A federally subsidized DTV Help Center has opened in Raleigh to provide residents with free assistance on installing digital television converter boxes.

The DTV Help Center is located at 327 W. Morgan St. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. However, telephone assistance is available 24 hours a day by calling 1-888-225-5322 or by visiting www.dtv-setup.com. Citizens can call the help center to get over-the-phone instructions on installing the digital converter boxes. If necessary, the center will dispatch technicians to make on-site visits to assist customers whose problems cannot be solved over the phone. All services provided by the DTV Help Center are free.

The DTV Help Center in Raleigh is run and maintained by Pintech Corporation. The company was selected by the FCC to help consumers in North Carolina with the digital conversion. DTV Help Centers also are operating in other parts of the country.

Congress recently passed the DTV Delay Act, which extends the deadline for full-power broadcast TV stations to complete the digital from February 17 to June 12. The new law allows more time for consumers to be prepared for the conversion. In the DTV Delay Act, Congress did not require stations to continue broadcasting in analog after February 17. In fact stations may choose to complete their transition and stop broadcasting in analog before June 12th.

To watch television, consumers who have sets with analog tuners will have to acquire digital-to-analog set-top converter boxes with rabbit ears or an outside antenna. Residents who have cable or satellite television service with the local television service option will not need a converter box. Digital broadcasting will allow stations to offer improved picture and sound quality and additional channels.