By Michael Thompson, Contributing writer

More soap operas, talk shows, mock judge shows and ballgames will come your way with digital television.

If you are among the 80 percent of Americans who subscribe to cable or satellite television, you may not be familiar with all of the hullabaloo regarding digital television (DTV) and high-definition television (HDTV). After all, you already are getting a nice, clear picture, except for when the winter weather interferes with your satellite dish.

But more and more, you are going to start hearing about June 12. That's the last day before the big changeover to DTV, away from old-fashioned analog television. The folks who will notice the biggest difference after that date are those holdouts who still rely on rabbit ears and/or a roof antenna for their television reception.

Ghosts on the screen will become just that -- ghosts of the past. The fuzziness will go away, too.

The sound will improve along with the picture, and your favorite hometown broadcasting stations will be able to offer different programs at the same time, instead of just one, in what is known as "multicasting."

Yes, it will actually be possible for one broadcaster to show three or four soap operas at once, or three or four talk shows, or three or four mock judge shows. And yes, sports fans, three or four ballgames.

Many stations already take advantage of multicasting, offering such programming as separate weather channels. Many local PBS stations also broadcast Create TV, a digital channel presenting the best of public television's lifestyle programs.

This changeover has been in the works for many years. The U.S. Congress passed the enabling legislation in 1996, during President Bill Clinton's first term, so there's been plenty of time for everyone to plan ahead.

The motive for the digital television transformation goes beyond improved picture and sound quality. By freeing up the broadcast spectrum that TV stations now use, police officers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians will have more spectrum to communicate. Also, there will be more broadcast spectrum for advanced services such as wireless broadband.

If you are a cable or satellite subscriber, you may have watched some DTV or some HDTV already, without really noticing, other than that little caption on the bottom of the screen. Digital and high-definition are advertised as being five times the picture resolution and clarity, but when the picture is already clear, five times more clear won't seem like a big difference.

In fact, when you think about it, consider the advertisements that you see on television for new television sets. The manufacturers are trying to show you how the picture looks much clearer, but since you are watching the ad on your existing TV set, they really can't do that, can they?

Cable and satellite subscribers really won't have to do anything on June 12, but people who still get their television for free will need digital-to-analog converter boxes. These will cost $40-$70, but fear not: Uncle Sam is offering a pair of $40 coupons to each household.

This is known as the Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program, and each coupon is good for 90 days. However, there currently is a waiting list for the coupons as the program awaits more funding. You can call 1-888-388-2009 or, for people with hearing disabilities, 1-877-530-2634 to get on the list. The Web site is www.dtv2009.gov.

The converter box is simple to install, so people need not go out and purchase new digital televisions. Like Y2K at the turn of this millennium, June 12 will come and go and, ultimately, will be forgotten.