Wednesday, 16 July 2008

Time to go digital? by Keith Barrett

According to figures released in July 2008, more than 60% of UK televisions have now gone digital. That means that they are linked up to appropriate digital boxes, or else have them built in.
The figures mean that more than 80% of UK households can now receive a digital signal, with many opting for Freeview. There also seems to be strong demand for satellite and cable television services.
Why has there been an increase in the number of people choosing to go digital? Part of the reason will undoubtedly be that the advantages of digital TV have been hitting the mainstream media for some time.
In particular, it seems that many viewers are being impressed with the new interactive functions. These functions are being used to expand the reach of the existing channels.
Access to digital TV also means access to a greater number of channels. This will have driven some people to make the change, particularly given the new range of options offered by the BBC.
A final factor is that the government are publicising the fact that the analogue system will gradually be switched off. There's a timetable in place, meaning that viewers who don't make the leap to digital will simply face losing their TV signal.
So is it now the time to switch, if you haven't done so already? There are clearly plenty of advantages to making the change and there are some good deals on the market that are also making it much more affordable.
For my part, I've switched to make use of a Freeview box, with works extremely well with my Panasonic television. You'll need to shop around to identify the best deal for your own viewing needs.
There's no doubt that digital television has rapidly become part of life. What we once thought of as something that might appear in the future is now very much part of today.

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