The digital switchover – latest ‘Digital UK’ have published the final plans for the TV signals to be broadcast from the Oxford transmitter after the 2011 switchover. The signals will all end up back in the part of the frequency band that was used for analogue TV. (The c / d band) The power of the broadcasts will be increased significantly. The BBC and the ITV channels will end up at twice the power of the rest of the channels.

Details: Programs frequency channel power level

BBC (1&2) 53 100kW ITV etc. 60 100kW BBC (Other) 57 100kW Commercial 62 50kW Commercial 59 50kW Commercial 55 50kW

Recording devices and digital TV:

With the end of analogue TV fast approaching, most people now already have a digital TV source in their living rooms, typically a freeview box. The problem comes when trying to record. We are used to having one tuner in our TV and one our VCR, allowing us to watch one channel and simultaneously record another. With a freeview box this facility is lost as the freeview box can only be set to one channel. (You can’t turn it to BBC1 to view Eastenders and simultaneously switch to it ITV to record Emmerdale.) In order to regain this facility we will all end up with a digital TV (with a freeview tuner built in) and a digital recorder (also with freeview built in). In the switchover period this recording problem will probably be the thing to catch people out in trying to keep up with the switchover.

The solution for Sky customers is to upgrade for SkyPlus. For the rest of us it is to buy a digital recording machine. Most of these now use a computer hard drive to record the signals rather than a DVD disk (or a tape). For example Humax make a decent quality freeview hard disk recorder (PVR 9150) for £150.00 – available from Astley’s of Wallingford 01491 839305.

As the digital switchover date for the Oxfordshire area comes closer, we are getting more information from "Digital UK" about what will happen. The final date for the switchover has not yet been set but we know roughly how it will happen. At some point in 2011 (the exact date will probably be published in 2010) those people still watching analogue will see a message on their screen telling them that they will lose their signals in a few weeks. Then BBC2 and Channel 4 analogue will be turned off. The frequencies that this frees up will allow the new digital signals to start broadcasting. For the main Oxford transmitter this will just mean a change of frequency for the existing freeview services but for the smaller local transmitters this will be the first time they will transmit digital TV. There will be a few weeks before the broadcasters turn off BBC1 and ITV analogue. In these few weeks viewers will have to convert to digital or lose all their TV. This is going to be a manically busy time for us and the trade generally. (All leave cancelled!) Our installers report that although most customers now have digital TV at their main point, many have portable TVs in bedrooms etc that are still only showing analogue TV. If anyone has a TV which still only shows analogue TV it would be wise to get it running on digital sooner rather than later as there are going to be too many upgrades for us to do in the critical few weeks of 2011. We are happy to drop in to you free of charge to advise on what you will need to do to get all your TVs ready for the switchover.

The move from analogue TV to digital has been a gradual process. Since Freeview and Sky Digital started broadcasting in the late nineties, new items and technologies have constantly been added to the range of digital TV reception products. There has been a steady and increasing uptake of these products and services by the public.

This month has seen several steps forward on the move to digital, some of them local to Oxfordshire: The BBC / ITV freesat service will finally have a full line up of channels from 18th November. This service is a good alternative to digital Freeview. We use Freesat a lot in some areas locally where digital reception is difficult such as Henley-on-Thames and Chipping Norton. Also, this month Virgin Media have finally chopped the analogue TV signal from their cable TV service. This affects the whole of the old Oxfordshire Comtel franchise area, so Wallingford, Abingdon, Wantage and Didcot in the south of the county, Oxford City itself and Witney, Bicester, Kidlington in the north. There were many houses in the county still using this service. Typically these are Virgin customers who have a Virgin digibox at their main sitting room point but are also using the old analogue service to feed bedroom TVs. These customers now have the choice of taking an extra subscription with Virgin and having extra boxes or simply having a connection from a digital aerial to the extra TVs. We can obviously connect you to an existing aerial or supply and install a new one if required. Finally, the BBC / ITV freesat viewing and recording box (PVR) should finally be available from this month.

Sky customers have long been used to the useful features that their SkyPlus boxes give them (easy record, pause, re-wind) and with the launch of this machine Freesat customers will get the same features. We will be stocking the new Freesat PVR (The Humax model) as soon as it’s available.

The digital switchover has begun. In the lake district there are now places in which it is now not possible to receive analogue TV. The old signals have now been replaced with digital Freeview signals. The switchover went seamlessly and put to rest many of the fears which the authorities had about potential chaos. Most homes already had digital TV before the switchover occurred.

The switchover will not come to Oxfordshire until 2011. By then nearly all homes in Oxfordshire will already have digital TV, either via Sky, BBC freesat or freeview from a digital aerial installation – so virtually no one should be left without television pictures. The biggest problem will be small TV’s in kitchens or bedrooms. Many of these are older analogue sets and so after switchover will only show black and white snow. These TV’s will need digiboxes attaching and possibly aerial signals improving before they can be made to work again.

The process of switchover is still being altered slightly as lessons are learnt from each region to be switched, but it will be something like this:

BBC2 analogue and Channel 4 analogue will have a warning message permanently overlaid telling viewers that the service will end in a few weeks. Then BBC2 and channel 4 will go. A few weeks later the other channels will have the same treatment, the digital services will be re-allocated to some of the old analogue frequencies and the switchover will be complete.

Oxford aerials will be here to help with advice and installation work to help everyone through the switchover in our area!

The new website is up and running. We have updated factual information with regards to Sky TV and the new BBC / ITV freesat service. We have also added a section giving a signal reception guide in all of the towns in which we regularly work.  This information is not as exact as the government ‘digital UK’ site but is an easier way to get a feel for general reception conditions in your area.

Our new logo which is on the head of the web site is now being sign written on our vans and will hopefully soon create a well known local brand image for Oxford Aerials.

The digital switchover in Oxfordshire is now rapidly approaching. All of our installers are now have government ‘registered digital installer’ status and as a business we have gained ‘SAFEcontractor’  status. 

We are looking forward to 2009.