TV Digital Switchover

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Cashbuyer

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Apologies if this has been on the forum already, but the forum search facility is pretty hopeless...

Can only get analogue channels at present on the new telly. We have a so called 'digital' antenna/aerial which is stuck high up on the radar arch and is giving us a great picture on analogue, at Harleyford (Thames), but will not pick up any digital and therefore no freeview.

Assume that when the switchover occurs we will have no picture or service. Will we have to get a dish?
 
As has been said, assume your TV has a Digital tuner for starters - most do now - but not all. If so, when you select DTV mode and do the usual autosearch do you pick any channels? A list and count normally appears on the screen during the search. If not, you have no signal coming in (obvious I know). So after checking with any neighbours that they get DTV Freeview OK (assume they do) you may need a signal amp (booster) - we certainly do and turned on full too, to get a decent pic. Also, some TVs have a setting that needs to be enabled when using a booster - ours did.
 
Isn't it the plan that once analogue transmissions are switched off for a given area, they will boost the digital transmission? I'm sure I'd read that the current digital broadcast was being suppressed slightly to prevent interference.

Cheers
Jimmy
 
DTV

Hiya Cashbuyer
Up here is the cold north we have had our analogue signal switched off
All digital now. Had the same problem with DTV in the past, didnt recieve all channels and sometimes even some of these broke up
Now we can receive all of them at full power. Even the HD channels that some of my mates couldnt get before, they have now
Hope this helps

John
 
My experience is similar to John's. We had limited Freeview reception last year, and when analogue was swithed off this March, we now have full Freeview channels on Rafiki. We have a Status aerial with booster, and a reasonable (TEAC) TV. Tried a cheap (Tesco bomber TV) but the DVD stopped working. I do think that some TV tuners are better than others, as are some aerial's.

A fellow boat at our marina was questioning his TV until he tried our Status aerial. His picture was perfect.
 
There is no such thing as a 'digital aeriel'. If the existing aeriel gives a good analogue signal it will normally give good digital signals. I know of vary few people who have had to upgrade the aeriel for the changeover.

+1 on the signal strength improvement with associated increase in available channels when analogue is shut down.
 
What you probably need is a 12 volts Freeview box... which actually is dead easy. Many of the cheaper mains models use a transformer in the plug, with a 12v output to the box.
I have had a Sagem, box, which is wired with the TV, on a 12 volt circuit, linked to a "Maxview" circular amplified aerial, which works in the South without too much problem. Where the signal is iffy, we have a special caravan aerial which is a proper multi element aerial which is directions, and which had giant suction sups which attached to the wheelhouse side, and allows the aerial to pick up a better signal than the maxview. I think my sagen box cost about 20 beer tokens
 
A directional aeriel is vital, an omnidirectional is unlikely to do the job unless you are in a very strong signal area. I was initially in a 'no go' area but a well aimed 18 element job of the the matching type for the transmitter did the job
 
ProDave said:
Most tv transmitters in the south have not yet had "analogue switch off"

so for the time being, the digital signals are broadcast on low power.

Once analogue switch off happens, some time in 2012 the digital signals will go up to full power.
Click to expand...

yet another fallacy, unfortunately analogue signals are only being got rid of because they are saleable (will make money for the government) which means now digital has to be tried out.... and the signal will break up because digital only works on the premise of "on" or "off"

however on the bright side it could mean less people can watch X factor and the like
Nick Heath :D
 
Cheekybrat said:
yet another fallacy, unfortunately analogue signals are only being got rid of because they are saleable (will make money for the government) which means now digital has to be tried out.... and the signal will break up because digital only works on the premise of "on" or "off"

however on the bright side it could mean less people can watch X factor and the like
Nick Heath :D
Click to expand...

Perhaps not such a fallacy. This page on the digital switchover site suggests that digital signals will be transmitted at higher power after the analogue signal is switched off:

http://help.digitaluk.co.uk/display/4/kb/article.aspx?aid=6702

Cheers
Jimmy
 
I know nothing about the technicalities but bought a new boat in the winter with a TV package. It has a Glomex flat dish aerial....pathetic so I thought. Would only pick up a couple of analogue chanels very poorly...a complete waste of time and we used the Tv only to play DVDs.
However a month ago on the Orwell I had an idle few moments and thoughtI would see if I could get any more channels.
To my amazementas the TV tuned itself in the digital channel count started..2..3..4..up to about 10 or 12 but no analogue channels at all. And it is a cracking picture.
I had been thinking the only way was a satellite dish....I have one at home...about 140 channels and far fewer than on Freeview worth watching but now will not bother with a dish. The only problem is the boat is back in North Suffolk where the digital switchover has yet to happen... but I have seen the promised performance and it should be excellent.
 
Digital TV is another government con to sell off the infrastructure (ie analogue channels) We are on full power digital with no analogue. Total cr*p and unwatchable. The only way we could now watch any TV was to buy a dish and freesat box. Same with digital radio. Very few stations available anyway but also total cr*p and unusable.
The digital switch-over has cost me several hundred pounds just to get what I had before plus 100 extra channels of cr*p, repeats and repeats of cr*p.
Ahhh, that's better!!!
 
elton said:
What do you mean? :confused:
Click to expand...

I think he means that a weak or broken dig signal will just freeze the picture so you get nothing to watch. With Analogue you get a ongoing picture just not as clear - a bit snowy or grainy. At least that's what I took from this :)
 
Ripster said:
I think he means that a weak or broken dig signal will just freeze the picture so you get nothing to watch. With Analogue you get a ongoing picture just not as clear - a bit snowy or grainy. At least that's what I took from this :)
Click to expand...

Hopefully it was meant as a play on words (not a pun).
Digital TV is effectively either ON - good picture, OFF - no picture.

As to the detractors (a governmental conspiracy; probably correct), but digital gives the ability for loads o' channels, which you get of you are in an ON area. For those who are in an OFF area then, my condolences.

another play on acronyms - WYSIWYG - If you can "see" the satellite, then you can get a service with much the same number of usable channels as FreeView, and you don't need to buy a lot of kit to find out. Just a bit of card on which to draw a triangle and a compass....
 
digital "on or off"

elton said:
What do you mean? :confused:
Click to expand...

The way I can best describe it if we take a value between 0 and 1, 0 is nothing and 1 is the best picture available. On analogue anywhere between 0and 1 will give a picture of a varying quality between these two variants.

Digital works on the premise 0 is off and 1 is on, therefore if you don't receive what is percieved as a 1 it must be off. It has its great sides in that you can piggy back different signals on the same "wavelength" (used the term loosely) so that you can transmit far more data and so get more channels in that narrow band, the thing I do worry about is that even where switchover has occurred (will occur) there are only around 95% of households which are set (or can receive a so called proper digital signal). I know my digital signal is very near 100% and yet its still got loads of problems, I just wish they had sorted the problems first before selling off the analogue wavelengths, but then I am now officially a grumpy old man:D

Nick Heath:D:D
 
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