Top Links
Digital TV Help
Comparison Table
Channel Lineup
Record Digital TV
Freeview Info
BT Vision Info
Sky Digital Info
Virgin Media Info
Freesat Info
Top Up TV Info
Tiscali TV Info
High Definition
Subscription-free
Digital TV survey
Digital TV in the UK explained
What is Digital TV?
Digital TV offers a far wider choice of TV viewing with lots of extra channels, and uses digital technology to reduce the interference that you may experience on analogue TV (the five channels you get via your standard TV aerial).
Digital TV also offers other benefits, such as a greater selection of widescreen programming, and on-screen electronic programme guide, interactive services, and in some cases, High Definition and Dolby 5.1 surround sound.
By 2012, the UK's TV service is switching to digital, and you need to be ready for the Digital Switchover. Here, we discuss the options for getting digital TV that's ready for the switchover.
![]()
Digital TV services available in the UK
What are the Digital TV options?
The options open to you if you want Digital TV in your home, are:
| Freeview |
Freeview offers around 40 TV channels and 25 radio stations - the channel line-up is more limited than Sky Digital. To get Freeview, you either need to buy a special Freeview set-top box and connect it to your existing TV set, or consider getting a new TV that has a built-in Freeview receiver. See our Freeview pages for full details and answers
to common questions. |
| Satellite |
To get Sky, you sign up online, and arrange for a Sky engineer to install a satellite dish and hook up a digibox to your existing TV. If you're considering Sky, we recommend you look at Sky+, the digital recorder that will change the way you watch TV... For more details on Sky, see our Sky page, or go to www.sky.com/skycom.
Freesat: If you'd prefer not to subscribe, a number of free-to-view channels are also available with a suitable dish and digibox. Freesat offers free-to-view channels via a dish. This is a joint venture from the BBC and ITV. More on our Free Satellite TV page. |
| Cable |
More on our Cable TV page. To see if cable is available in your area, go to www.virginmedia.com |
| BT Vision |
BT Vision is only available to BT Total Broadband customers (How to Switch provider). More on our BT Vision Basics page. If you already have BT Broadband, get BT Vision at btvision.bt.com, otherwise sign up at bt.com/btbroadband |
| Top Up TV Anytime | You need to be in a Freeview coverage area. The special Top Up TV Anytime set-top box costs from £40, and the subscription fee is £10.99 a month. See our Top Up TV Anytime page for details, or go to www.topuptv.com |
| Tiscali TV |
The service also offers 1500 on-demand movies, over 5000 music videos, hundreds of TV series, and a TV rewind service. Offer: Free Tiscali+ Recorder worth £100 - Until 31 Dec 2009 More on our Tiscali TV page, or at www.tiscali.co.uk/tv |
![]()
The FrequencyCast podcast features digital TV news and reviews. Listen to our free shows online or download to your MP3 player What is FrequencyCast? | Get us via iTunes | Catch our Latest Show |
What are the bonuses of digital TV?
- More
channels - Sky offers the biggest channel line-up, but check your
potential provider to see if they have what you're after. Popular digital TV channels
include Sky 1, E4, BBC3, Dave, Virgin 1, G.O.L.D (formerly UKTV Gold), Comedy Central, Watch and Alibi. There are channels for comedy, Sci-Fi,
kids, movies, music, news and sport.
EPG
- An on-screen electronic programme guide, so you can control what you view and record. King of the EPGs is the Sky Planner, showing up to a week's worth of programmes on all of the available TV channels.
- Reduced interference
- Nice sharp pictures, without ghosting and interference. Freeview is
susceptible to electrical interference in some environments, but in
most cases digital TV offers better picture quality, and improved reception
of Channel Five.
- Pay-per-view
services
- Pick from a selection of movies, special sporting events, or adult
programming and pay via your subscription or credit card.
- Improved viewing
- with services like widescreen, high definition, Dolby 5.1 surround sound, and interactive
services.
- Digital recorders - . These digital TV set-top boxes typically allow you to record a digital channel while watching a different channel, and are a much better recording experience than good old videotape. You may like to consider Sky+ , a Freeview PVR or if you're with Virgin Media cable, the Virgin V+. These are hard-disk recorders that give you greater control of what you record.
The Digital Switchover
The UK is set to turn off analogue TV services between now and 2012, so it's important to understand your options.
![]()
After the switch-over to digital, you'll need to have a special digital set-top box connected to your existing TV, or own a TV with a built-in Freeview receiver (something to bear in mind if you're thinking of buying a new TV soon).
For more on the digital switchover, go to www.switchhelp.co.uk.
What is Interactive TV?
Most providers offer some kind of interactive service. Think Ceefax and Teletext, mixed with the Internet. Information on demand, plus two-way services over your phone line, such as email, online shopping and banking. Sky TV viewers are encouraged to "press the red button" to get interactive, and try the news, offers, games, features, and pay services of their interactive offering, Sky Active. Alternatively, check out BBCi, the Beeb's excellent interactive service.

Interactive TV in action
The science bit
If you're interested in the technical side, Digital TV uses something called multiplexing, to combine and compress multiple TV channels into a single transmission that can be decoded by a suitable digital receiver.
In the UK, digital TV follows the worldwide DVB (Digital Video Broadcast) standard. Digital TV via a TV aerial is more properly known as Digital Terrestrial TV (DTT).
More on Digital TV:
- For more on Freeview and free-to-air set-top boxes, see our Freeview page.
- For more on Sky, see our Satellite page.
- For help with connecting, reception problems and other TV issues, see our Freeview FAQ page
- Discuss digital TV in our TV forum
- For details of hard-disk recording solutions, see our Personal Video Recorder PVR page
- Help and Advice: BT Vision , Freesat, Freeview, Sky TV, Tiscali TV, Top Up TV, Virgin Media
Is this page correct? Something out-of-date or broken? Report a page error If you're looking for help, please don't use this option - instead ask in our forum |








