Digital switch over.

[dot.haukes]

I have a samsung TV with built in Digital TV but I have a sky box on it at the moment, which was new in march 08, I am used to using the sky features as we have had sky for 12 years. The actual Sky account under the 12 minth contract ran out 11 years ago and every so often we have had sky on again for a while and then not bothered. At the moment we don;t have any sky channels actiive just the free ones.
My son has skyplus upstairs which is also not active at the moment and he also has a digital set top box. my other son has a set top box upstairs too.
BT rang me yesterday offering a free BT Vision system with free instalation at �7 something a month for the first 3 months and then �14 a month after that on a 1 year contract.

Ok so my question is this: When there is the digital change over, cos we have not got a sky package in place at the moment, will we need an upgrade on the sky vieing card?
If we don't get a new card, will we then not be able to use the sky system at all?
is the BT Vision going to be worth accepting now or is it going to be as pointless as having 400 sky channels and still only bothering with 6 or 8 of them?

[redman41]

Hi dot.haukes !
The Digital Switchover from Analogue to Digital will only affect those who are using 'Freeview' which comes via your rooftop Aerial. Sky Viewers will not be affected by the changeover as you are all already on Digital.
Winter Hill Transmitter starts the Digital switchover on Nov 4th through to Dec 2nd this year.

[dot.haukes]

Oh right, thanks for that, well my sons must both have freeview via aerial, and my Digital TV would need an aerial if I turn it to freeview, and so what do we have to do to make the aerial freeview into digital freeview then?

[redman41]

You have an in-built Tuner in your Samsung TV , so when Winter Hill starts the Changeover on 4th Nov you will have to do a full AutoScan ( TV Menu-Scan Function) so that you can receive all the Channels that are available. You will also have to do further Full Scans when the final change takes place on 2nd Dec.
Before deciding on your best options i.e BT Vision, Sky Subscription etc, have a good look at what Freeview has to offer first. The Digital Signal will increase 10 Fold after Analogue is switched off for better reception but if you need more Channels then you need to go for Sky Package.

[Postdog]

It was probably a typo, cos I think what redman meant to say is that it'll only affect you if you have analogue - Freeview IS digital, so if you have it, you are digital.

Regarding the BT thing, do you need it. Ordinary Freeview provides a lot of channels anyway, and you can buy digiboxes that act like sky anyway (record more than one channel, hard drive recording, etc, etc). I don't get time to watch what is on mine!

Or there's freesat. Sky also do a version of there own called freesat, so as you have the installation, nothing to stop you using theirs.