In my August 7, 2007 post, I expressed the concern that some viewers may be left behind when all of U.S. television transitions to digital transmission on February 17, 2009 — just 537 days from now. While cable and satellite viewers won’t notice the change, viewers with conventional TV sets and rabbit ear antennas will find nothing but a snow-filled screen.

As it turns out, some viewers have already been left behind. Those viewers who value their local PBS / public television stations and who subscribe to satellite television services DirecTV and the Dish Network.

DirecTV‘s and Dish Network‘s include the traditional analog and new digital program services of your local ABC, CBS, NBC, and the FOX commercial network stations. Local public television stations’ digital signals can only be received via cable or over-the-air with an antenna and digital (HDTV) receiver.

Both DirecTV and Dish Network‘s have decided NOT to include the new digital / HD program services of local PBS / public television stations in their “Local HD Channel Packages.”

Obviously, DirecTV and the Dish Network are carrying the commercial network digital signals because they believe the digital and often High-Definition (HD) programming provides “value added” for their subscribers.

Given the nature of many PBS programs, the digital service would provide enhanced picture and sound quality. You have to wonder if I can watch a commercial network “game show” in digital high-definition, why would DirecTV and the Dish Network not want to provide the same enhanced viewing experience to NOVA and NATURE viewers?

Because no one demands it. This must change. We must demand that the new digital / HD services from our local PBS stations be treated equally with the local commercial network stations.

Want to make a difference? Call one or both subscription satellite services and let them know you want your local PBS station’s high-definition, digital programming included as part of their local HD channel package lineup. Call them now:

DIRECTV – Phone: 888-777-2454

DISH NETWORK – Phone: 888-825-2557

Share your passion for the new high-definition (HD) programs available from your local PBS / public television station.

In 560 days, television broadcasting, as Americans’ have always known it, will cease to exist. At that moment, local television stations will take the last step in the transition from analog to digital broadcasting.

On February 19, 2009 this change — of which far to many Americans are totally unaware — is both exciting and potentially troublesome.

Digital television is exciting because it promises theater quality viewing in your own home. The sound quality is similar to moving from LP’s to CD’s — stunning.

At the same time, the shift to digital only signals could be a problem, leaving many viewers, especially those in rural areas and those with low disposable income, without television at all. That’s a problem.

If you’ve already purchased an HDTV set, tuner, and antenna, you’re probably already receiving over-the-air digital signals. If not, you’ll be able to buy a converter that will pick up the new digital television signals and convert them so they can be viewed on your old receiver — admittedly at lower picture and sound quality. If, as most Americans, you subscribe to a cable television service, you won’t notice the change from analog to digital television because your set-top converter box will function just like the decoder described above.

If you own or purchase an HDTV set, you’ll be able to connect it to the cable converter box and view the highest quality signals available. If you still own a conventional analog set, you won’t lose service — but you won’t get improved quality either.

Most homes in America will notice one impact of all these changes. And they’ll feel it on any conventional TV set in the home that is using an antenna to receive an over-the-air signal (e.g., not connected to a cable converter box).

Many of these conventional / analog TV sets will still be in use in 2009. And if viewers watched a favorite program on February 18, 2009 on one of those sets, they’ll find the set’s screen blank the following morning.

Television is changing and the change will be easier on some than others. There are special challenges facing public media, including your local PBS member station. We’ll hit those issues in a future post.