The day of reckoning is close; come June 12th the analog airwaves will no longer be graced with the witty banter of sitcoms, daytime soaps evening news shows.

Instead stations nationwide will finally make the long talked about, and oft delayed, switch to digital television. If you haven't already taken the steps to make sure you don't see static next Friday, you better get moving.

A quick reminder: If you get your television from a cable or satellite operator or your existing TV has a digital tuner, you won't need a converter box and can return to your regularly scheduled programming.

To find out what consumers who aren't ready should do in the next week, WalletPop spoke to Nick DeVita, a manager at a Best Buy store in New York.

One of the most common questions he has heard from customers, aside from "Why?" is, "What's the difference in the converter boxes?"

The transition to digital television seems to have netted its first arrest: A 70-year-old man who shot his TV set in frustration when he couldn't get his digital converter box to work. The incident happened in Missouri, where the man was charged with unlawfully discharging his weapon -- his wife told the local news that he had been drinking.

I understand his frustration after watching the digital TV transition this weekend. We went to visit my husband's disabled great aunt who has four ancient TVs in her apartment that are not connected to cable. Usually, when we go over there, my daughter sits there glued to a slightly-snowy broadcast network watching movie reruns on weekend afternoons -- a rare treat for her because we never let her watch commercial TV at home.

But on this last visit, my husband connected up two digital TV converter boxes (we could only get two boxes, because the government ran out of money for the program and we have two wait to get her two other boxes). After he plugged in a few cords, he TV in the living room suddenly got a crystal clear picture, something it had never had before.

And then it promptly froze.

Then the picture pixelated, stuttered, came back on and then froze again. With the TV connected to the building's rooftop antenna, the box picked up about 7 English-language stations, but pretty much the only ones of interest were CBS, NBC and ABC. The TV in the bedroom, which has rabbit ears, fared a little better in terms of reception. But my uant was none too happy, in the end, with having to learn a new remote and ending up with even fewer channels than she had before, despite the momentary clarity.

Since so many homes in this country are connected to cable or satellite and are bypassing any distress for this transition, people like my aunt and her TV viewing aren't a top concern. But there are millions more like here out there, and like the man who shot his TV, so the furor may just now be starting to announce itself. Come summer, when the full transition takes place, watch out if you walk by a tall building ina neighborhood full of the eldery or the infirm. You may be hit in the head with a falling TV.

This series explores aspects of America that may soon be just a memory -- some to be missed, some gladly left behind. From the least impactful to the most, here are 25 bits of vanishing America.

I'm young enough that I didn't have to take directions from my dad on just how to arrange rabbit ears in order to pull in a static-filled station; in fact, I barely knew the analog signals of my childhood. We have had cable for as long as I can remember and other than the antenna at my grandparent's, analog television has just been a footnote in my illustrious life. It's been a side project for broadcasters too. Over the years, stations upgraded to digital technology, and eventually to HD, but still maintained broadcasting in analog to cater to those on "farmer-vision" -- too far out for the reaches of local cable companies. But even those people are tuning out, opting for satellite instead.

And so the move away from analog broadcasting is quickly being ushered into its finale as the government prepares for the big switch to digital in February 2009.

Most of the public, even those with old TVs, won't notice any change in the way they get their in home entertainment since, according to the Consumer Electronics Association, 85% of homes in the U.S. get their television programming through cable or satellite providers. For the remaining 15% -- or 13 million individuals -- who are using rabbit ears or a large outdoor antenna to get their local stations, change is in the air. If you are one of these people you'll need to get a new TV or a converter box in order to get the new stations which will only be broadcast in digital.

Stations are looking forward to the switch because it will allow them to save money by only broadcasting in digital, which allows for better sound and a clearer picture. The government wants to get its hands on the analog spectrum to auction it off for hundreds of millions of dollars.

On the consumer side of things the information about the switch has been anything but clear, leaving many at the hands of corporations and salesmen who are trying to push new TVs even to those households who don't need them for the switch. When the transition actually takes place even more problems could occur as the new digital broadcast signal may not be able to reach the same areas as the old analog signals. A similar problem occurred when the UK transitioned, requiring many households to purchase new antennas, both indoor and outdoor models.

I can't say I am sad to see analog television go. The new digital technology doesn't just provide a better picture but more possibilities for mobile television and allows broadcasters to focus the analog resources on cool new ventures. I am, however, concerned that the actual transition will result in many angry TV watchers who can't get any of their favorite shows. It seems that even the most tech savvy individuals are having trouble understanding the ins and outs of the digital TV transition as it pertains to consumers. If that is the case then what is the rest of the population to do?

Are you worried you'll lose out during this transition to digital TV?

Read the entire series