Today's Observer
 

Slightly histrionic article in today's Observer (Cash Supplement) about
eh switch off of analogue - quoting Wohnort on DTT coverage.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/cash/...194172,00.html

Thanks. Saved me going down the newsagents in the pouring rain.

Bill


--

Lots of aerial bits and pieces on ebay. See seller name tvaerialguy

"Aztech" wrote:

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/cash/...194172,00.html

I'm not surprised. People ARE going to kick up a fuss. The Government
simply hasn't got off its backside and tried to educate people about the
switchoff. Although it's been reported in the occasional newspaper from
time to time, most people are still ignorant about it.

Because people don't know that the tuners of most TVs that are on sale
are going to become useless, there's no incentive for the retailers to
sell IDTVs. So IDTVs remain a niche market at a premium price.

The government should have properly advertised the switchoff years ago,
then allowed several years for the market to catch up, and get IDTVs
into most peoples homes, before the switchoff.

So all those people that bought TVs in good faith expecting them to work
fine for the next 10 years or so are going to have to buy an STB. STBs
are fine for technically literate people like us Usenet users, but they
present a problem for many elderly people. Not to mention that many TVs
only have one SCART socket that's already used by another unit.

The Government's handling of this has been a mess. And I think this
despite the fact that I'm an IDTV owner, enthusiastic about DTT, and
that I mostly support the actions of this Government in other issues.

--
Dave Farrance

"Aztech" wrote in message ...
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/cash/...194172,00.html

'The situation is not very clear for consumers at the moment...

Yeah - and not helped at all by this article.

How about simple information like:

At analogue switch-off, 99% of people will be able to receive digital
TV through their existing aerial.
Second hand boxes are already only about £30, and new ones get cheaper
by the month.

That would stop most people worrying. But it may also delay many
people from "upgrading" until they have to (or rather, don't have to -
because their existing aerial will be OK for digital after analogue
switch-off). This would create a chicken+egg problem for analogue
switch-off: not enough people have "gone digital" to start switch-off,
but not enough can/will go digital until switch-off.

It's all careful information management (and spin!) - the government
needs to get as many people to take the plunge as possible (and their
own expensive), and only _then_ make it clear that aerials won't need
upgrading, and poor people will get free digital boxes.

Cheers,
David.

"Dave Farrance" wrote in message
...
"Aztech" wrote:

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/cash/...194172,00.html

The Government's handling of this has been a mess. And I think this
despite the fact that I'm an IDTV owner, enthusiastic about DTT, and
that I mostly support the actions of this Government in other issues.

I doubt they seriously care about anything beyond the next election cycle,
does Tessa Jowell really worry about 2010? Or 2015 at the earliest if
they're being realistic about these dates. Even if there isn't a change of
government in that time it still won't be Their Problem.

Az.

"David Robinson" wrote in message
om...

How about simple information like:

At analogue switch-off, 99% of people will be able to receive digital
TV through their existing aerial.
I wonder at what point they achieve this 99% coverage ?
As they can't currently provide us with a decent analogue signal
it looks like I'll be left with the option of paying Sky for what are
currently free channels (itv/ch4/ch5), unless of course that situation
changes.

"Paul" wrote in message
news:%[email protected]
"David Robinson" wrote in message
om...

How about simple information like:

At analogue switch-off, 99% of people will be able to receive digital
TV through their existing aerial.
I wonder at what point they achieve this 99% coverage ?

Given that report published a couple of weeks ago, they don't intend to.

I'll be left with the option of paying Sky for what are currently free
channels
(itv/ch4/ch5), unless of course that situation changes.

They seem to have settled on that outcome, hence the call for a viable FTV
scheme.

No matter how much they hope, it's not going to happen by itself.

Az.