Various news and views for January 2012.
FINAL YEAR OF SWITCHOVER BRINGS END OF ANALOGUE TV
The completion of switchover will cap a year of major events in 2012 as the last analogue TV channels are switched off and Freeview signals boosted to reach all areas. London will be the first region to complete switchover this year, followed by Meridian, Tyne Tees and Northern Ireland. TV across the UK will be all-digital from 24 October.
LONDON ON TRACK AS CAMPAIGN GOES UNDERGROUND
The campaign to prepare London for digital TV switchover went full steam ahead as the ‘switchover express’ began a three-month run on London Underground’s Central Line. The train, carrying switchover messaging, is designed to remind passengers to ensure their TVs are ready for the end of analogue TV in April. Digital UK will also be writing directly to every home and running roadshows across the capital in conjunction with the Switchover Help Scheme.
NORTH EAST VIEWERS URGED TO REMEMBER SECOND SETS
While most homes in the UK are now watching digital TV on their main television, latest research suggests around 20 per cent of households in the North East of England are still watching analogue services on at least one set. With switchover happening this September, viewers in the Tyne Tees region are being reminded to convert second sets in bedrooms and kitchens, or risk facing a blank screen.
SWITCH TO IMPROVE RECEPTION FOR MERIDIAN VIEWERS
Viewers in the Meridian TV region served by the Rowridge transmitter should see an extra boost in TV reception following switchover this March. An upgrade to the transmitter will make it one of the most powerful in the country, helping to alleviate long-standing interference due to overlapping signals from France. The transmitter will also broadcast signals in two different ways to help those prone to interference receive a clearer signal.