According to Nielsen about 13 million US households aren’t ready for the digital transition coming in about a year. Nielsen also says that about another 6 million homes have a second TV that won’t work after the transition.

"The change to all-digital broadcasting is the most significant change in the history of television, because unlike other advances such as color, older television sets will no longer be able to receive television signals without a converter," explained Eric Rossi, Senior Manager, Product Leadership and leader of Nielsen's digital transition preparedness team. "Over the past 18 months we have been reviewing every aspect of the digital transition to measure the impact and help clients understand where things stand as we all prepare for the challenges."

Nielsen says that the most prepared households are those with adults over 55. This group is better prepared for the transition than younger households. The report also says that whites and Asians are better prepared than blacks. Nielsen says that 10.1% of households would have no access to TV if the transition occurred today. New York is the most ready city for the transition with only 3.5% of TVs not set for the transition. Portland is the least ready with 22.4% of TVs unprepared.

Via Nielsen