More TV stations set to try analog shutoff drills

Just a couple of weeks ago, a Las Vegas TV station ran static on its broadcast feed to simulate the impending analog-to-digital transition. Now comes word that more stations are planning their own tests, while a handful of North Carolina stations have agreed to go digital-only six months early to work out any kinks.

USA Today (via Engadget HD) reports that four Wilmington, North Carolina TV stations will shut off their analog TV broadcasts on September 8, about six months before the national switchover to digital-only TV broadcasts, slated for February 17, 2009.

The early trial in Wilmington will proceed under the watchful eye of the FCC, and will be accompanied by a flurry of publicity to make sure local TV viewers are ready for the September shutoff. The FCC says it's hoping to learn from any foul-ups during the trial and apply them to February's national DTV transition.

Meanwhile, 11 TV stations in the Orlando, Florida area are planning brief analog shutoff dry runs this summer, similar to the trials conducted by Las Vegas station KVBC earlier this month.

As with the Vegas test, the Orlando stations plan on sending out brief snippets of simulated static to their analog broadcast feeds, followed by phone numbers and URLs for information about the coming DTV transition (888-DTV-2009, or DTVanswers.com).

Those watching the cable/satellite feeds of the participating Orlando channels—who won't be affected by the analog shutoff anyway—won't see the brief bursts of static.

Kudos to the various TV stations—and the FCC, for that matter—for getting the jump on the looming analog-to-digital broadcast TV transition.

Despite the gloomy surveys showing that many viewers still don't know that over-the-air analog broadcasts are coming to an end, the Vegas test went off without a hitch, and with any luck, the upcoming dry runs will go smoothly as well.