Digital TV Explained

Digital TV can be received in four different ways, each with its own features and suppliers. The service that you are able to receive may depend on whereabouts you live. Digital Cable TV is supplied by either Telewest or NTL depending on where you live in the country. You receive your digital TV through cables in the ground via a set top box. Cable companies also offer a host of competitive broadband and telephone packages alongside digital TV. It will usually be cheaper to buy a package comprising... Read more »

Digital TV Switchover Date Set

The date has been set for the first Digital TV switchover in the UK. The analogue TV signal will be turned off from 17 October in Whitehaven area of western Cumbria. First to go will be BBC2 before being followed by the remaining analogue channels on November 14. The move means that the 25,000 residents of Whitehaven will have to switch to Digital TV by those dates in order to keep receiving TV. In order to receive Digital TV people will need to purchase a Freeview set-top box or subscribe to satellite,... Read more »

The Hidden Costs Of The Digital TV Switchover

Price comparison website uSwitch says that millions of television sets and video recorders will be dumped following the Digital TV switch-over. Their bold statement comes on the back of a survey of 2,500 UK adults. The survey estimates that eight-million machines, enough to fill 100 Olympic swimming pools, will be dumped after being rendered useless by the Digital TV switch-over. Most existing TVs will continue to work once the analogue TV signal is switched off, but viewers will have to either subscribe... Read more »

Virgin Media Customers Set to Lose Sky Channels

Virgin Media customers look set to lose a number of Sky channels after talks broke down between the two companies. Virgin Media look set to drop the Sky Basics package, which includes such channels as Sky One, Sky News, Sky Sports News and Sky Travel, after Sky raised the fees it charges the cable company to carry them. Premimum channels such as Sky Sports and Sky Movies are unaffected. The news comes after weeks of negotiations and a hardline marketing campaign by the two companies. Virgin Media,... Read more »

Virgin Media and Sky Row Drags On

The dispute between Virgin Media and Sky over the rights to a number of non-premium Sky channels has dragged on over the weekend and now enters a crucial stage with the channels set to go off air for Virgin Media customers this Thursday (March 1). The row regards the renegotiation between Virgin Media and Sky for the non-premium Sky channels, including Sky One, Two and Three, as well as Sky News, Sky Sports News and Sky Travel. The current deal is set to expire on Thursday and so far no agreement... Read more »

Virgin Media Takes Sky to Court

Virgin Media (VM) has taken Sky to court in the latest step in the ongoing public row between the two companies. Sky and Virgin Media fell out at the beginning of March over the price to be charged for the carriage of the Sky Basic Channels by the cable TV provider. The two sides failed to reach an agreement before the previous contract expired and as a result VM customers lost the Sky Basic Channels, including Sky One, Sky News and Sky Sports News. The very public fall-out and subsequent channel... Read more »

Do You Want Cable or Satellite TV?

You see all the comparisons on TV or online. Cable’s better. Satellite’s better. Which is it? Some of that depends on what you need. Are you after the best channel selection, the best reception, the best combination of the two? Do you want high speed internet? How fast? Do you want to combine all your services into a single package or is getting bills from multiple companies just fine. Which one works best for you depends on where you live too. Different areas will get different cable... Read more »

Is Satellite Television Really a Better Deal Than Cable Television?

This is one of those hard questions to answer. It is not as straightforward as it may seem. Which option is best for you depends on what is offered in your area as well as your own needs. Cable television certainly has a lot of advantages, especially now that digital options are available. Lots of channels and a wonderful range of packages to choose from. Many companies will give you the option to have service on multiple televisions as well. Cable television is also available in most areas now.... Read more »

What’s the Big Difference Between Satellite Television Companies Anyhow?

On the surface, the two big satellite television companies, DirecTV and Dish Network look a lot alike. And in many ways they really are similar. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t great reasons for choosing one company over the other. The biggest factor overall will probably be the package selections. When it comes right down to it, you want to receive the channels you want to watch, and if one company offers them and the other doesn’t that’s the way you should go. This can... Read more »

What Are the Disadvantages of Satellite Television?

Satellite television has a lot of advantages over cable television. It’s all digital and you often get more digital channels for the price. But it’s not perfect and it won’t be the right choice for everyone. Sometimes cable television will be the right choice. The big problem everyone thinks about with satellite television relates to the weather. When the weather is particularly bad you can lose all reception, missing your favorite shows. In some areas this is a regular problem,... Read more »