Japan Ends All Analog TV Broadcasts in Asia’s First Transition to Digital

Japan ended a 58-year era of analog television broadcast yesterday, becoming the first Asian nation to complete the transition to digital transmission.

Cathode-ray tube TVs, usually with a curved screen and a protruding box at the back, could no longer display programs without adding a special tuner after the switchover July 23. Public broadcaster NHK news and Pocket Monsters cartoon series were among the popular shows that shifted completely to digital beaming. The switch by Japan, which follows similar moves by the U.S. and Germany in the past three years, frees up air waves that may later be allocated to mobile-phone operators such as Softbank who want to improve service. With more than 90 percent of Japanese households already owning flat-screen TVs, some purchased with recent incentives, the switchover may damp sales of new sets.