The switchoff begins ...

"John Porcella" wrote in message
...



Why not? Digital TV coverage is probably close to 100% in actual fact!



Um...I'm pretty sure that's not right, at least not at the moment - even
population wise which is a far easier measure to achieve. Hopefully that'll
change post-analogue.

wrote:

It's very simple - come analogue switch off, the DTT broadcasts will
move into the vacated analogue frequency slots - virtually _all_
working TV aerial systems will receive them without any modification.

The need for a _new_ aerial to receive digital TV is a transitory phase
- I wish people were told this - many could save £200 - though if
everyone took that approach (i.e. wait!) switch over would be pushed
further back.

Do you have an official reference for that? What power increase (dB) will be
applied?
--
Dave

Max Demian said the following on 2005-03-30 10:08:
"JB" wrote in message

Great! Are we all going to get free PVRs when analogue switches off? If not,
it's not a very realistic trial.

IIRC the intention of this trial was more of a technical trial to find
all the shortcomings that would be involved and any problems that would
be thrown up, and once viewers were forced onto digital (as everyone in
borders will be in 3 years time) to find out what they liked and if
there were any further problems.

If you want a free PVR from the government, i take it you would be happy
to see an extra £200 or so on your council tax bill, increased income
tax, increased VAT and reduced general benefits to yourself (if you
recive them) to pay for it?

Kev

On 2005-03-30, Dave Pickles wrote:
wrote:

It's very simple - come analogue switch off, the DTT broadcasts will
move into the vacated analogue frequency slots - virtually _all_
working TV aerial systems will receive them without any modification.

The need for a _new_ aerial to receive digital TV is a transitory phase
- I wish people were told this - many could save £200 - though if
everyone took that approach (i.e. wait!) switch over would be pushed
further back.

Do you have an official reference for that? What power increase (dB) will be
applied?

You just need to look at the OFCOM web site for the switchover planning
documents.

The recent OFCOM consultation (which finished on 21 March - see
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/pods/pods.pdf) offers several
candidate power increase options including DTTV powers increased from the
current -20 dB WRT analogue to -10 dB, -7 dB and even -4 dB in some cases.

--
John Phillips

Dave Pickles said the following on 2005-03-30 17:06:
wrote:
It's very simple - come analogue switch off, the DTT broadcasts will
move into the vacated analogue frequency slots - virtually _all_
working TV aerial systems will receive them without any modification.

The need for a _new_ aerial to receive digital TV is a transitory phase
- I wish people were told this - many could save £200 - though if
everyone took that approach (i.e. wait!) switch over would be pushed
further back.


Do you have an official reference for that? What power increase (dB) will be
applied?

OFCOMS recent documents and proposals state that 3 analogue will be
converted (e.g. from Waltham BBC ONE would become Multiplex 1, BBC TWO
would become Multiplex B and ITV-1 Central would become Multiplex 1 [the
exact take overs are my best guesses]).

http://wwww.dtt-tx-info.org/dso.html gives a pretty good summary of the
proposals

Powers will be -10dB compared with analogue (this is IIRC 10% in kW figures)

There may or may not be additional transmitters introduced along the
South Coast and East of England where contential interference is a problem.


Presumably channelised distribution systems will either result in
viewers ending up with 3 out of 6 perfectly good multiplexes or result
in a lot of work for people like Bill round the time of switch off. (I
would hope any installer installing such a system now informs the client
that after switch-off they may need to change that part of the system)

Max Demian wrote:

Actually, just watching Breakfast now, the guy in charge of the equipment
was saying how the old folks found it easier to use PVRs to VCRs because
they don't have to bend down to insert the tape.


Great! Are we all going to get free PVRs when analogue switches off? If not,
it's not a very realistic trial.


You got it. It is not realistinc at all, of cause people are going to
like it since they have been given the equipment. It is when people have
to pay for the stuff, that is when things will go wrong.

John Patrick wrote:


The government can go back on what it likes really even when its set a law
on the statute book it can still be overturned by paliament. As for waiting
till 95% have access to a digital signal that will present no problem for
the spin docs. By one definition it probably could already be claimed that
at least 95% have access should they wish to purchase a receiver. Maybe not
access to DTT but Certainly SKY. Thats not the point though the point is the

But that is wrong,k sky is a subscription system, The ogvernment also
said that equipement will be affordable, Sky is not affordable to a lot
of people, even if you have this so called freesat, it is still £150 and
sky can still cancle that at any time.
Getting a normal Dsat box is no good because you can not get ITV1, ch4
or ch 5 on them.




government will basically do what it wants when it wants. With the
forthcoming election it might be quite entertaining, don't think it will do
anything else other than entertain, to question your MP/prospective MP about
some of the technicalities of digital TV policy.

Our MP is a Lib Dem and they do not know much, in fact our MP is a waste
of space.


As for any digital refuseniks they will simply be put under house arrest
without access to email or telephones - Just kidding I hope. In the end I
suspect lots of boxes will be given away to the elderly and the low incomed.


Well if they are going to give away boxes, then I think they should give
them away to everyone.
At the end of the day, I pay my license fee, the elderly do not, will
not after 75 anyway. I also pay tax, so I should get a free box.


I still do not think the changeover will happen when they say, unless
the government decideds to go for it anyway, because once the election
is over, nothing can be done about it.

JPG wrote:


Why do they insist on using a hierarchical menu system for teletext when people
know and love the page number system of analogue teletext? Now the BBC have a
strange hybrid system where you can enter a page number - it would be nice if
the page numbers were the same on both systems, but they're not.

I do not know why they just do not transfer the analouge system, after
all it have worked fine for years.


Also ITV DTV Teletext is nigh on useless unless the TV sound is on the
background - or a small picture is used as on the BBC version. I never bother
with ITV teletext for that reason.


I now gone back to using analouge text, digital text is just a waste of
time.

JB wrote:




You're seriously trying to tell me that you think people (the vast majority
anyway) would be willing to live in an apartment block that they couldn't
get TV in?

I don't see it happening myself


Then they would be on the streets then.

JB wrote:

Quite, but it's not their problem if you can't get their transmissions

That is true.


either. If there is sufficient viewing figures (and I suspect that
milestone has already passed) then the broadcasters really won't care if you
can't get TV any more.

How can it have past, not even half of the country have got digital yet,
there is still a long way to go.



I disagree. When the options are digital or nothing most will switch pretty
damn quickly.


If you can get digital, anyway, why should we settle for a system that
is worse than what we have already got?

It is about time people in this country fought for things and not lie
back all the time.