THE adoption rate of digital TV reached a plateau in some pockets of Australia late last year, including in Sunraysia where transmission of TV on analog channels ends on June 30.
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Although the federal government welcomed a national digital TV conversion rate of 61 per cent in the fourth quarter, up from 47 per cent in the first quarter last year, survey figures show that more than 20 per cent of households in the area surrounding Mildura are yet to convert.
Many households were waiting for details of the free TV equipment the federal government promised to pensioners and carers last year.
But many ineligible households are also yet to make the switch, blaming high costs and a reluctance to be forced to adopt new technology. About 12 per cent of those who have not converted said they would not watch digital TV at all.
Electronics retailer Shane Koelmeyer, the manager of a Retravision store in Mildura, said he expected a late rush for digital TV set-top boxes and TVs in the remaining four months before the analog shutdown.
''The people who didn't buy before Christmas are probably going to wait until May or June,'' Mr Koelmeyer said. ''I just hope that there will be enough stock to cope with demand.''
A quarterly survey for the federal government's Digital Switchover Taskforce revealed that the conversion rate of the main household TV sets from analog to digital tuners stalled in Mildura at 79 per cent from the third to fourth quarter last year and fell in Perth from 64 per cent to 62 per cent in the same period.
The federal communications department said about 7000 Sunraysia households were eligible for the government assistance package of a free high-definition set-top box and any necessary cabling. The department estimated there were 35,000 households in the district.
The pensioners, carers and veterans were invited to apply for help in the second week of January and 1000 households have had their equipment installed. The department said it was confident that all residents who chose to take up the offer would have it installed before June 30.
Mr Koelmeyer said he was concerned about the eligibility rules for recipients of the free equipment.
He said one customer bought a large-screen digital TV and had boasted that he was going to use the digital set-top box supplied free by the government to watch digital broadcasts on the old TV.
''As a retailer I'm a bit concerned about how they choose who gets the free equipment,'' Mr Koelmeyer said.
The government scheme was designed for pensioners and carers who could not afford to upgrade their TV or did not know how to do so. The communications department said residents with digital TVs installed could not claim a free government set-top box for a second TV. But the scheme does not stop them buying a second digital set-top box or integrated digital TV after receiving the free equipment.
Hills Industries won the contract to install the set-top boxes for recipients in the Sunraysia region through its subsidiary Access TV Services.
