Local retailers swamped with calls about switching over to digital TV

Since the nationwide transition from analog to digital television signals Friday, local TV-related businesses have been flooded with calls from customers who waited until the last minute to make the switch.

On Friday, Rep. Tom Perriello, D-5th District, issued a DTV Transition Guide, explaining that those who have lost service should either get a converter box or buy a digital television (both of which may still require a digital antenna to improve reception) or subscribe to a paid TV service, such as cable or satellite.

Anyone who was already a cable customer with retailers such as Comcast or Chatmoss Cablevision should not be affected by the switch.

Raymond Haley, owner of Haley’s Television Sales and Service in Danville, said people still using old TV sets were having trouble hooking up the analog-to-digital converter boxes and scanning for channels.

“I’m up to my neck and totally frustrated,” Haley said. “It’s been a hectic thing the last two or three days since they shut it off. Most of it is they don’t get certain channels they’ve been used to getting and that gets them totally confused.”

Haley said most of the customers calling lived in rural areas who waited until the last minute to switch. With analog signals, people could pick up “snowy” channels with just an antenna, but now cannot pick up anything without a converter box, and in some cases a digital antenna as well.

Adam Gann, manager at RadioShack in Piedmont Mall, said Monday the store was down to two digital antennas in stock. He said he usually carries about 70.

“You have no idea,” Gann said when asked if he had received any calls about the transition. “A lot of people are getting the converter boxes trying to pick up the new digital signal and aren’t receiving any channels. The digital signal is not as easy to pick up as the analog signal.”

Local cable retailers Comcast and Chatmoss said their existing customers should not be affected by the change, and both have signed new customers because of the transition.

“We did see a spike in orders as consumers who were unprepared realized that connecting to cable was one of the easiest and best solutions to get set for June 12,” said Beth Bacha, a vice president of communications for Comcast, “and we expect to see the same in the coming days and weeks.”

Chatmoss general manager Charles Lewis said several of the company’s new customers were “elderly, limited-income people who didn’t want to spend a fortune for an outside antenna.”

Perriello’s office has only received a handful of calls, said press secretary Jessica Barba, mainly from those in mountainous areas who were still having problems with service.

“But generally,” she said, “it appears the transition is going smoothly.”

For more information, visit www.dtv.gov.

• Contact Amos at camos@registerbee.com or (434) 791-7983.