Digital Switchover
The whole of the UK is switching over to digital TV to bring everyone a greater choice of television channels, new features and additional services. By 2012 the switchover will have provided the vast majority of households around the country with digital television. Digital TV is already available through Freeview TV, Sky Digital and the BBC Freesat service and many people are enjoying better quality pictures and extended services via their TV as a result.
The benefits of Digital TV principally centre around high definition (HD) images and an improved set of services deliverable via your TV. This is in no small part due to the reduced bandwidth required for digital TV transmission when compared with traditional analogue broadcasting. As the switch over takes place, you will start to enjoy the benefits of interactive TV, telephony, HDTV (High Definition TV), together with a broader range of channels including movies and sports. Additional features will include on-screen listings, audio descriptions and subtitling for viewers with audio or visual impairments. Further details on the planned services, together with the switch over dates by area are on the Digital TV UK website.
Since digital broadcasting utilises significantly different technology, it may be necessary for you to modify or replace some elements of your domestic TV set-up in switching to digital.
Aerials and Satellite Services
For those people opting for services including Freeview, BT Vision or Top Up TV, it is possible to check whether your aerial will be OK via the aerial test which can be found on Teletext page 284. In fact, many existing rooftop aerials and even some set-top aerials will continue to work effectively after the switchover although some may not offer sufficient signal strength to ensure uninterrupted viewing and may merit replacement. If you opt to receive digital TV via Sky TV, Virgin Media, or Freesat from Sky, this will entirely remove the need for an aerial.
Television Sets
In essence, you will either need to possess a digital television with a built-in digital Freeview receiver or you will need to buy a separate digital receiver with outputs suitable for connection to your current TV. Different receivers are designed with different output types ranging from traditional RF through SCART to HDMI or HDMI2 connections for high definition audio and video combined. Do bear in mind that if your current TV isn`t designed for iDTV, it won`t allow you to access many of the interactive features included in the new service. Equally, older non-HD units will compromise the quality of the image possible via the new service.
In fact for many people, the switch over may be the point at which it makes sense to upgrade one or more older TVs to newer HD ready or full HD models in order to take full advantage of the new service. In many cases this may involve several sets around the home but with the ever reducing costs of both plasma and LCD TVs, this is far less of a financial commitment than it would have been even a couple of years ago. There is now a vast range of digital TVs from which to choose including, as an example, the Samsung UE40B7000WW which will give you high definition TV using LCD (liquid crystal) technology; a 40 inch screen and LED edge lights.
Finally, when buying any digital equipment you should always look for the digital tick to ensure that the equipment you are buying has been specifically verified as being suitable for the switch over.