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Since 2am today, about 60,000 viewers in a small area of the west coast of Cumbria have been without their analogue signal for BBC Two.
Had it not been hailed a key milestone in the UK's relationship with television, many may not have even noticed.
But the switch-off in the Copeland and Whitehaven areas marks the beginning of an important process which should see the whole country wave goodbye to the traditional form of broadcasting in just five years.
And, as the media circus hits the gloomy North West, Digital Spy is marking the occasion with a look back at the nation's sometimes difficult relationship with digital terrestial broadcasting.
The beginning of digital terrestrial broadcasting came around 1997 with the opening up, and lucrative auctioning, of airwaves for the purpose.
It did not take long for ITV backers Granada and Carlton to seal a deal and get a subscription service, in the mould of Sky and cable providers, on air.
ONdigital, as it was christened, was given some years to experiment and pioneer terrestrial digital services in the UK.
But, cast as a competitor to Sky and cable, it was struggling to get close, and by mid 2001 was clearly floundering.
Against this backdrop the Government had to answer serious questions. It wanted digital to make top notch television a right for everyone. But how could it stick to commitments to turn off analogue signals if no-one was watching digital?
A 2001 attempt at shock therapy - rebranding the service ITV Digital - failed to do any good. In early 2002 investors pulled the plug and the Government and regulators had to start afresh.
A strong BBC-led bid came to the rescue. Freeview's strength was making sure those who would not pay for more television could get in on the action.
As set-top-box prices fell and service quality improved, digital uptake soared. Digital terrestrial was presenting a challenge to Rupert Murdoch and Sky and they knew it.
Once Freeview was established officials and the BBC began rehabilitating it for pay-to-view options, such as Top Up TV. And Channel 4 and ITV, previously disgruntled at missing the 2002 contract, came back on board.
This turnaround has allowed the Government to stick to a digital switch-over timetable that once looked impossible. Last year Ofcom hailed the UK the world's leader in takeup - albeit because others have been watching cable or satellite services for years.
But today the battleground moves from network boardrooms and Whitehall offices to the far north west. At Whitehaven and Copeland, in the shadow of the Lake District mountains, latest figures show 92 per cent of households now have at least one digital television set.
But the west Cumbrian switchover, beginning today and due to finish on November 14, will be a crucial chapter in Britian's digital story, and could easily bring a twist.
