What will the new Digital TV mean for someone who only has analgoue at the moment

johnmcdnl

I'm getting a bit confused as to what will be available on TV when this Digital TV is launched...

At the moment I'm getting the 4 Irish station, BBC1, BBC 2, ITV/UTV, and Channel 4...

What stations will I get when the switchover starts happening... I have an middlen old CRT TV so it doesn't get the digital signals now...

What will I have to do to start getting the Digital TV and what changes will I notice when i upgrade the tv... and if I don't do anything when will I start loosing stations basically...

I'm really asking on behalf on my granny because she hasn't a clue what I'm on about when she hears any of this talk and I'm not exactly too sure myself so I don't want to be confusing her even more...

I've plugged a digital tv into the aerial at her house and I can get several of the British Freeview stations like BBC3, Gold, E4+1 (but not E4 itself ) etc etc etc so I'm assuming the aerial is ok...

Can someone just sum up what's going to happen and when and what will be needed to get the digital tv for someone who's basically clueless of whats going on at all lol

Thanks

The Cush

johnmcdnl wrote: »

I'm getting a bit confused as to what will be available on TV when this Digital TV is launched...

At the moment I'm getting the 4 Irish station, BBC1, BBC 2, ITV/UTV, and Channel 4...

What stations will I get when the switchover starts happening... I have an middlen old CRT TV so it doesn't get the digital signals now...

What will I have to do to start getting the Digital TV and what changes will I notice when i upgrade the tv... and if I don't do anything when will I start loosing stations basically...

I'm really asking on behalf on my granny because she hasn't a clue what I'm on about when she hears any of this talk and I'm not exactly too sure myself so I don't want to be confusing her even more...

I've plugged a digital tv into the aerial at her house and I can get several of the British Freeview stations like BBC3, Gold, E4+1 (but not E$ ) etc etc etc so I'm assuming the aerial is ok...

Can someone just sum up what's going to happen and when and what will be needed to get the digital tv for someone who's basically clueless of whats going on at all lol

Thanks

First off analogue tv from both here and NI will be around until sometime mid to end of 2012, no fixed analogue tv switchoff date for either jurisdiction yet.

I don't know what the current Irish DTT test signal is like in your area, maybe someone local could post the information but you say she is receiving all 4 Irish analogue channels including TV3. Analogue TV3 is only available from a limited number of high power transmitters and all of these transmitters are broadcasting the Irish digital tests (no TV3 on the tests).

Did you pickup any of the Irish digital channels when you plugged in the digital tv at your grany's? Some tv's will only give audio on the Irish channels and no pictures due to the different digital standard between North and South.

Under an agreement signed between the two governments in Feb there is to be a coordinated analogue switchoff plan in the border region including a switchoff information campaign.

I assume your granny is happy with the current channels so I wouldn't do anything until late next year at the earliest when the Irish DTT service Saorview is up and running and more definite information on analogue switchoff is available.

I think I've covered the basics but post again if you've got further questions.

See'ing as she has tv3,then she will receive the irish saorview service and can now if she had an mpeg4 tv.
She will also receive the UK freeview service if she's already getting uk analogue and you say she is and even when you tested a digital tv,you got the current low power uk freeview so will have no problem getting the full high power service as she's obviously pointed to a main NI transmitter,more than likely brougher.

So in short,make sure she gets herself an mpeg4 tv and she will getall the irish channels and up to 80 more UK tv and radio services.

She will be bombarded with digital channels

johnmcdnl

I was getting the RTE News station and a few other RTE digital stations anyways...

Suppose that means a new TV is all that's needed is it??

Will there be a box thing or something that can just be plugged into the TV like the Freeview Box in the UK that will solve all the problems or will a new TV be needed.. and how much will this cost roughly..

- on a side note when I plugged the digital tv in the reception for analogue Channel 4 was quite poor, it's usually nearly perfect but has never just been as crisp as the other stations but still very good - what could be a reason for this??

watty

Yes you can use a Set-box (likely under €70 before Analogue Closedown) or a suitable TV

In the next few months there should be "saorview" stickers on compatible products.

johnmcdnl

johnmcdnl wrote: »

Will there be a box thing or something that can just be plugged into the TV like the Freeview Box in the UK that will solve all the problems or will a new TV be needed.. and how much will this cost roughly..

It's likely the new freeview hd t2 boxes will work perfectly-currently they are circa €100.
I have a sagemcom one and it's decoding RTE and the UK channels all on the one electronic programme guide as well as obviously itv1 HD and BBC HD here in wicklow from a welsh transmitter.
The HD channels won't be available in NI untill after 2012 but the hd boxes will of course decode the other freeview channels and the irish ones up there.

- on a side note when I plugged the digital tv in the reception for analogue Channel 4 was quite poor, it's usually nearly perfect but has never just been as crisp as the other stations but still very good - what could be a reason for this??

A loose aerial plug or possibly you have analogue ch4 from a different transmitter tuned in on the digital tv which was weaker at your granny's house.