From the Shropshire Star:

http://www.shropshirestar.com/show_article.php?aID=43201

Seems that as it stands many rural areas of Shropshire, and most of Powys, cannot recieve digital TV. With the switchover from analogue coming soon, could it mean many in rural areas will end up without TV?

Looks like more investment will be needed to build more transmitters, before any compulsary switchover is made.

Dont panic eveyone,you have at least another six yrs to get yourselves sorted before they' pull the plug'.they just want to panic everyone into buying digital kit,if you do,come six yrs time it will all need replacing anyhow.

That's very true I have SKY+ which was top spec last year now we are being told to upgrade to SKY HD as its great!!!.

So what's the point, its best to just wait and see what happens over the next few years. Any area that has a poor signal at the moment will be improved before switch off as the transmitter power will be increased.

If anyone does want to switch over to digital then Freeview may be the best option because there is nothing on SKY at the moment worth watching, since they re-arranged their channels its a nightmare!

I pay £54.00 per month and I'm seriously thinking of downgrading to the basic package. The films are all old and the discovery channels and UKTV channels have gone downhill fast over the past year.

If living tv was on Freeview I'd dump sky altogether.

Freeview's site suggests 2011 for switchover in the Shropshire area:

Freeview news section

I'm supprised at how many people still dont know you can get a Sky box and dish for a one off no subscription fee of £150 inc. fitting,mind you its little wonder,people dont know because its never advertised,they want you to sign up to their costly packages. If you then get a PVR recorder from Dixons for £250 you are then set up to go,compare that to £10 p.m. for the Sky+box then £15 p.m. for the min.package this will ammount to £300 a year,the one off deal has got to be the best way forward unless you like paying through the nose for your viewing,dont forget to add on the tv licence.

What about if you live in a listed building where Sky dishes are forbidden (I'm moving into one such, albeit in Shrewsbury town centre), perhaps with cable TV an additional no-no? Freeview provides an acceptable fallback, IMO.

There is more information about freesat on their website http://www.freesatfromsky.co.uk.

I've noticed a few satelite dishes around town that have been placed high up on chimneys then painted a brick colour. If you stand at the entrance to the quarry by Quarry Place you will see one there.

Rhassaris, do you have any outdoor space where you could locate a dish at ground level and hide it in some way?

Probably not, although there's a "shared yard" at the back of the property (I'm a tenant, not the owner) - but that's likely to have terrible signals, being surrounded by three storeys on all sides and only accessible via a tunnel-type alley.

I have yet to inquire about cable TV, but it seems doubtful. Freeview and DVDs will probably do me for much of the time, though.

I'm afraid Cable TV is not an option in Shrewsbury as we don't have the infrastructure. So its down to Freeview or SKY.

There are new services launching later this year where TV will be available via your normal BT phone line. I know BT are going to be one of the suppliers and I'm sure there will be more.

Tell me more Chris

Here's a link to a story from a few weeks ago, I have read the official BT press release although I can't remember when they where rolling out the service. I'll have a look tomorrow.

BBC Story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4332337.stm

With regard to sat dishes. It is possible to mount a dish inside (i.e. attic) and still recieve a good signal but you would need a bigger dish like the old analogue ones (60 or 80 cms) and sky would never install it that way but if you have the kit and know what you are doing with dish angles and cabling it is possible although not the best option

I know BBC were trialling a service last year called IMP that you could subscribe to and download selected BBC programmes into a BBC media player using VOD tech (Video on Demand) (or at least a good few hours download for each programme on a BT Broadband connection ) but could only keep the recording for a shot period of time.

Original Story

BBC Project Page

It only supports Windows computers and not Apple Mac or Linux boxes mainly (in my view) due to the high level of DRM applied and the dependancy on the insecure Windows Media format (which Apple Mac's and Linux distros wisely avoid) which I think is not good considering BBC online's tendancy to support open protocols even though they do use Real Player and WMP for their streaming video which are closed formats.

I also found this about the switch over when searching for the IMP story Here

Slightly worrying is This Story as well.

Here's the press release I mentioned yesterday.

TV service named BT Vision
BT’s next generation pay TV service to be launched later this year will be called BT Vision.

BT says the new service will be full of great entertainment and - unlike other pay TV services - there will be no compulsory monthly subscription so viewers only need pay for what they watch.

The pioneering service combines digital terrestrial TV with broadband-powered video-on-demand film, music and children’s programming as well as interactive services.

This unique combination, delivered on a Microsoft-powered software platform and through a set-top box made by Philips, will allow customers control and convenience, says BT. Users will be able to pause TV programmes or record every episode of a series without need for tapes or timers.

Some of the world’s biggest entertainment and TV production companies are already on board, including Cartoon Network, BBC Worldwide, Paramount, Warner Music Group, National Geographic Channel and the children’s channels HIT Entertainment and Nelvana.

BT says more big name deals will be unveiled as the company prepares for the launch of the new service.

OH!!!

Ouch (says the Mac worker who is SO tired of PC stuff....)

For goodness' sake, how awkward is it to be cross-platform? It's not like it's hard, I do it with almost every site I've ever worked on....

snassen frassen rassen rant over.....maybe....

:-)

Microsoft and Digital Terrestrial Television. Not a good combination at all and I talk from experience what with owning a Windows Media Centre 2005 box which is great for videos and music but when it comes to receiving DTT signals it is very poor indeed compared to my standalone freeview decoder.

Being Microsoft it will most likely be a flavour of Longhorn, Vista or whatever the hell they are calling they new os these days which means DRM and general stability / security issues. I can imagine it now, people complaining at getting a BSOD (blue screen of death) during Eastenders or Cup Final.

You talk of being cross-platform which as you said is not difficult but to be cross-platform relies on using development standards which as microsoft has proven with office and their spyware finder err sorry internet explorer, standards are not something they care about.

It's a shame a company doesnt make one based on MythTV / Red Hat because from what I've been reading that is the best way to go.

Personally I think I'll be sticking with my modified Sky+ for the time being.

As noted in my earlier post, I'm a Mac user, and therefore naturally have a superiority complex. :-) I just really, really, really don't like Windows and the more I have to use it, the less I enjoy the experience. But that's just me, and some people are OK with it. It's just what you're used to...although I do tend to get steamed about it, and apologise :-)

As far as digital TV is concerned, I think if they're going to switch, then it should be neither Microsoft NOR apple...just because companies disappear with time and we all want something that lasts. Whatever platform(s) is/are chosen, something that serves everyone is important - not what hardware you've got, but what you should be able to get.

Or is that taking idealism too far? :-)

ITV Digital anyone? :huh:

I think the best solution would be an open platform which could be developed by anyone using agreed standards because closed systems are not good for the customer.

I beleive that technology should evolve to suit the users needs and not the other way around which is why single vendor platforms are not the way it should be implemented.

I am a self confessed OSS fan and think that DTT should be no exception. it is better option to buy the hardware and have standards based software driving it not one locked in operating system kind of how the freeview platform works at the moment.

I have heard that the Freeview signal will match the analouge singal after the switch over. Not all transmitters can be switched at the moment from what I have heard.