Digital TV: WHY

What | When | How | Social Housing Landlords

But why do we have to change the way we get TV?

Because it's only by switching off the old analogue signal that digital TV through your aerial can be rolled out to the places that can’t currently get it. Digital TV through an aerial (Freeview) needs to be rolled out more widely to give everyone more opportunity and choice on how they receive digital TV.

Why should I have to pay because someone else has decided to change TV?

The Government wants everyone in the UK to benefit from digital TV. Switchover is taking place because it will provide everyone with better, more varied television, irrespective of where they are in the UK, and broader access to a wider range of digital services. Digital switchover is Government policy, so if you have further questions about the policy you can contact the Department for Culture, Media and Sport or the Department of Trade and Industry.

Why should I get digital television?

One of the reasons for digital switchover is that it will enable digital Terrestrial TV services to be rolled out the whole of the UK, giving people more options with regards to how they receive digital TV.

Rest assured digital UK will be communicating directly with every UK household prior to digital switchover in each region. We will ensure that everyone has all the information that they need to make the switch to digital as easy as possible.

Why should I have to pay to convert all my TV sets?

It has always been the case that viewers are responsible for purchasing their own TV equipment.

Why has a regional switchover order been proposed? Can’t it all be done at once?

Ofcom has carried out extensive technical work with the broadcasters and transmission companies on how best to order switchover. The aim of this work is to minimise interference between different transmitters to reduce any risks of disruption to the implementation plan. This work has suggested a region by region approach. Over 1,000 transmitters have to be converted to digital operation and it is not practical to complete this in less than about four years.

Why can't digital signals be boosted or a new transmitter built to serve my area now?

The number of transmitters broadcasting digital services cannot be increased until the analogue television services start to be switched off. This is becasue interference would be casued to other signals. The same is true for power increases at those transmitters that already broadcast digital services.