Oz digital bow underwhelms
Interference hotlines received 17,448 calls
The switch to digital took place Jan. 1 after the commercial nets had been forced to join together to commission and underwrite the first 10,000 viewer converters.
Only 150 boxes from an expected shipment of 500 arrived before Jan. 1, and these were distributed as display models, with none available to consumers.
Interference hotlines received 17,448 calls through Jan. 4.
Poor analog reception experienced in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide was attributed to "work on transmission towers," not the new digital signals.
Despite educational campaigns on TV via letterbox drops and the Internet, apathy among viewers remains high.
