MediaZoo Digital Factsheet
Contents
| What The Papers Say | According to the media we are all being forced to jump into the digital revolution and if you were to believe some of the reports you would think you are jumping directly into a frying pan – not so. | ||
| When will analogue be turned off? | If the UK administration believes that targets have been achieved, which means well over 90% of the UK is accessing digital, then they will switch off analogue TV, not radio just TV. Analogue is the type of transmission you currently receive from an existing TV set and aerial, but there are other analogue services as well – but we’ll start with TV and that area changing to digital. | ||
| Is Digital a Mine Field? | You may think that switching to digital is a mine-field.
It isn’t and is no more complicated than buying a
new TV or Video Recorder and probably much easier than
buying a washing machine for most – the reality is
that you can go to numerous high-street outlets and
experience digital TV before you buy. However, before you rush out you need to consider how you want to receive your digital TV service. The options include satellite, terrestrial cable, ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) and/or a digital TV converter. |
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| Which Platform | Depending on where you live, the choice of platform (platform
being the type of delivery service) may be limited. For
example there are sectors of Wales that do not have
access to terrestrial digital, the same goes for other
outlying areas in other parts of the UK. As far as satellite goes your location should be served, providing a mini-dish can see the satellite. Cable can also be limited as rural areas are not all cabled by underground networks. |
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| Must we pay? | Next you will need to decide if you want digital pay-TV or not. You can certainly extend your viewing choice without paying. However, the choice of having pay-TV or not is slightly reduced as cable services do require you to pay from the outset. However, should you decide to opt for free-to-air then there are a number of options. | ||
| Satellite, The Digibox | To begin with you can buy that which is known as a
Sky Digibox and have it privately installed. The cost for
such an installation is, as you would expect, higher if
you don’t subscribe to Sky services. However, you
can opt to join the digital age in such a way and there
are numerous channels that can be viewed free-of-charge.
Also you should be aware that the BBC services are free
and the BBC will send you a free-of-charge viewing card
to slot in a Sky Digibox. No this doesn’t give you
Sky channels, but it does offer access to all the free
channels. The card is only issued to UK license fee
payers, However, there are now a number of reputable companies that offer refurbished Sky Digibox receivers. This can reduce the purchased price of the equipment to around £150. Connection to this type of satellite system, as well as the pay-TV variety, is via a mini-dish – today’s dish often being smaller than a terrestrial TV aerial and no you don't have to place it on the front of your house or on the chimney. In most cases it can be tucked away from view. |
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| Terrestrial Digital TV | You can purchase a digital TV set top box now, from
either PACE or GRUNDIG - expect to pay £99.99. A digital TV is exactly what it says it is a digital TV. It receives digital signals, where available, from a conventional aerial. Whilst some areas are still not covered by digital terrestrial aerial, a simple check is to ask a local independent TV store – they are often more aware of developments than high-street chains. Do be aware that receiving your digital TV via a conventional aerial does not give you access to Sky without additional equipment. However, some TV sets are now being sold that give consumers the option to add pay-TV at a later date. Connection is via a terrestrial TV aerial, but please note that not all existing TV aerials will receive digital channels and you may need to upgrade your TV aerial. |
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| Digital cable | Availability of cable is very much an urban option
for now. However, it will expand in the future. One major factor in people going for cable is that a combined package of TV, telephone and Internet access can be bundled together – there are also options for 24/7 access to the Internet for a fixed fee. Connection to cable is a simple operation, but does require a tiny cable to be run between your home and the street. This is often achieved via a small trench in the front lawn – I should emphasise this trench is no more than an inch wide. One ‘bone-of-contention’ is that some services offered by satellite channels are not carried by cable. This isn’t the fault of either party, purely a technical issue. So in certain cases an interactive service on a satellite channel may not always be mirrored on cable. |
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| ADSL | This is still a very limited option and unless you have a specific need for ADSL then wait until the technology has been improved/developed so that it can be equally evaluated along side other options | ||
| Introduction summary | The good news, as you will have seen, is that unlike previous TV options where you the consumer had very little choice in the type of services you wanted, now you can decide. So take your time and chose something that suits you - or is as close as it can be. | ||
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| Contact Information | |||
| Telewest Tel: 0800 953 5383 - http://www.telewest.co.uk |
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| ntl: Tel: 0800 183 1234 - http://www.ntl.com |
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| Sky Digital Tel: 08702 404040 - http://www.sky.com |
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| Pace Tel: 0871 8714149 - http://www.pace.co.uk |
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| Current Programmes | |||
| Free TV via an aerial | BBC ONE, BBC TWO, BBC CHOICE, BBC FOUR, BBC NEWS 24, BBC PARLIAMENT, CBBC, CBeebies, BBCi, ITV, C4, C5, ITN News Channel, S4C and S4C2 in Wales with more data from www.bbc.co.uk | ||
| Free TV and radio via the satellite position which is home to Sky – much more elsewhere | There are news, shopping, cartoons, health,
lifestyle, comunity, dating, sports, fashion, game,
cultural, auction, motoring, travel, job, text and more
channels on satellite TV. Radio A huge range of BBC, terrestrial and satellite exclusive channels are available The above lists are not definative lists and are purely a guideline to services which are subject to change |
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| Other services | |||
| Interative | There are a wide range of interactive services available on digital platforms and they vary between the platforms. Some services such as e-mail can be a charged for services whereas responding to an interative can be free. Some shopping services offer interative buying services which are also free. | ||
| Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) | This is the up/coming digital replacement to analogue radio - sets will soon be on the market for under £100. However, DAB is not the same as digital TV in the same way your existing radio set does not receive TV. | ||
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