[21.09.2005] As the UK government confirms the timetable for digital switchover, analogue TV as we know it will be dead by 2012...
With the 63 per cent of homes in the UK now enjoying digital TV via Sky, Freeview, cable or even ADSL services, the UK government is pushing ahead with its plans to extinguish analogue TV services in favour of crisp digital broadcasts.
The process has been called the ‘digital switchover’.
This switchover is easily the biggest change to terrestrial TV broadcasting since the invention of colour back in the 1960s. From 2008, analogue signals will be shut off in Southern Scotland, Cumbria and the Isle of Man to be replaced by the digital-only Freeview service. More regions will follow suit in 2009, 2010 and 2011, with the Ulster and Tyne Tees regions the last to go digital in 2012.
The government’s staggered switchover plan breaks the UK down into regions, which follow the same lines as today’s ITV regions, i.e. Meridian and Granada. So if you know what ITV service you currently receive, you can use the updated timetable below to see when the analogue TV signals in your region will be switched off.
The bottom line is this: if you haven’t upgraded your TVs to receive free-to-air digital broadcasts (Freeview) or subscribed to a suitable pay TV operator (Sky, Telewest, NTL, etc.) then you won’t be able watch TV.
But I’m happy with analogue… In a recent speech to the Royal Television Society, Tessa Jowell, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, confirmed the timetable for digital switchover and explained the benefits of moving to digital television.
“The switchover offers us not simply the chance to provide more choice and better quality television, but also a once in a lifetime opportunity to increase access to new services… The current system of jointly broadcasting in analogue and digital is inefficient… Access can only be increased by switching off the analogue signal.”
“A key benefit of digital switchover is that it will allow a large amount of spectrum [previously used by analogue TV] to be released for new uses… for example: innovative types of mobile device; more channels on Freeview; and wireless broadband.”
It’s a brave new TV world and one that will see increased viewer choice and brand new channels - ITV, for example, is planning a children’s TV channel and a bloke-friendly ITV 4; while Channel 4 is prepping More4 and an adult entertainment channel.
But the whole switchover process is not without its challenges. Today, Freeview only goes out over 80 transmitters and reaches only 73 per cent of UK homes (with varying signal quality and channel availability). Broadcasters such as the BBC and ITV, who maintain the network of 1,154 transmitters will have to upgrade the remaining 1,074 by 2012.
“Our plans,” said Jowell in her keynote speech, “are based on building out the digital terrestrial network so that virtually everyone can have access to a choice of platforms. The level of coverage at switchover will match existing coverage – around 98.5 per cent of households - in line with our commitment that everyone who can currently receive analogue services today should be able to receive them in digital form.”
Why wait until 2012? Although the existing analogue terrestrial signals will keep broadcasting across the UK until 2008, there’s no reason to wait until the switch-off looms in your area before making the switch to digital. And if you’re in the 1.5 per cent of people who’ll miss out on Freeview, you’ll need to consider other digital TV options.
As Tessa Jowell pointed out in her speech to the Royal Television Society: “already 63 per cent of UK homes have digital television, with over 2 million households having adopted it in the last 12 months - an increase of 18.4 per cent on the previous year.”
While Freeview is the most basic solution (and it’s ideal for second or third TVs in the home), there are more developed pay TV options that you might also consider. Sky Digital, for example, offers 500+ channels via digital satellite; NTL and Telewest offer similar TV services using digital cable; while London company HomeChoice is pioneering the delivery of TV over broadband – IPTV.
“Many have already opted for alternative platforms,” added Jowell, “predominantly digital satellite. And the very welcome announcement by ITV and the BBC this month of plans to establish FreeSat, alongside Sky's free satellite option, will further help to ensure that the benefits of digital are available to all who want them.”
But which option should you choose? How much will it cost? What are the limitations if any of one system over another?
We’ve outlined the basics of each of the four available systems below, complete with web links so you can find out more information. For more general information about the digital switchover, digital TV or how to buy a Freeview box, we recommend the following sites:
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