Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

With the imminent switchover I thought I would start a thread where you can ask Q's relating to this major event.

If your not sure how it will affect you or just want to post up what equipment you have (tv, video, dvd recorder etc) and I/others will be happy to recommend what you need to do and how best to do it.

So let the fun begin!

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

yes to a degree you are but you need to think about how you will watch one channel whilst recording another.

Currently if you are recording sky you will probably watch your analogue TV signal or record analogue TV whilst watching Sky. Unless you have a sky+ or two sky boxes you won't be able to do this. One solution is to have a freeview box purely to record from but this won't give you your full sky package. Its possible depending on the equipment to wire it such that you can record from either Sky and freeview and watch the other.


ian

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

I have a television (in the bedroom) that doesn't have a scart socket. I read somewhere that you can run a freeview box through a video into the television. But not sure how to do this. (I do have a freeview box for another television - so it would be easy to try out - providing I know what to do). Can you give me some idea what I need to be doing.

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

THIS LINK will help you set up your free-view equipment for anyone thats not sure

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

You need a freeview box that has an RF out to your TV then. Not sure how easy they are too find but the old OnDigital boxes have rf out as I use mine like that.

As you said you could scart the freeview box into a video, then you could record it or watch it through the rf to your TV

I have said rf a few times, this is the normal analog aerial connection into your TV for those not sure.

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

How about looking into free satellite from sky

freesat from Sky - A new way to get free digital satellite TV

Sounds expensive to me but I can put the dish up etc myself.

Not sure if you can just buy the freesat cards still from Sky. If so all you need is a digibox and dish

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

Or you could wait for this freesat - the new free HD digital satellite TV service from the BBC & ITV freesat from the BBC and ITV

We switch between October and December 2009. Not long really.

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

I have 2 hd ready tv's, both are using an indoor aerial, and both have over 90 channels (including radio).

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

i have a digibox in my bedroom, but like sky, if its peeing down, thats it i cant watch half the channels!
is this to do with my crappy aerial on the roof or my crappy digibox?, cuz its doing my head in!

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

Digibox I would say, I had the same indoor aerial on the digibox before, and it was always freezing up, hd telly on same aerial, no problem.

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

Im normally quite good with stuff like this but the switchover has me baffled. In our house both tvs are hooked up to freeview, does this mean we dont have to change anything? Good advice will be rewarded with karma.

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

Lol, i can just imagine it now, to be honest it wouldnt really bother me as if im inside and have the time im normally playing on my xbox rather than watching tv.

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

if your inside, whens the trial? are you expecting a lagging?:D:D

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

You will still be able to watch your freeview after the switchover yes. If you still use a VCR it will only be able to record the channel you are watching unless you buy another freeview box just for the VCR to record from.

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

I have two televisions, one already set up with a digi-box. I have that connected to a DVD/Video recorder.

I can only record programmes from terrestrial TV on the video. What will happen after the change over? Will I never again be able to record programmes whilst I'm out, or watching something else?

Dazed and confused.:confused:

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

Give me a clue please with what you mean. When its raining what loses half its channels, your sky or your freeview through your aerial?

If Sky then your dish needs realigning, if freeview then you either need a better aerial or it needs readjusting. Your aerial might need changing for one of the so called digital aerials.

Talking about TV aerials they are tuned to match the transmitter you are on. They have a colour coding as in red, blue, green etc. Transmitters next to each other use a different section of the frequency band. I can't remember the colours but if Winter Hill was green then the little one up Royds Avenue might be blue. This is to stop interferance between transmitters. Also main transmitters are horizontally polorised and repeaters are vertically polorised. Again this is to reduce interferance.

This page tells you about Winter Hill Winter Hill digital switchover date | ukfree.tv - independent digital television and switchover advice, since 2002

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

I HAVE SKY+
I record programmes from my sky+, onto video tape using my tv/video combi unit.
I then watch my video in the kitchen on a seperate telly & video
QUESTION
Digsyboy's dog Sam, buggered up my tv/video combi and so i now need to replace it
I have seen a tv/video/DVD combi in the shop but it does not have the ticked box logo thingummyjig
Am I ok to buy this telly/vid/DVD combi thing, and feed my sky+ into it so that I can tape my sky programmes using the video function, so that I can then play the video in the kitchen.....?
I don't want the thing to pack up on me next year!!!
PLEASE HELP :-)

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

goodness me one night off and look how many Q's.


I'm off out for a meal in a minute so I'll come back to each post tomorrow

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

I take it you can watch sky in your kitchen and so can record sky using your VCR in the kitchen.

Why do you record onto tape what you recorded onto your Sky+? Why don't you just watch the recorded program on Sky+ in the kitchen. Do you save the recorded programs to watch over and over and want to save space on the Sky+?

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

granny, I have just read your post again and I think you can't watch sky in the kitchen. If thats so what you need is a cable from the second rf output on you sky box to the aerial input on your kitchen TV. That way you will be able to watch sky in the kitchen, same channel as in living room though. You will also be able to watch recorded programs on your Sky+ box in your kitchen.

(I am assuming sky+ boxes have rf outputs and you can watch recorded programs on the RF out channel, I don't have a Sky+ box so I can't check)

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

whats your gamertag speedy?

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

Dont have xbox live mate. Dont have internet connection at home, all my internet based shenanigans are done on my mobile.

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

right,here goes,,,,in the living room we have 2 teles, one is a big digital one on which my hubby and son watch utter tripe ,,"NOW" poor little me has the other said tv&combi at the other end of the room with sky + with earphones on.which i can watch in comfort ..when i go to bed at night i usualy use the COPY option and put things onto tape that i have recorded over the day,such as loose women and various other programmes from sky....and watch them while i am making the tea etc,, on the tele in the kitchen which is also a combi but you can only tape what you watch,,,and dos'nt have sky ,,its worked out fine up to now ,,,,,but now i think i am going to have two redundent teles...:confused::confused::confused:

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

Like I said above, you need to connect your sky+ box to the aerial input of your kitchen TV. Then you can watch sky on your kitchen TV and also watch programs you have recorded on the Sky+ box without having to tape it first. You can buy a second sky+ remote with a magic eye that will allow you to use the sky+ remote in the kitchen and control the sky+ box that is in the other room just like you do in the living room.

Here they are for sale SKY+KIT | UNBRANDED | Remote Controls & Infra Red Links | Aerials & Satellite | CPC

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

Thanks Neil...:D

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

So basically does it mean if i have a freeview box my TV will be fine when the switchover arrives?

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

This digital switch over thing. Will my microwave still work? :confused:

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

Yes, it will be fine, The freeview box is what does the magic for you. As mentioned in previous responses you might have issues if you have a video as well.

Likewise people with Sky boxes are fine. Its not the TV's that need changing, just the bit that receives a broadcasted signal and makes a picture from it.

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

If running a wire is too much trouble then you can use a wireless sender. You do need to be careful as they need setting up so they don't interfere with wireless networks or if you have a DECT cordless phone. good ones will send the remote signal from the kitchen top the sky box as well.

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

Simpest way is to have two Freeview boxes. one for the video so you choose what you want to record on and another for what you want to watch live.

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

if you have one freeview box for each TV then you will be able to watch TV on either. You don't mention any video recorders so I can't comment on how it will affect your ability to record stuff

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

It depends on what the source is. If its HD (Sky HD or a HD capable DVD player) then definately. If its a DVD player that 'upscales' ( this means it takes a standard picture and trys to 'add detail' to make it HD) then probably not. the upsacling process isn't really HD, its a best guess which at best will be mediocre.

Cables are no where near that much unless you need 10m +

CPC have 1m HDMI cables from under a tenner. You don't need fancy cables for HDMI as its digital its either there or it isn't, signal degredation is not an issue.

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

Probably a combination of aerial and cable. get a new one and it will be fine. The fact that the box does work means the digital to analog conversion is working fine. Some boxes DO have better signal to noise tolerance than other and this is where you get what you pay for.
Derekgas, your new TV probably just has a better tuner in it, it would benefit from checking the wire/aerial as you may still suffer issues at times of marginal signal

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

It will but you will need to get a new aerial for it :rolleyes:

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

They don't need aerials, Old dears next door does a cracking job of wiping out TV sender signals usually just as your about to find out whodunnit!

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

You know I am a wired freak so am not really into wireless senders. When you work out the cost you might be able to get someone to wire it for you. You don't get interferance etc with wired and you don't have to worry about next door having the same wireless one and them finding out that you like to watch porn in the bedroom at night :rolleyes::eek::D

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

Simplest is really to get a freeview box with twin tuner and built in hard drive recorder. They are getting very reasonably priced now, look in Asda. Then you can record without using the VCR. You can still keep the VCR for when you want to watch your old Soft Cell video's.

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

Enough said on wireless senders I think.

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

To be fair I reckon its because its an old one, Ours downstairs doesn't do it and its fine teh vast majority of teh time

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

I don't do videos at all, even DVDs I only ever rent. Siobhan has a load but me, Nope

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

I was refering to Gary mate. Last night I suggested that you could use another freeview box so you could record onto a VCR. In reality it is not much more expensive to buy one box that does it all compaired to two freeview boxes.

One point worth mentioning is that if you buy 2 freeviwe boxes, one for the TV and one for the VCR the remotes will operate both boxes at the same time if they are the same model of freeview box. Even if you buy different freeview boxes the remotes may still use the same codes. It is something worth thinking about if you are after another freeview box to use with a VCR in the same room as your TV's freeview box.

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

Oooh there's a thought! What about our alarm clocks!!! ;)

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

Thanks for that Entwisi.:)


Still a little confused though. On the ads on TV re: the change over, it said that you will only be able to record the programme you're watching.(?)

Nevermind. l have two TVs, so somehow I'll get to watch/record what I want to see.:rolleyes:

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

You would be better of buying a freeview box with built in recorder. One that can record one program while you watch another. They sell them in Asda, have a look next time your in (unless you are an M&S shopper).

Then you would have a freeview box for each TV and will be able to record what you want as well.

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

Thanks, that's what I needed to know.:)

I make a point of not doing supermarkets, but will plan a little excursion, just this once.:D

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

Have a look at these mate

DAEWOO Digital Set Top Box DSD9503T - ASDA Electricals

Currys - Shop for Personal Video Recorder - Sagem DVR62160T DIGITAL TV RECORDER

You would need to check you can watch one and record another channel at the same time. Have a look round everyone is selling them know.

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

Also keep your eye on hotukdeals.com as they come up on there quite often.

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

Hi Zombie
You want going with, Ive just spayed an insect with Raid that appeared on my monitor, and its you and your bugs. <GGGGGGG>
Retlaw.

Re: Digital Switchover - ask your Q here
 

Apologies if this has already been posted,this link helps with connecting varies TV equipment together.
Digital connection wizard, indoor digital aerial, best indoor tv aerial, Digital TV, recommended iDTVs, recommended set top boxes, Digital Switchover, Digital UK, Ricability