A funny thing happened when LG Electronics began selling its Zenith digital converter box in January: People couldn't figure out the remote control.

The boxes enable analog television sets to receive digital signals from broadcasters. But some people who bought them didn't realize that they should first remove the protective plastic wrap from the AA battery than came with the device. This alone accounted for 10% of the 27,000 converter-related calls the Korean company received between January and the end of August.

Although that's a tiny fraction of the 1 million customers who purchased the device in that time period, LG and other companies that make converter boxes are urging people to get their converters now, before the night of Feb. 17. At the stroke of midnight that day, TV stations will cease to broadcast over-the-air signals and go all-digital. There's not likely to be chaos, but there could be hiccups if everyone who needs a converter box waits until the last minute, said John I. Taylor, LG's vice president of government affairs.

"We don't anticipate any catastrophic results," Taylor said in an interview Wednesday. "But will there be challenges? Absolutely."

One possible scenario is a temporary run on converter boxes. Manufacturers typically don't make ...