Despite DTV Delay, Viewers May Still Lose Picture

Independent analyst Barry Goodstadt says that according to his research, there are about 15 million households in the US that only get their TV signals over the airwaves. And he thinks many of them are going to lose channels after the transition to digital. "Seventy-two percent have indoor antennas," says Goodstadt, "and those folks will have serious problems getting reception." The reason, he says, is that digital TV signals behave differently than do analog signals. Digital signals are more susceptible to interference from trees, buildings, low-flying aircraft and even the wind. When digital signals get weak, the picture doesn't just get fuzzy — it drops out altogether. But broadcasters say most viewers should be able to watch digital TV without buying new antennas.