UK Digital Switchover

The BBC announced today that Cumbria will be told when the analouge service that services their area will be discontinued.

The first switch off starts in April 2008/09 in the Border region.

However many people are not aware of the switchover or they don't know how to recive it and the Company behined the Switchover have said that many people could still lose out if they don't get it in time
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The last regions to be switched to digital will be London and Merdian

To be honest, that's the only thing you needed to say. We know the rest.

Now someone will post an empty post and say that's all I needed to say.

were you expecting them to simply surprise cumbria one day?

Actually the last region will be the Channel Islands, the last UK region will be UTV and the last English mainland region will be Tyne Tees. Switchover Dates Wiki

This was one of the reasons that the Berwick-upon-Tweed transmitter was changed over to Tyne Tees (from Border) a few months ago. Up until then, it had been a split-feed relay.

DSO begins on 17th October when BBC Two analogue is switched off in Whitehaven. All other channels follow on 14th November.


Digital UK Press Release (.pdf)

To be quite honest, in my opinion, those people deserve everything they've got coming to them. The public have been informed so many times about the switchover, how to be prepared, and how easy it is to be ready. So those who are still in the dark must have their heads so far up their backside that they deserve to have no TV when their analogue service ceases.

Sorry, but these people who are not aware of it get right up my nose.

Frankly, you are the one with their head up their back side.

I cannot understand how people cannot know this is coming though. Perhaps not being clear on the date and therefore having to get stuff a month earlier than they thought, but not completely unawares.

DSO has been talked about for at least the last 12 years. Cumbria being first has been news for a few years and Whitehaven being the test town is well known in the Border region. If someone in Whitehaven is unawares of this they really must be quite ignorant as I would expect there would have been a rather large publicity campaign for the town. (and I know this for a fact as I live next door to the guy in charge of this).

There is a difference between being aware of something, and being able to do something about it.

Those on low incomes may prefer to spend their small amounts of money on heating their homes, buying food etc. rather than buying Freeeview boxes and upgrading their aerials or installing new ones...

Completly agree - it's been widely published it's coming for the last few years and to be honest I think they should just get on and turn it all off as it's the interferences from the analogue signals which is causing the main problems with Freeview reception at the moment - and hence the main confusion.

That isn't quite correct. It is the interference that Freeview signals could cause to analogue broadcasts that is the problem with Freeview reception at the moment, as it requires Freeview to be broadcast at VERY low power levels to avoid interfering with neighbouring analogue services at the same frequency. The analogue service is more susceptible to interference than the digital service - as it degrades rather than remaining perfect until it stops entirely (the digital "cliff edge")