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Digital TV: Broadcast Heaven or Dumbed-Down Hell?
Will the UK be ready in time for 2010?
The positive signs are:
- Large recent growth in take-up of digital TV, especially in the form of Digital Terrestrial TV (DTT)
Recent figures (April 2004) from the BBC show that 'Freeview', their free-to-air digital service has been taken up by 3.4 million households. Freeview has overtaken cable to become the second most popular method of receiving digital TV behind BSkyB. Effective marketing around Christmas 2003, based on a simian theme (as, coincidentally, was the advertising for ITV Digital) appears to have helped sell 500 000 set-top boxes (STBs) in the space of one month.
- A public information campaign, hailing the benefits of digital TV, is likely to be set in motion. The messages are expected to stress access to quality programming, better reception and greater interactivity.
 Much appears to depend upon the continued success of Freeview, which offers up to 30 channels for a one-off STB payment of up to £100. It seems to meet the needs of consumers who are put off pay-TV but can see the benefits of the additional channels and some aspects of the interactivity. As more people switch to Freeview, the price of STBs can be expected to fall to around £40, causing a further boost to digital demand.
On the negative side:
- A recent Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) survey found that 50% of respondents opposed switching off analogue signals by 2010. 5% of respondents said they will never buy a digital set, even when analogue finishes.
- Even people with digital TV on their main set usually have more TVs in their households, all of which must be adapted for digital use.
- Freeview only covers 70% of the country and does not work with older aerials or portable sets. A study by the company Wolfbane has produced a predictor map of UK digital TV coverage, which questions how ready the UK will be to receive digital TV.
- All the VCRs in households will have to be retuned to accept digital signals.
UK map: Wolfbane's digital TV coverage study predicts that much of the country will not be able to receive a signal. Those areas in orange and yellow will be able to receive the signal with standard antenna, those in blue with a large antenna, and the white expanse unlikely to receive a signal at all. Reproduced courtesy of Wolfbane Cybernetic.
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