Go Digital

[jambutty]

Go digital Aunty Beeb proclaims. “We are starting switchover in the Border region in 2008, West Country, Wales and Granada in 2009, West, Grampian and Scottish in 2010, Central, Yorkshire and Anglia in 2011, Meridian, London, Tyne Tees and Ulster in 2012, ending with Channel Islands in 2013.”

Those are the dates when the analogue broadcast will be switched OFF in those areas. However most places can receive the digital broadcast now if they have a digital TV or a digibox for around £50.

More details are available at http://www.digitaluk.co.uk presided over by Digit Al, that funny little creature that adorns the current BBC ads for digital. You know the one where Digit Al sits next to a woman with a towel around her head filing her nails. Al also has a towel around his head doing his nails, although he must use a mini grinder because sparks fly off in abundance. Nice touch though.

Just to digress a tad – has Aunty missed the boat with Digit Al? A Digit Al toy or an executive desk top adornment for Xmas would I am sure, earn them millions. Maybe there is something planned for 2008? Does anyone else have a small table lamp on top of or close to the TV to soften the glare from the screen? I do and the thought occurs that a Digit Al lamp would be a novelty and also useful.

I managed to get a photo of the ad from my telly and then went on to find two pictures on the web site. No prizes for guessing which of the three below is the actual photo and which two have been grabbed from the web site.

Just to digress once more – I heard the other day that the BBC DOES NOT OWN their transmitting masts and aerials and presumably they rent them from the company that does. No comment! I don’t want to get banned.

We are told that digital channels take up less bandwidth so there can be more of them for any given frequency range and being digital there will be no hisses, crackles and bangs distorting the picture or sound.

The question is do we need hundreds of channels? I don’t but others may do. My digibox gives me something in the order of 35 ‘free view’ channels to choose from and they do come in handy to watch the ‘must view’ programme that I missed but that is all apart from UK TV History.

On balance I welcome the digital era but there are times when it taxes my ancient brain cell when trying to plan what I intend to view in the evenings.

[garinda]

I haven't gone digital yet, as there are already quite enough programmes for me to chose what to watch.

In Glasgow, when I bought my new flat, I got Sky free for a year, I thought it was rubbish. I did like Film 4, when it used to show European films, but soon after cancelled that too when it showed only Hollywood blockbusters.

[garinda]

The quality of the programmes is bound to go down, the more channels we have.

I heard Anthea Turner the other day, talking about her programme about being a housewife, which thankfully is on digital.

Think I'll hang on to 2009, before I have the opportunity to watch that.

[mickmc]

Sky is mediocre to ok at best !!

but picture and sound quality is better, -problem comes when we have severe weather, storms, heavy rain etc - then the signal breaks up or is lost totally, then its a quick flick back to watch analogue - whats gonna happen after 2009 ?? esp if global warming brings us more storms

[AccyJay]

I've just bought a new set top box (digital). I think that there is only 2 channels that i watch, however the girlfriend loves it, she can now watch more soaps. I bought mine from the electrical shop opposite the Canine Club, it was only £25 and came supplied with a scart lead.

[chav1]

if you have sky and cancell it you can buy a free to view card for around £20

must remember to order one because theres hardly any reception where i live so teh satelite dish will be ideal

[WillowTheWhisp]

There are so often times when I flick through all the channel and end up thinking that there is absolutely nothing at all worth watching!

[AccyAlec]

Freeview is te way to go if you ask me ... no monthly payments lol. :P

[glasgow guy]

yeah...no monthly payments but look at what you have to watch - not very much...at least if you have sky installed there is a good choice to choose from..but I dont pay for my satellite tv anway...d-box2 is the future..

[andrewb]

Originally Posted by chav1

if you have sky and cancell it you can buy a free to view card for around £20

must remember to order one because theres hardly any reception where i live so teh satelite dish will be ideal

Its not quite the same as freeview though. We have it and we get less channels with sky than normal freeview, one example is E4 and More+4, i gather it is free on freeview but not with skyfreeview, still with me?

Anyway its quite annoying because I didn't know this before we got it, and there is some nice stuff on More4..

Im having to just download tv, its so much easier/flexible... although it is a legal grey area.

[Neil]

Originally Posted by glasgow guy

but I dont pay for my satellite tv anway...d-box2 is the future..

When you say satellite most people think of Sky and you won't be getting free Sky unless you are card sharing.
What are the benefits of a d-box2? Can you record programmes with it like on a Sky+ box? If so can you watch one while recording another channel?

[Neil]

Originally Posted by Cyfr

.. although it is a legal grey area.

There is nothing grey about illegal

[WillowTheWhisp]

I think we'd better keep out of legal grey areas.

[jimmi5bellies]

Originally Posted by AccyAlec

Freeview is te way to go if you ask me ... no monthly payments lol. :P

No, just a whopping tv licence instead. . Good job its one licence covers all tv in the house aint it.

[entwisi]

I was looking at my new Tv license the other day, one little thing of note was that it said that if you has a portable in a caravan or mobile home and are away from home using it then you can't use TVs at home! So if you leave the kids at home you have to disconnect the TV So how do I go on using my Sky+ box to record things whilst away(should I ever lose all my marbles and buy a caravan )