In the UK the great digital switchover starts in 2008 and is due to finish in 2012. The analogue TV signal will be switched off leaving millions of televisions, video players and equipment obsolete.



Tessa Jowell, the Minister for Culture and Sport, announced the Great Digital Switchover on 15 September 2005 in a speech to the Royal Television Society in Cambridge. "Digital TV is no longer a probability, it is a certainty. And I believe it can leave us with a legacy of more choice for more people than anywhere else in the World" she said.

The Start of a New, Digital Revolution

Digital television is little short of the start of a digital revolution in our use of television in the home.

It heralds the convergence of two of the greatest technologies of our age ? television and computers. In the future it is going to become ever more difficult, and the distinction more meaningless, to separate the functions of the two.

As exciting as the prospect of the digital revolution undoubtedly is, we must not loose sight of the fact that as far reaching as the implications of this change are in our use of TV, its implementation is a logistical exercise of immeasurable proportions.

Digital UK to Coordinate the Digital Switchover

The digital switchover will be coordinated by Digital UK - an independent, not for profit company set up by the broadcasters, commercial multiplex operators and their suppliers. Digital UK - formerly known as Switchco - will ensure that the public have timely and accurate information about switchover, including knowing when their transmitter is going digital and what they have to do to receive the signal.

Digital Receivers for Every TV and Video Recorder

Every TV set and video recorder in the UK will need to be connected to a digital receiver to work. In many parts of the UK existing TV aerials cannot receive the terrestrial digital signals and will need to be replaced The current generation of portable TVs many never be adapted to the digital revolution.

Small wonder then that TV manufacturers, engineers and media companies are rubbing their hands with glee.

It wasn't too hard a decision for the Government either. Digital signals are far less greedy in their use of available bandwidth. There seems little doubt that the Government has its eye on the handsome profit from the sale of the airwaves once the digital switchover is complete.

Who Pays?

No surprises here, you pay. The Government has announced a package of measures to convert one television for the old and needy. Everyone else pays for themselves.

And the bill could be substantial.

Government statistics estimate that the average household in the UK has 4 televisions. Everyone must be connected to a digital receiver somehow. With freeview boxes currently costing around ?40 and up and many home needing new aerials to receive terrestrial digital signals, estimates are that each household will need to spend between ?400 and ?2000.

Make sure you are prepared. Know when the digital switchover will take place in your region. Budget to convert or replace your existing televisions over a period of time.

And most importantly, don't rush into anything. Digital technology is changing rapidly. Prices are high. New technologies are sure to emerge.