And early adopters of the technology may wonder if there are enough innovative programs and services to make their investments worthwhile.
Digital programming takes up far less room on the airwaves than current analog shows.
Broadcasters will hold on to their analog channels until 2006 or until digital TV reaches 85 percent of the market, whichever comes later, so that consumers can still use their existing TVs until then. The tricky part is giving Americans an incentive to replace their current TVs with the new digital sets before that time. Station executives, gathered here for the National Association of Broadcasters annual show, say the cost of the sets is just too high and want the government to mandate that all new TVs come equipped with digital tuners to help drive down prices. The Consumer Electronics Association argues that such a requirement would actually drive up the costs for shoppers. Digital TV systems are typically sold in combinations.