The digital transition rocky for one retiree

Armed with a converter box he bought at a local Walmart store, Marlow resident Phil Apple has begun his own personal transition from analog to digital television viewing.

But the dawn of the digital era for Apple has been filled with what he claims are glitches created by unreliable technology and low standards set by the government for converter box manufacturers.

The actual conversion date when the nation's broadcasters will pull the plug on their analog broadcasts and begin sending out only digital signals is Feb. 17.

Apple decided to get the jump on the broadcast conversion because he wanted to watch the upcoming Summer Olympics in digital format.

Apple, a 73-year-old retiree, is among millions of Americans who don't have a digital-ready television or subscribe to cable or satellite.

So, he plugged in one of two subsidized RCA converter boxes he bought through the federal government's coupon program, planning to have it fine-tuned for the Olympics.

But the set-up process went so poorly that he had to call the manufacturer's hot line for guidance. Then he discovered unexpected limitations in the converter box functions and then found some of them quit working.

"After the first couple of weeks some of the functions started going downhill,” Apple said. "For instance, the left side of the remote control no longer works to turn on and off the television. It just doesn't function any more. There are so many limitations and drawbacks with these.”

Apple took his complaints to the company that makes the RCA boxes, as well as to local television broadcasters and to the National Telecommunications Information Agency, a bureau of the U.S. Department of Commerce that is overseeing the Congressional mandated digital transition.

A spokesman for the National Telecommunications Information Agency said the standards were established for the converter boxes to make them affordable. The government also is providing coupons valued at $40 to subsidize much of the purchase of the boxes.

"Our goal here was to provide the cheapest opportunity for people who can't afford cable television,” Bart Forbes said. "We want to make sure that converter boxes are as inexpensive as possible.”

A Walmart spokesman said unhappy customers should take converter boxes back.

"If the gentleman is unhappy, we will go out of our way to help him, whether it's at the store or get him in touch with the manufacturer if there is specifically something wrong from that end,” Walmart's Phil Keene said. "To be honest with you, the only questions I have been fielding on this (issue) is ‘what are you guys doing to make sure there is enough stock for people to get.' ”

For retirees and others who won't or can't upgrade to a digital-ready television or cable television subscription, the situation is discouraging, Apple said.

"Supposedly, the converter box was to keep people who are on antenna from having to do that and not feel like they are forced to spend money that they — and I — do not have to spend money on those things,” Apple said.