http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7045641.stm

Well as I can only get BBC 1/2 & 3 with my arial Im not overly bothered. Im not paying £80 for a digital arial.  

Edit - I can get Top Gear, and thats all that matters.  :mrgreen:

Quote from: White GiantEdit - I can get Top Gear, and thats all that matters.  :mrgreen:

Even without an aerial you can get TG from XTVI

You dont necessarily need new Aerials. I got my Freeview box in my room over 2 years ago and just plugged it in with our original home Aerial and it worked fine, get all channels that are currently avaliable with full signal. But on the odd night with crap weather the signal can go a bit funny but considering that our house aeriel is over 10 years old now you cant complain really

I use old ariel +  £10 signal amplifier, works great.

Funny though, was in the paper yesterday her in sweden,
last station to go digital, all analog ( why do u put an -ue in the end of analog ? I refuse  ) TV stations are gone.

Ill probably stick with Sky anyway when its changeover time. Its £££ to fit a roof aerial or the cost of the box for Sky to come out and install a dish for you. No brainer tbh if you dont mind the monthly fee for all your extra channels.

Ive raised a comment on the bbc website.

When the switchover occurs, does that mean I can buy a normal analogue TV, not buy any freeview equipment, and quite happily avoid paying a licence fee? Hell if I dont get a signal, I cant be expected to pay right?

It annoys me because I watch TV once in a blue moon, top gear is about the only thing I watch on there. I mostly use my TV to watch DVDs and VHS. Having to pay a licence fee to do that sucks. Seems like its a valid argument though once the switchover occurs.

good luck arguing that in court.

Dont see why I should have to pay if I dont recieve a signal. People are exempt from paying if they have crap analog signal, why is this any different?

Ive tried a signal amp, no effect.  :cry:

Signal amps are not the way forward.  They go before the loss, not after it.

Aerial > Amp> Long cable to TV.

not

Aerial > Long cable > Amp > TV

Try a high gain indoor aerial or even re-wiring the aerial youve already got with non generic cable.  If your cable is brown, chances are its unshielded.  Good Coax cable has a foil sheath inside it and is almost lossless.

Anyway, when they start the switchover for real, the signal gets boosted on the digital channels, the only reason they are low at the moment is so they can co-exist on the same transmitters and not interfere.

A lot of the big retailers are going to stop selling Analogue equipment long before the switchover date.

Quote from: M3ta7h3adIve raised a comment on the bbc website.

When the switchover occurs, does that mean I can buy a normal analogue TV, not buy any freeview equipment, and quite happily avoid paying a licence fee? Hell if I dont get a signal, I cant be expected to pay right?

It annoys me because I watch TV once in a blue moon, top gear is about the only thing I watch on there. I mostly use my TV to watch DVDs and VHS. Having to pay a licence fee to do that sucks. Seems like its a valid argument though once the switchover occurs.

Doesnt make any difference, when I was in the Outer Hebrides there were plenty of people whod tried that stance because both the analogue and digital signals were so bad they could only use their televisions for watching DVDs and videos and they didnt get anywhere. At the end of the day its a TV license... not a TV reception license or TV signal license. Its a license to own a TV, so it doesnt make any difference if you cant receive any broadcasts on it.

Quote from: Chris H

Quote from: M3ta7h3adIve raised a comment on the bbc website.

When the switchover occurs, does that mean I can buy a normal analogue TV, not buy any freeview equipment, and quite happily avoid paying a licence fee? Hell if I dont get a signal, I cant be expected to pay right?

It annoys me because I watch TV once in a blue moon, top gear is about the only thing I watch on there. I mostly use my TV to watch DVDs and VHS. Having to pay a licence fee to do that sucks. Seems like its a valid argument though once the switchover occurs.

Doesnt make any difference, when I was in the Outer Hebrides there were plenty of people whod tried that stance because both the analogue and digital signals were so bad they could only use their televisions for watching DVDs and videos and they didnt get anywhere. At the end of the day its a TV license... not a TV reception license or TV signal license. Its a license to own a TV, so it doesnt make any difference if you cant receive any broadcasts on it.

Actually no youre wrong. It is a TV Licence for receiving and recording broadcasted transmissions. Hence my point.

It is not just a licence to own a TV.

*cough* http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/gethelp/faqs.jsp#link1 *cough*

QuoteWhat if I only use a TV to watch videos/DVDs/as a monitor for my games console? Do I still need a licence?  
   
 You need to notify us in writing that this is the case and one of our Enforcement Officers may need to visit you to confirm that you do not need a licence.

Please write to us including your name, address and the reason you believe that you dont need a licence at:

TV Licensing
Bristol
BS98 1TL  
 

Those with very old TV aerials which have narrowband response (to receive only your local analogue transmitter group) wont work with the digital tv multiplex because it requires an aerial capable of receiving signals over a much wider band (multiband). Hence an aerial amplifier wont help for that reason alone.
All aerials sold over the last 5 or more years will be multiband.

I fitted my own tv aerial when I got my new house, cost of :
big FO mast
big FO bracket for above
big FO bolts and masonry drill to hold bracket in side of house render
high gain superduper benchmarked Triax aerial from ebay
6 metre ladder from B&Q  
large reel of hq satellite cable blagged from work supplier
more grey hairs from wobbling around at top of ladder.....