HONOLULU -- FCC officials said they will be closely monitoring Hawaii as we switch to digital TV on Jan. 15.

Hawaii will make the change ahead of most of the country and the head of the FCC said there could be some problems. He was in Hawaii urging viewers to convert their old TVs to digital.

The FCC commissioner held a town hall meeting Tuesday to urge TV viewers who don't have cable, satellite, or digital TV to get a converter box as soon as possible.

On Jan. 15 in Hawaii, TV stations will only broadcast in digital, so analog sets won't work.

"I think this is probably the biggest change in the history of television. Back when we went to color it was a big deal. You could use your old television, couldn't get color, but at least you could watch TV. Now, if you don't make the switch you'll lose your signal entirely," said FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein.

The government is giving out coupons that give you $40 credit for converters.

The FCC will have phone lines set up for people who have problems and they said they expect problems. The technician at the day's event even had a momentary glitch trying to show how easy the converter box works.

"They're going to be overwhelmed. That's why I'm telling people they should act now because if they wait until Jan. 15 to make the switch they'll have some kind of problem. And call and get an answer -- it will be a lot harder to get through than if you act today. You can today call local TV station and get answers if there's a complication," Adelstein said.

The FCC said switching to digital will give viewers better picture and sound and will free up radio frequencies for police, fire and ambulance services. It will also provide more room for things like iPhones and other broadband devices. But the message is clear. If you watch TV with rabbit ears, make the change soon.