Viewer anger likely with Friday TV signal switch

The government is bracing for "significant problems" when the US switches to digital TV on Friday, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Copps says. Consumers fiddling with antennas and converter boxes, which must be rescanned post-switch, will account for most problems. "There're going to be some angry consumers," Chairman Copps says. The switch to digital TV, or DTV, will start at 12:01 a.m. ET Friday. At that time, 974 full-power stations that cover major markets such as New York and Los Angeles will start shutting down analog signals. The transition is expected to be done by midnight. More than 780 stations in smaller markets have already made the switch. Antennas and scanning have been consistent trouble spots. About 3 million over-the-air homes won't be ready, Nielsen predicts. Digital, satellite and cable TV customers won't be affected. About 20 million households receive TV signals exclusively over the air, the National Association of Broadcasters says. The number of affected homes would have been much higher — at least 6 million, Chairman Copps guesses — if Congress hadn't pushed back the switch by four months. "The delay gave us the opportunity to roll up our sleeves" and tackle a host of issues, he says.