Over-the-air analog TV signals are set to cease next year, and many US households are ready for the change.

Half of US households now have digital TVs, according to Consumer Electronics Association data cited in a recent InformationWeek article.

DTV purchases by the other half of US households are expected to produce big sales numbers for TV manufacturers. The CEA forecasts a 17% increase in DTV unit sales and 13% growth in revenues for 2008.

Most of those sets will be HDTVs. The CEA said that 79% of US DTV shipments in 2008 would be high-definition.

LCDs have been the most popular type of HDTV, and shipments are expected to hit 165.3 million units worldwide in 2011, up from 41.4 million units in 2006, according to iSuppli.

iSuppli said that global LCD revenue would reach $116.2 billion in 2011, up from $47.8 billion in 2006.