Why Are We Switching To Digital?

Currently licence payers in the UK can receive five terrestrial channels (BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Channel 4 and Five) through an analogue receiver.  Also available to those with digitally-enabled equipment is a wider range of programming, including the five terrestrial channels and many others.  Whether they watch analogue or digital is entirely a matter of choice and equipment; many people have chosen to switch to a digital service already through satellite, cable or their existing aerial and are enjoying the full benefits of digital TV.  Other people are happy with the five terrestrial channels delivered via an analogue signal.

Choice is a good thing, usually.  When the choice in question means compromising the best solution though, it becomes more of a hindrance; this hindrance is currently showing itself by limiting the potential of digital TV.  Digital TV cannot be fully utilised as designed without dedicating all available resources (i.e. the transmitters currently used for analogue coverage) to it.  The latent inefficiencies caused by running both systems together means that currently 1 in 4 households cannot receive any form of digital TV and many more cannot receive channel Five at all.  Switching off the old analogue signals would enable a major boost to the digital signal and, consequently, rectification of the unsatisfactory situation.  Switching off analogue is the only way to ensure fairer transmission for everyone in the UK.

Benefits of digital over analogue

Digital TV has many benefits over analogue TV: this section summarises the main advantages.

Additional channels

Digital TV gives access to additional channels.  Many of these will be entirely free (you still only pay the license fee, as before the switch), while some additional channels will be available on a subscription basis (and it is entirely your choice whether you subscribe or not).  You will not lose the old channels, so all the switch does here is offer you many more programming options - there are no downsides.  Some of the additional channels you may see (depending on your particular service) are:

• BBC Three
• BBC Four
• ITV 2
• ITV 3
• ITV 4
• BBC Parliament
• UKTV History
• E4
• BBC News 24
• More 4
• Film Four
• Sky News
• CBeebies (great for parents!)

And remember - this is all in addition to the standard terrestrial channels BBC 1, BBC 2, ITV, Channel 4 and Five.

New Features

‘Press the red button now' - we've all seen this on shows and wondered what it meant.  The ‘red button' on your digital remote provides access to a world of additional information - think Teletext only better, with information on each programme as it is aired and all the standard features like news, weather, sport and games.  On-screen TV listings (so you can check what's next on another channel without leaving the one you're watching) and ‘widescreen' functionality is also possible.  Each channel organises its own ‘red button' features, so there's plenty of information to explore.

Improved quality

Analogue signals can suffer from poor reception - where the aerial does not pick up the signal well enough to display a clean picture.  Effects of poor reception can be interference, static, ‘ghosting' or rolling of images, and just inaccessible channels.  This is a particular problem for some people in rural areas.  Digital TV is transmitted electronically and does not suffer from the same geographic limitations as analogue.  This means improved picture and sound for most viewers and those that could not previously receive entire stations - Five is inaccessible for many - will no longer suffer.

Cure the inefficiencies...

Analogue signals take up more airwaves than their digital equivalent, despite carrying less information.  Turning off analogue frees up this space for additional services like high definition TV, mobile TV, local TV broadcasts, wireless internet and network and many more than haven't even been thought of yet.  Of course it also allows much more information to be transferred for standard TV, which is why more channels and additional ‘red button' information is available.  There's so much potential, and moving to digital helps us to realise this.