19 February 2008
Although the digital TV switchover in the UK is progressing region by region - and will only be completed in 2012 - this is not the case elsewhere.
In the US, all digital broadcasting will begin in one year's time and researchers at Nielsen suggested that as many as 13 million households are not ready for the transition.
The analogue signal switch-off will affect 16.8% of American households, who own at least one TV that is not enabled for digital signals.
Residents of Portland, Oregon, were found to be the least prepared for the switch, with almost one-quarter (22.4%) using only analogue sets.
This figure dropped to just 3.5% in New York, however.
Eric Rossi at Nielsen commented: "The change to all-digital broadcasting is the most significant change in the history of television - unlike other advances such as colour, older television sets will no longer be able to receive television signals without a converter.
"Over the past 18 months we have been reviewing every aspect of the digital transition to measure the impact and help clients understand where things stand as we all prepare for the challenges."
The Borders region becomes the first area of the UK to have their analogue signal switched off this year.
London is to be one of the last places to make the transition, four years later.
© 2008 Adfero Ltd
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