August 3rd 2011 we in the Hull area will loose our analogue tv signal, we are going all digital it seems. In practical terms it means either a new tv, usually flat screen these days, or if you still have a reasonable crt tv, a digi box. What does get confusing to some people is that there are tv sets with built in Freeview, and digiboxes that enable Freeview. There is also Freesat, which needs a satellite dish, and of course the ubiquitous Sky TV. If you have Sky then you should be ok, and pay the appropriate package price of course, otherwise you are going to have to get your skates on to continue getting your dose of M.O.T.D. and don't forget your aerial needs to be up to scratch as well to get a good reception for Freeview, either built into the set or a free standing digibox. It also seems there will be some retuning needed for existing set ups.
I haven't watched analogue for years, the only time I do is when football is on ITV as they broadcast in digital in the lowest standard allowed and it looks shocking in standard definition.
We were the first to have this trialled on us in the country the Whitehaven and Copeland District, think that because it’s about me ten thousand sheep and a few others. Basically the change is a lot more easy than you would imagine. As a family we were lucky enough to have mostly digital TVs already however it was all over the local press with guides for the elderly on how to convert and they opened drop in centres for people to go for advice for the first 1-2 months of the changeover. Personally I favour it as where we lived the analogue signal was terrible so the change meant increasing the digital TV strength leading to us having a lot more channels. Meaning we can watch sky sports in one room and ITV2 can be used for the corrie omnibus in the other.
What i don't understand is why they have messages on Freeview saying get ready for the switchover, surely if you're watching freeview you already switched over anyway?!
Is that it, I just get annoyed with the messages and turn them off, though they stopped recently. No doubt some poor old buggers will be clicking on their tvs and getting the snowstorm/bluescreen on switchover day
ITV can't be the lowest allowed, whenever the CL is on I watch ITV London on my Sky because the signal is so much better than STV (ITV Scotland). To top it off because STV and the rest of ITV don't get along I can watch ITV2, 3, and 4 in HD, but the main channel is only available in standard definition. (Unless I manually tune it in but then I can't record it or use the planner to set reminders and stuff).
