WCVB-TV (Ch. 5) will flip the switch at midnight.

From a business perspective, local television stations are looking forward to broadcasting in digital only. They can transmit up to four different programs at the same time with the same amount of power as one analog broadcast.

But a Nielsen survey says almost 28,000 households in the Boston market — just over 1 percent — are not ready for digital television. You’re fine if you get your TV over cable or satellite or have a newer set. If not, you need a special box to convert the digital broadcasts to analog.