Digital switchover

The town of Whitehaven in Cumbria is gearing up to spearhead the digital era as it becomes the first place in the UK to lose the analogue TV signal.

BBC Two will be first to go in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The remaining analogue channels will be switched off on 14 November.

Around 25,000 households will then need Freeview, satellite, cable or broadband in order to watch television.

Analogue TV will be switched off in the rest of the UK by the end of 2012.

About 84% of British households have already installed digital equipment, according to media watchdog Ofcom.

'Visual evidence'

The people of Whitehaven, and the surrounding borough of Copeland, have been the subject of a major campaign in recent months to make sure they are clear about what equipment they will need.


HOW SWITCHOVER WILL WORK
Whitehaven map
# 17 October - Whitehaven BBC Two's analogue signal switched off
# First group of Freeview channels become available (all BBC channels)
14 November - Whitehaven
# Remaining analogue channels switched off
# Every home will be able to receive at least 18 Freeview channels
2008-2012 - Rest of UK
# Analogue signal turned off one transmitter at a time

Local schoolchildren have marked the switchover by burying a time capsule containing an analogue remote control, television listings guide and their drawings of televisions.

Digit Al, a robot helping publicise the switchover, was also there.

Local resident David Day, 61, who has bought a new television, described the publicity surrounding the event as immense.

"There have been posters and billboards everywhere, so there's a lot of visual evidence that something is happening," he told the BBC News website.

Digital UK, which is overseeing the move to digital TV, said on Monday that "probably nine out of 10 households" in Whitehaven were now ready.


It's actually going to give Whitehaven a name now and I think people are quite happy that it will be the first for something
Craig Carruthers, manager of local electrical store

Chief executive Ford Ennals said the people of Whitehaven were "very excited", adding they would be able to get digital channels and Five for the first time.

Culture Secretary James Purnell added: "On my recent visit, I found preparations well in hand, and local people glad to be leading the way as we begin this huge technological and social change."

Whitehaven's Tesco store has seen sales of digital set-top boxes rise by 1400% since the end of July, and digital TV sales were up 280% in the same period.

Ford Ennals
Digital UK's Ford Ennals: "Set-top boxes are selling for as little as £14.99

Craig Carruthers has worked at the local branch of Currys.Digital electrical store for 13 years. He said he had not experienced such a rush outside the Christmas period.

As a resident, he is proud that his home town has been chosen to test the switchover, adding: "It's quite an important time for us."

With the switchover hour approaching, local councillor Tim Knowles said residents were looking forward to it, but added that "a lot of the older generation are rather concerned about what the next few weeks might bring".

Across the UK, new equipment, installation and support will be given to people over 75, those with significant disabilities and the blind.

'Last minute'

The assistance will cost £40, or will be free for eligible people who are also on pension credit, job seeker's allowance or income support.

And in Whitehaven, Age Concern has set up an information centre to help older residents.

However, Mr Knowles thought most people would leave it to the last minute.

"People will not realise that such a substantial change is coming until it actually happens and I think we'll find out on the day quite what the extent of that is," he said

I'll give it its own thread:

the Switch over starts tonight: I never know it was this close

nice to see BBC not getting their own facts rights

I shall be in mourning with the rest of Whitehaven tonight.

I wonder how many people in Whitehaven realise they will also not be able to get Ceefax or Teletext's analogue service when switchover happens? It seems that DigitalUK are going out of their way to avoid mentioning this, just as five avoided telling us about the return of their DOG.

And how crass of the electrical retailer interviewed on BBC News to bemoan the fact that in some cases, he wasn't able to "make a sale".

I shall be in mourning with the rest of Whitehaven tonight.

I wonder how many people in Whitehaven realise they will also not be able to get Ceefax or Teletext's analogue service when switchover happens? It seems that DigitalUK are going out of their way to avoid mentioning this, just as five avoided telling us about the return of their DOG.

And how crass of the electrical retailer interviewed on BBC News to bemoan the fact that in some cases, he wasn't able to "make a sale".

I wonder how many people in Whitehaven realise they will also not be able to get Ceefax or Teletext's analogue service when switchover happens? It seems that DigitalUK are going out of their way to avoid mentioning this, just as five avoided telling us about the return of their DOG.

I shall be in mourning with the rest of Whitehaven tonight.

I wonder how many people in Whitehaven realise they will also not be able to get Ceefax or Teletext's analogue service when switchover happens? It seems that DigitalUK are going out of their way to avoid mentioning this, just as five avoided telling us about the return of their DOG.

And how crass of the electrical retailer interviewed on BBC News to bemoan the fact that in some cases, he wasn't able to "make a sale".