A quick guide to digital television

The whole of the UK will soon have switched over to digital TV which will bring everyone a greater choice of television channels along with new features and additional services. By 2012, all television signals will be digital and the switchover will have provided most households around the country with digital television. This change over began in 1998 and TV signals will change area by area. It will therefore be necessary to switch over to digital equipment before the changeover reaches you. Digital TV is already available through Freeview TV, Sky Digital and the BBC Freesat service and people are enjoying better quality pictures and more services through their TV.


The difference of digital TV to the old analogue TV, is that sound and pictures are compressed by being converted into digital format. This means that they take up less space when transmitted than the old system. The benefits of Digital TV are that more channels can thereby be sent out, as well as there being space for more services.


Digital signal is superior to analogue and will improve the quality of both picture and sound for viewers. The digital service will also give better pictures, with HDTV (High Definition TV) available through digital TV. More channels from BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Channel 4 and Five will come as standard and will be widely available due to the decreased space of transmission. There are options for paying for further channels and benefits including interactive TV. Your TV can be used in more ways, with wireless broadband, telephony and even TV manipulation to record, rewind and pause live TV. New features like on-screen listings to know what is on will make TV viewing a fuller experience. There will be more features for disabled viewers, such as audio description and subtitling for viewers with audio or visual impairments. A wide range of information, services and interactive features will be available. Digital TV can be received in more ways, including digital cable, digital satellite, digital terrestrial and broadband or DSL.


To make sure you are ready for the changeover you will need to be set up so that you still receive television broadcasts. This will mean all the right equipment is necessary to get the benefits of digital TV after your local switchover. If you have more than one TV in your home, you will need to make sure that they are all converted to receive digital TV. The dates of the switchover in your local area and more information can be found on the digital TV website.


Digital signals can be picked up by standard aerials or satellite dishes if you already have these in place, or they can be picked up through cable. The signals must then be decoded into sound and pictures with either a separate set-top box, or a decoder which is built into your television. You can also get digital TV recorders which will convert your TV to digital. Televisions with in-build digital decoders are known as iDTVs, or an integrated Digital TV set. These TVs are available on the market already, as are set-top boxes.


If you have an old television and do not have an aerial or satellite, then you will need to get a set-top box, such as a Freeview box or other digital receiver. You will need to check whether your existing television has a SCART socket or not, so that you can decide if you need a digital box with a SCART socket or an RF-modulator. Services to receive digital TV include Freeview, BT Vision, Top Up TV, Virgin Media, Freesat and Sky TV. Interactive TV will be accessible through the red button on your new universal remote controls, which are newly designed to access digital TV extras. Many of the digital set ups come with special offers to combine broadband, digital television and phone lines to make your communication and entertainment needs more affordable and of the highest quality. The breadth of interactivity of your digital TV will depend on packages and extra payment options you choose. So get ready for the changeover.