Digital switchover dates
Spaldwick is served by the Sandy Heath transmitter, which serves Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire. ‘Old’ analogue TV broadcasts were switched off in March and April 2011, to give way to a broader number of digital TV channels, including HD channels. Users who already receive Freeview digital channels will need to ensure that they regularly retune their set-top boxes to ensure that they are able to view all available channels.
Digital switchover dates for the Sandy Heath transmitter
Our homes are covered by the Sandy Heath transmitter, which covers about 920,000 homes. As part of a national digital switchover programme, the analogue TV channels broadcast from the Sandy Heath transmitter have now been switched off.
The digital switchover occured at the Sandy Heath transmitter in two phases:
- On Wednesday 30th March 2011, BBC2 (England) was switched off.
- On Wednesday 13th April 2011, the remaining analogue channels were switched off. These were BBC One (Cambridgeshire), ITV-1 (Anglia West), Five and Channel 4.
On Wednesday 13th April 2011, Freeview power increased from an average of 20kW to 175 kW, which is nearly nine times higher. This significantly improves reception of Freeview channels.
The switch-off occurred because analogue services use radio spectrum far less efficiently than digital TV services, so better use can be made of this available spectrum, for example, to provide new HD channels on Freeview and allow mobile network operators to deploy next-generation mobile broadband (LTE) services.
I use Freeview, so how will I be affected?
If you use Freeview, you will continue to be able to receive your existing digital channels. However, you will need to retune your digital TV or set-top box on the following dates in order to continue receiving all available services:
- 30th March 2011
- 13th April 2011
- 31st August 2011
- 14th September 2011
- 23rd November 2011.
This large number of ‘retunes’ has been required because of technical changes, which are linked to digital TV switchovers in neighbouring areas.
HD channels finally arrived on Freeview on 13th April 2011
A major benefit of the digital TV switchover is that more capacity is available for digital TV channels. So, on the 13th April 2011, HD channels were broadcast from the Sandy Heath transmitter for the first time. The following HD channels were available from this date:
- BBC One HD
- BBC HD
- ITV 1 HD
- Channel 4 HD.
However, to receive these HD channels, you need to ensure that you have a Freeview TV or set-top box that is capable of receiving HD channels. Sadly, many older Freeview TVs and set-top boxes are not, so you may need to buy a new set-top box to view the HD channels.
Alternatively, HD channels are already available using the following platforms:
- Sky+ HD. Sky currently offers over 50 HD channels as part of its Sky+ HD service. There is an ongoing subscription cost.
- Freesat. A more limited number of HD channels is available via the Freesat satellite platform, although there is no monthly subscription cost. Of the standard terrestrial channels, currently only BBC One HD, BBC HD and ITV 1 HD are available. Channel 4 HD was added to the Freesat platform in April 2011.
