Why are they turning off Analogue TV?

dirtydog · 6 Apr 2006 at 11:30

Hmm I put my postcode into the freeview site and it says freeview isn't available in my area.

malfunkshun · 6 Apr 2006 at 11:31

fatiain said:
My difference engine requires oiling.

ahh, but i think it may be 'well oiled' already

Rich_L · 6 Apr 2006 at 11:34

dirtydog said:
Hmm I put my postcode into the freeview site and it says freeview isn't available in my area.

Lucky you've got 5 years (minimum) before it switches over then

Heh, you must live right in the sticks, my parent's house in Cornwall is in the middle of nowhere and even that says Freeview is available

dirtydog · 6 Apr 2006 at 11:36

Rich_L said:
Lucky you've got 5 years (minimum) before it switches over then

If they wanna get people to switch then they need to make it available first

Meh, I rarely watch TV anyway, at least broadcast TV.

dirtydog · 6 Apr 2006 at 11:36

Rich_L said:
Heh, you must live right in the sticks, my parent's house in Cornwall is in the middle of nowhere and even that says Freeview is available

Nope I live in the suburbs of a large town in Essex.

Rich_L · 6 Apr 2006 at 11:37

dirtydog said:
If they wanna get people to switch then they need to make it available first

Meh, I rarely watch TV anyway, at least broadcast TV.

Glad to hear it, what with not having a licence and all (forgive me if I'm wrong, very vague recollection from various TV licence threads!)

Timetable by ITV region for digital switchover:

2008 Border
2009 West Country, Wales, Granada
2010 Grampian, West, Scottish TV
2011 Central, Yorkshire, Anglia
2012 Meridian, London, Tyne Tees, Ulster

AndyBorzi · 6 Apr 2006 at 11:38

I live in Peterborough and freeview is not available on my post-code.

Although a neighbour across the road paid for a new aerial to be fitted for around £120 and gets it fine!

I may go freeview if they do HD broadcasts for free

- is that possible?

dirtydog · 6 Apr 2006 at 11:38

Rich_L said:
Glad to hear it, what with not having a licence and all

Ah 2011 for here then. Can't wait

Clarkey · 6 Apr 2006 at 11:40

I live in central manchester and freeview doesnt work worth a damn, its rubbish imo, the best i've had out of it is a picture which breaks up and stutters all the while. The PQ was pretty good though, sky is rubbish, its just a wash of compression artifacts, too many nonsense channels.

Red and White · 6 Apr 2006 at 11:41

AndyBorzi said:
I may go freeview if they do HD broadcasts for free - is that possible?

HD freeview is a long way off AFAIK.

Clarkey · 6 Apr 2006 at 11:52

there will be HD over the air, but yes it will be a long way off yet. Sky HD is the only way of getting HD any time soon, but it will be really expensive, but I guess if you can afford an HDTV then you can afford to pay for the content.
Saying that though, it is a complete ripoff compared to the price of HD in the states (btw im talking £300 for the box, £10/month for HD and sky+ is a requirement at another £10/month)

AndyBorzi · 6 Apr 2006 at 11:58

Clarkey said:
there will be HD over the air, but yes it will be a long way off yet. Sky HD is the only way of getting HD any time soon, but it will be really expensive, but I guess if you can afford an HDTV then you can afford to pay for the content.
Saying that though, it is a complete ripoff compared to the price of HD in the states (btw im talking £300 for the box, £10/month for HD and sky+ is a requirement at another £10/month)

My 26" LCD Widescreen HDTV ready was < £500 but I am not paying £300 for sky etc. I have NTL atm and I guess the prices will be similar though whenever they decide to release it. (Bought the telly principally cos it is flat and I don't have much space for a big tv)

Berserker · 6 Apr 2006 at 12:09

dirtydog said:
Nope I live in the suburbs of a large town in Essex.

Must be an Essex thing. My parents also live in the outskirts of a smaller town, and they can't get it either. They got satellite instead.

Clarkey said:
btw im talking £300 for the box, £10/month for HD and sky+ is a requirement at another £10/month

Yup - I've already made the decision not to go HD yet. I pay Sky far too much already for the amount of time I actually watch it. Thought about cancelling part of it, but as soon as I did that, I'd find something I actually wanted to watch on the cancelled bit. Sod's law.

Visage · 6 Apr 2006 at 12:21

dirtydog said:
99.9..... I doubt that very much.

But presumably you can see the folly of having to wait for every single tv to be digital capable, ot have a box attached?

Space Cowboy · 6 Apr 2006 at 12:40

Clerkin said:
HD freeview is a long way off AFAIK.

That's one of the probable uses of the spectrum when analogue is turned off.

Tesla · 6 Apr 2006 at 12:42

I think the current figures stack up as follows, I cannot find the info anymore.

Around 64-65million TV in the UK.

Around 25million of them areceive some sort of digital broadcast.

Visage · 6 Apr 2006 at 12:44

Space Cowboy said:
That's one of the probable uses of the spectrum when analogue is turned off.

You can get HD on a Spectrum?

OMGTHATROXORS!!!!!onetyonetyone. (as i believe Young People say.....)

lozza23_uk · 6 Apr 2006 at 12:53

VeNT said:
because analouge TV sucks more ass than a mad dyson in a field full of donkeys!

also, freeview dude, FREEVIEW

doesnt work in my area.

Dolph · 6 Apr 2006 at 12:54

lozza23_uk said:
doesnt work in my area.

Mainly because of the problem of analogue still being there meaning reduced signal strengths have to be used.....

dirtydog · 6 Apr 2006 at 13:01

Visage said:
But presumably you can see the folly of having to wait for every single tv to be digital capable, ot have a box attached?

Every single one, yes. But at the moment it's not even 50% is it? (that isn't rhetorical btw, I am asking)