Retailers Anxious Over Analog TV Cut-off

RETAILERS ANXIOUS OVER ANALOG TV CUT-OFF
[SOURCE: Associated Press]
Best Buy Inc.'s chief executive said Tuesday that he is "very nervous" about being able to supply customers with the millions of digital TV converter boxes needed ahead of the shutdown of most analog TV transmissions in 13 months. "The number of converter boxes that is going to be required could put tremendous pressure on us to solve all those problems" in a short time, said CEO Brad Anderson. "We're very nervous about the potential risk. Once it gets turned off, it could be very interesting," he added. Apart from the supply issue, customer education looms as a problem for the retailers. Speaking on the same panel, Phil Schoonover, the CEO of Circuit City Stores Inc. said Anderson's caution was appropriate. He contrasted the digital TV transition to the introduction of high-definition television sets, which mainly attracted the well-heeled and technically savvy. "I think it will feel very different in this next round of TVs, because we're through the early adopters," Schoonover said. At the same time, Schoonover defended the transition as "well thought out," and said it has been handled in a very responsible way.
http://www.tvnewsday.com/articles/2008/01/09/daily.1/