Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael Maurice
Does anyone know what will happen to the small relay transmitters which at the moment only transmit analogue?
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I'll answer that in a bit more detail, since High Wycombe is one of those areas. We've only ever had 4 analogue channels, no channel 5 and no Freeview at all.
After switchover, one frequency will carry the BBC digital channels. Another will carry ITV1, ITV2, Channel 4, More 4, E4 and Channel 5 for the first time. The third frequency will carry the two BBC HD channels, plus ITV1 and Channel 4 in HD. The fourth frequency will be turned off altogether and possibly re-used for mobile broadband in the future, not TV broadcasting.
That means there will be no ITV3 or ITV4 or Film 4 , but these can be received on Freesat with a dish. However, many more "Freeview" channels like Dave, Yesterday, Quest etc. CANNOT be received for free by any other means. People in High Wycombe and other affected areas will have to subscribe to Sky - a minimum £20 a month - just to get what's free for everyone else. It's so unfair. My parents have Freesat but would like the missing channels. They're both pensioners now and are unwilling to pay for them, but their only choice is pay or do without. This hasn't been advertised much.
Actually I should say "most people will have to pay..." because I'm lucky. With a massive aerial I can just about get a signal direct from Crystal Palace. That enables me to enjoy all that Freeview has to offer. And a couple of years ago I discovered that a black and white TV licence allows you to use a digital box with a black and white TV, as long as it doesn't record. That hasn't been advertised much either. Dozens of channels for less than £1 a week! Suddenly my old tellies took on a new lease of life. It's been great fun rescuing old sets from landfill , restoring them and getting them to work with new technology. And what could be better than watching some vintage TV programmes on the new digital channels, on a genuine vintage TV set.
It will be sad to see analogue go, but at least it's not the end for our beloved vintage TVs. It's the start of a new chapter in the history of broadcasting.