With analogue TV set to come to end this year, homes will now be facing the reality of the digital switchover. This will mean that soon all households in the UK will have some form of digital channel provision – either through subscription based service or a Freeview service.
Digital television
According to figures, 93% of UK homes had digital television by the third quarter of 2010, rising from 85% in 2008. The end of 2010 saw a total of 60 million televisions in the UK, with nearly half of these (24 million) being high definition or HD television sets.
Digital TV, as we all know, is available in a number of different formats. Figures revealed that by the third quarter of 2010, almost three-quarters of homes in the UK had Freeview on any one television set within their home. However, this service was not found to be the preferred form of digital television for a household’s main television, with just 39% of UK households claiming this was the case.
This means that other forms of digital television, such as subscription based services, are more popular and are likely to increase in numbers now that the switchover is about to be completed.
The switchover
The digital switchover scheme began in 2007, with the intention of seeing all homes in the UK using digital television by the end of 2012. Thus far the schedule has seen different areas of the UK lose their analogue services at different times, with the final closures planned for this year.
For those facing the switchover without digital TV, preparing for this event couldn’t be easier. The digital switchover site can provide information on when services will be lost in your area and can help you to get in contact with the relevant people for acquiring digital television.
Providers of this service will also have a large wealth of information about the switchover and will be able to help you make an informed decision when it comes to your digital TV viewing.
The group of people most likely to be affected by the switchover are those of the older generation. These are the people who are least likely to have digital television services already and therefore the change could be a daunting prospect.
In order to help facilitate the switchover process, a help scheme has been launched to make sure this group doesn’t miss out. The scheme offers free installation of digital television services to elderly or disabled people or is considered eligible. This will ensure all homes are using digital television whilst making sure vulnerable individuals are able to use the new service.
The most important thing to remember is that no channels will be lost during the digital switchover. All of the channels which were available via analogue or terrestrial TV (BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5) will still be available via digital television. All the switchover means is that how you receive your channels will alter and you will get access to a wider selection of channels, with Freeview offering over fifty and digital subscription services offering hundreds.