| What is the digital switchover? |
The digital TV switchover is the process of turning off the UK's analogue TV signal and replacing it with a digital signal. TV is going digital.
The existing analogue TV signal will be switched off and replaced with a new, stronger digital TV signal. It will mean that almost everyone will be able to receive digital TV through an aerial (Freeview).
Digital TV also uses less broadcast space which means that after switchover, there will be more room for new services such as wireless broadband, local TV and High Definition Television (HDTV).
To keep your TV service, you will need to convert your TVs to digital before your area’s switchover date. |
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| Digital UK is an independent, not-for-profit organisation established by the broadcasting industry to lead the switchover programme. For more information about the detailed
timetable and switching to digital television please visit www.digitaluk.co.uk. For queries relating to local, technical and reception issues you can contact Digital UK on 0845 6 50 50 50. |
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| Why is digital switchover happening? |
Digital television gives you more choice of TV channels with greater clarity. With Freeview you get the very best in entertainment free: comedy from E4, a wealth entertainment from ITV2 and the latest events from BBC News. And with Film4 movies, CBeebies' children's TV, UKTV History or Sky Three, you'll never run short of new things to watch.
The picture's clearer, the sound is sharper and you'll have access to a variety of interactive services just by pressing the red button on your remote control.
With Freeview you can also listen to great digital radio through your TV and with perfect sound quality you'll never miss the punch line or skip a beat. By 2012, all television in the UK will go digital and Freeview will be available to 98.5% of the UK population.
Freeview also offers four high definition channels, BBC One HD, BBC HD (soon to be BBC Two HD), ITV1 HD and Channel 4 HD, these require HD equipment. |
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| When will the Digital Switchover occur? |
| The process of digital switchover started in 2008 and will finish in 2012. Switchover is a complicated process, and needs to be done in stages so that everyone in the country will be ready for it. |
| Region |
Timetable |
Anglia |
DSO Complete |
Border |
DSO Complete |
Central |
DSO Complete |
Channel Islands |
DSO Complete |
Granada |
DSO Complete |
Isle of Man (Border) |
DSO Complete |
London |
2012 (Starting April 4, 2012) |
Meridian |
2012 (February 8, 2012, completed by March 24, 2012) |
STV Central |
DSO Complete |
STV North |
DSO Complete |
Tyne Tees |
2012 (Starting September 12, 2012) |
Ulster |
2012 |
Wales |
DSO Complete |
West |
DSO Complete |
West Country |
DSO Complete |
Yorkshire |
DSO Complete |
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| What do I need to do? |
First, decide how you want to receive digital TV after switchover, including looking at whether your aerials will need to be upgraded; and finally, put plans in place that make sure you will be ready in good time for switchover in your area.
1. How do you and your family use TV and recording equipment?
Points to consider:
If you want to use a video (VCR), a DVD or HDR recorder to record one channel while watching another you will need a recorder that has an inbuilt digital tuner. There are Freeview+ (standard definition) and Freeview+HD (High Definition) recorders available.
Any TVs that are used only for replay will continue to function as before.
2. Decide how you want to receive digital television, Freeview, satellite or cable.
It is not necessary to buy a new television set in order to receive digital TV, as all TVs can be converted with a set-top box.
If you live in an area with poor Freeview reception, then there are other options available such as Freesat which is, like Freeview a non-subscription service available satellite.
There are four ways to receive digital television and over 70% of households have already switched at least one TV to digital: |
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| Through an aerial - Freeview (digital terrestrial) |
Digital television can be received through an aerial with the Freeview service. A compatible set-top digital box or a television with a built-in digital receiver (iDTV) will be needed. Some aerials will also need to be upgraded in order to receive the digital signal.
There is no subscription, however additional pay-TV services are available (Top Up TV).
Note that some areas will not receive digital terrestrial TV until after switchover: to find out if you are covered, use the postcode checker at digitaluk.
The four channel, BBC One HD, BBC HD, ITV1 HD & Channel 4 HD, a 720-line Freeview HD service, operates on multiplex B (PSB3). You will require a Freeview HDreceiver or TV with MPEG4, DVB-T2 built-in, to receive these services. |
| www.freeview.co.uk |
| By satellite - Freesat, Sky, Free-To-Air receiver |
| To receive digital satellite television, a compatible set-top box and satellite dish will need to be installed. There are both non-subscription and subscription options. |
| www.freesat.co.uk |
| www.freesatfromsky.co.uk |
| Cable TV |
| Digital cable television can be installed in areas where cable companies operate. There are a range of subscription services. |
| Broadband TV |
| Broadband TV is only available in a few areas at the moment but is likely to become more widespread in the future, with a range of subscription services. Increasingly, video and television content is also available to download over the internet. |
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| Digital Television Multiplexes |
| The existing digital television network will be updated and improved, the existing digital multiplexes will change and will be divided into two sections, Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) and Commercial Broadcasting (COM). |
| Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) |
- Multiplex 1 will become PSB 1
- Multiplex 2 will become PSB 2
- Multiplex B will become PSB 3 (Freeview HD)
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| Commercial Broadcasting (COM) |
- Multiplex A will become COM 4
- Multiplex C will become COM 5
- Multiplex D will become COM 6
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| The BBC has appointed Arqiva - NTL's former broadcast division - to develop and implement the new high-powered DTT network. The physical work on re-engineering elements of the network will commence during mid-2006, even though it will be 2008 before the first regions are switched over to digital. The scale of this project is enormous. Some 5,000 analogue transmitters on 1,150 sites will be removed and disposed of. The existing DTT system, comprising 500 transmitters, will be removed and replaced by 3,000 transmitters, to give near-national coverage. The capital cost to deliver the whole programme will be near £500m. |
| Other changes include the major UK transmitters being fitted with a reserve antenna, this will mean that repairs can be completed on the main antenna without turning off the signal. Some stations will also transmit the PSB multiplexes and the COM multiplexes from different antennae. |
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| Digital Radio |
| The present switchover plans are concerned only with television transmissions. At present, there are no plans to switch off analogue radio transmissions in the UK. |
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