A digital signal breaks an image and sound into binary code, with each bit of data represented by a series of zeros and ones, and transfers it to a receiver that reassembles the numbers into the original video and audio. It's a more efficient way of transmitting. It can compress much more information and data into the same amount of spectrum that an analog signal uses. The bandwidth used for one analog channel on Cox's cable system can carry 10 digital channels, said Leigh Woisard, spokeswoman for the cable company's regional operations in Chesapeake.

Digital broadcasting is not the same as high definition. High definition is the most detailed, highest-quality version of digital picture and sound. It requires a special, high-definition receiver to translate the information-packed signal.

Viewers don't have to upgrade to a high-defintion TV for the digital transition. Those without one will see digital pictures in standard definition. Most TV viewers in Hampton Roads and elsewhere don't have to do anything to go digital. If they subscribe to a paid- TV service through a cable or satellite company, they are ready.

Local cable providers Cox Communications and Charter Communications and satellite providers DirecTV and Dish Network will convert the digital signal back to analog for customers who view on analog TVs.

For cable subscribers, that's the case whether they run the cable from their wall into their TV or use a set-top box to receive programs. The cable operators will retain their analog lineup, which includes as many as 70 channels, for a minimum of three years, as the FCC requires, and could extend that past 2012.

In April, Verizon Communications removed the few remaining analog channels from its Fios TV lineup, offering the handful of customers with analog TVs free converter boxes to adapt the digital signal.

Analog TV owners who get over-the-air signals now with an antenna on the roof or on the set, like rabbit ears, must buy a converter box by Feb. 17 to stay tuned. The box will translate digital signals back to analog so they can watch programs.

As of mid-October, according to Nielsen's research, 11 percent of U.S. households and about 14 percent of Hampton Roads homes were "partially unready" for the transition, meaning they owned at least one TV that could receive digital signals but at least one that still needed a converter box. In this region, about 6 percent of TV- viewing residents remain "completely unready," with none of their sets able to receive digital signals, compared with about 8 percent nationwide. inside What if I'm not ready? What kind of TV do I have? What difference will I see? Plus, tips for hooking up a converter box. page 5 The federal government allocated $1.34 billion to pay for about 33.5 million coupons for converter boxes. As of last week, 62 percent of U.S. households that rely on an antenna to receive broadcast TV had requested coupons, and they had redeemed about 14 million for boxes, according to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the division of the U.S. Commerce Department that's overseeing the program.

Each household can apply for up to two coupons, each worth $40, until March 31. Most major electronics retailers carry converter boxes ranging from $40 to $70 and will accept the coupons, which expire 90 days after they are issued.

One coupon will cover only one converter box, and consumers will need a separate box for each analog TV. They can use a "splitter" to hook two TVs to one box, but the converter can't show two channels at once, so they'd have to watch the same channel on both screens.

In most cases, viewers won't need a new antenna for digital TV. If they live in a remote area or have a weak analog signal with an antenna now, they might need to upgrade to receive the digital signals, said Megan Pollock, a spokeswoman for the Consumer Electronics Association, a trade group for electronics manufacturers.

Pollock suggests an outdoor antenna that goes on a roof.