TV in the UK - Your Questions Answered

You can't have escaped the news that by 2012, the Government will be switching off the current analogue TV transmitters, and all homes in the UK will need to be "digital" to watch telly. In October 2005, the Government announced that between 2008 and 2012, analogue transmitters will be switching off, and you'll need to equip yourself with digital TV equipment if you want to keep receiving TV signals.

The benefits of going digital include a whole stack of extra TV and radio channels on your TV, and a number of other technical improvements, such as on-screen programme guides, and interactive services.

To get digital, you can use your existing TV, but you'll need a digital TV tuner - some TVs come with these built-in, but the majority of us will get digital via a set-top box, either from Sky Digital, a cable TV provider, or via an existing TV aerial using the Freeview service. If you're thinking of buying any new TV or video equipment in the coming months, you may want to consider getting equipment that's capable of receiving digital TV, such as Freeview , Cable TV or Sky TV.

For details of how to switch to Digital for as little as £20, see our Get Digital page

Looking for a replacement to TV listings magazine? Try a powerful TV listings program for your PC, mobile phone or pocket computer. Listings are uploaded over the Internet. The advantages are: searchable, cheap, greater listings, configurable.

See our dedicated TV Guides page

If you have a Sky, Sky+ or TiVo set-top box, your subscription probably means that the box needs to dial a phone number on a regular basis, to check your subscription, or send Sky the details of any pay-per-view movies you've watched. Here's what we know:

• Sky phone numbers seems to vary, but some boxes dial 0808 1001817
• TiVo uses a standard built-in analogue data modem to dial the number 0808 1050005.

For more, see our Satellite, TiVo, or PVR (hard-disc recorder) pages

Occasionally, we're asked for information on selected channels:

Q. Can I get E4? Answer: E4 is currently available on Sky, Freeview and Virgin Media cable.

Q. What is UK Drama, and is it on Freeview? Answer: UKTV Drama rebranded to Alibi in October 2008. It is currently available on Sky and Virgin Media. It is not one of the Freeview channels. Click for details

To see which digital TV service carries certain channels, see our Channel Comparison page

For programme listing guides, see our TV Listings section.

See our TV Remote Control section

Lost Remote Control?

If you're looking for a replacement remote control for your TV, video recorder, Freeview, Cable TV or satellite TV set top box, take a look at the range of replacement remote controls available from Partmaster.

If they don't carry a replacement for your lost of broken remote control, you could also consider a universal controller, that can replace multiple remote control devices. Our favourite is the Kameleon range - but there's a wide range of generic remote control replacements available from Argos or Maplin Electronics.

For more, see our TV Remote Control page.

If you're looking for a manual for your TV or set-top box, here are some things to try:

• Check the manufacturer's website - they may well make a downloadable version available via their website. A quick search on Google should reveal the manufacturer's website address
• Contact the manufacturer direct - if they have a spares department, they may well be able to supply a manual as a spare part (they will normally charge for this)
• Take a look on E-Bay... you quite often find that user guides and manuals are sold for a very small fee
• Try asking in our forum - a user may be prepared to part with their manual, or make a copy of the appropriate section.
• Finally... do you really need the manual? If you're having a problem with one or two features, why not ask for help in our forum... hopefully a user will be able to guide you through the steps.
  
  

We sometimes receive enquiries from people looking for information on how to set up their own TV station, or how to get a TV channel set up in the UK.

The answer obviously depends on the type of station - satellite, cable or digital terrestrial, but in brief, those wishing to run a TV station will need to have 1) a licence to broadcast, and 2) a technical way of broadcasting.

For licensing, you need to contact the regulator OfCom, and for transmission, you need to contact the carrier (bSkyb, Virgin Media or the Freeview multiplex owner), to negotiate a contract for carriage on their transmission system.

For more information, first off take a look at the OfCom TV licensing guidelines website for some general guidance and information on the requirements and how to apply for a licence. Then, then make contact with your preferred carrier.

HD, High Definition TV, started appearing in the UK in 2006, with Sky Digital leading the way. To get these higher-definition broadcasts, you'll need an HD-Ready TV set, and a high-definition receiver.

For more on this subject, see our HDTV page

We quite often get messages to this site from ex-pats looking to find out how to get UK TV from outside of the UK - There's not an easy answer, but there are a few possible options:

• In Europe? If you're in the footprint of the Astra satellite, you may be able to get the Sky channels (especially the free-to-view channels). See the entry on our Sky FAQ page for more.
  
• In the US? - BBC America may be your best bet - they are jointly owned by Discovery and the BBC, and import a number of UK shows. Also, check out the PBS channels that have a lot of British stuff.
• Internet TV - A small number of TV channels are available as a streaming video service over the Internet - See our dedicated page on this: Internet TV
• Slingbox - Here's a clever one. If you have a friend (or office) in the UK with a broadband connection, you could get them to buy and connect a Slingbox to their TV aerial and Broadband connection - you can then watch TV that's streamed from this box from any Internet-enabled PC in the world. A clever solution. More on our Slingbox page.
  

Is 3D TV a fad, or the next big thing? In 2009, the hype on 3D TV started again, when Sky announced plans to launch a 3D service. We've also seen broadcasters including Virgin 1 and Channel 4 announce plans for 3D content.

If you're looking for info on 3D TV and what's next, see our dedicated 3D TV in the UK page.

One of the slightly annoying things you may notice about digital TV, is that there's a slight time-delay with digital transmissions - sometimes up to a couple of seconds. This can be a pain if you are watching a digital service with an analogue service in another room.

For details on the cause, see our Digital Time lag page.

We're quite often asked about Teletext on Digital TV. With Freeview and Sky Digital, you don't get the old blocky text that you'd be used to on the analogue TV service.
The new digital TV services use digital teletext, which gives better quality text, supports pictures, and can be used with interactive services.

• On Freeview, the digital teletext services appear as TV channels - ITV Teletext is on channel 9, with the BBCi Interactive text service on 105 and Channel 4 Fourtext on 104.
• On Sky, use the red button on your remote on a channel that supports interactive services

Some people still want to access the old-style analogue teletext service, but find that they can't after getting Sky TV or Freeview. You can still access the older Ceefax and Teletext pages... just not via your set-top box.
If you want to view the old analogue teletext, you'll need to switch the TV to analogue TV (e.g. Channel 1 for BBC1, as opposed to the AV input for the feed from the digibox). As long as you're viewing TV via the aerial input, and not via the SCART / AV input, pressing the text button on one of the five main TV channels, should get you back to the old-style Ceefax and Teletext services.

1. Coverage - To receive Freeview, you must be in a Freeview coverage area. To check this, enter your postcode at digitaluk.co.uk/postcodechecker. Even if you are in an area reported as having good signal, local obstructions, or the quality of your TV aerial may make a difference to your reception. See our guidance on this below.
2. Box - If you are in coverage, you'll need to get a free-to-air set-top box. Boxes cost from under £30 and can be bought from high-street stores such as Comet and Currys. Shopping online for a set-top box is often the best route, as there are some good bargains to be had.
3. Connect - Plug your new Freeview set-top box to your existing TV aerial. Connect another lead into your TV's SCART socket, and you should be ready to go. Note that in some cases, your TV aerial may not be suitable and may need upgrading.
4. Setup - Follow the instructions supplied with the set-top box, and scan for available Freeview channels.

We recommend: BT Vision, for a Freeview recorder plus on-demand TV shows

We receive quite a few emails on this one, but there's no guaranteed answer to this. First off, check that you are in a Freeview coverage area via the postcode checker at www.digitaluk.co.uk. Even if you are in an area reported as having good signal, local obstructions, or the quality of your TV aerial may make a difference to your reception. You can also use the clickable map at Wolfbane site to get information on your nearest transmitter.

It's fairly safe to assume that if you get a fairly strong signal on the main 5 channels from the same transmitter as a transmitter that offers a digital TV signal, receiving Freeview shouldn't be a problem in most cases. However, the only true way to find out 100% is to either borrow a friend's Freeview box to try it out, or contact a TV aerial company and ask them to perform a signal test using your aerial. As below, aerial upgrades and boosters can help to improve a weak signal if needed.

A common question we see is "Can I get Freeview on Sky?". Freeview is the name for the free-to-view service that can be received over a standard TV aerial - this was previously known as onDigital and itvDigital. Freeview can't be received via a satellite dish, but almost all of the channels on Freeview are also available on the Sky Satellite platform.

• For details of Freeview's channel line-up, see our Freeview page.
• For details of the channels that are available on the Sky satellite platform without a subscription to Sky, see Sky's Free-to-air satellite channels list.
• For details of Sky in general, see our Free Satellite TV page, or go to www.sky.com
  
  

Both Sky and Freeview support subtitles (where the TV channel showing a programme chooses to supply a programme's subtitles). Most (if not all) of the set-top boxes for Freeview and Sky support subtitles.

Many Freeview boxes have a dedicated Subtitles button on the remote. The Sky remote control doesn't, but subtitles can be enabled via the "Services" button (then select "System setup").
Consult your set-top box manual for details of how to enable subtitles.

For help with Freeview signal and interference, see our Reception page

A common issue. Set-top boxes and video recorders have two types of output - SCART socket and RF/UHF/Co-ax output, and there are important differences.

• RF/Co-ax: If connecting to a TV set via a co-ax lead, you need to tune one of your TV presets into the channel that the video or set-top box 'modulates' (more details below). With this type of connection, picture quality is worse than SCART, and you won't get stereo sound
  
  
• SCART lead. If using a SCART cable, you don't need to do this, as the picture can be seen via the TV's AV or Line In feed. Using SCART gives you better picture quality, widescreen switching and stereo

Each ordinary TV signal (BBC1, BBC2, etc) is on a dedicated channel (a number between 21 and 68), and you need to tune your TV preset buttons into each channel. If a set-top box or video has a co-ax output, it's capable of generating its own channel (between 21 and 68), which you have to tune a TV preset into. Your box/video is doing something known as 'modulating' on a channel of its own.

Box generating interference? - When using a set-top box or a video, it's not uncommon to find that when it's switched on, you lose one or more of the channels that you have tuned in on standard TV. A common example would be switching on the video causes you to lose channel 5, or turning on a set-top box means you can't see the video. This means that your video or set-top box is 'modulating' on the same channel number as another channel, and the clash generates interference. This was common with video recorders when Channel 5 started... many video recorders had to be retuned from channel 37, so channel 5 didn't interfere with the video signal and vice-versa.

If you are experiencing interference because of this, you'll need to change the channel that the box broadcasts on. You'll find details of how to do this in the manual (look for RF modulated output channel, or UHF channel - something like that).

Note that this is only a problem if you're trying to watch via standard TV channels, as opposed to the SCART (which doesn't use a TV channel). If you try the following, you should see the benefit of SCART.

1. Switch your TV to line input (the AV switch - Av2 perhaps?). Play a video to make sure you can see the video recorder on the AV channel.
2. Stop the tape, and change the video input (as if you're recording a certain channel) into Av2. Your video should now be looking for a signal from the Freeview box. As your video is tuned into Freeview, and your TV can see the video output, you should see Freeview without any interference.

UK TV is transmitted in a UHF band between 21 and 68. TV aerials are designed to receive certain bands. The bands are:

• Group A - Channels 21-37
• Group B - Channels 35-53
• Group C/D - Channels 48-68
• Group E - Channels 35-68
• Group K - Channels 21-48
• Group W - Channels 21-68

A Wideband aerial is optimised to receive TV channels anywhere in the UK TV band. In areas of weak signal, a wideband aerial may not be as effective as a high-gain aerial designed for the specific band you're trying to receive (a mast-head amplifier may be needed to help boost the signal). If you're looking to upgrade aerial, getting a good quality wideband aerial is usually the thing to do, so that if additional services (such as Freeview) appear elsewhere in the band, you'll be able to get them.

High gain aerials can be used to reduce certain types of problem - including weak signal, interference and ghosting. They do this by getting the most out of the signal. For best results, high gain aerials aren't wideband, and should be pointed directly at the target transmitter.

For a wide range of aerials, connectors and amplifiers, go to www.maplin.co.uk

Most DVD recorders, games consoles and set-top-boxes send their outputs via a SCART socket. So, what do you do if your TV doesn't have a SCART socket? For a TV that only has a standard aerial co-ax socket, you need to find a way of converting the SCART output into a standard TV signal - this is something called 'modulating' the signal, so that you TV can tune into the signal in the same way as you would tune in an ordinary TV channel. Some equipment has a built-in modulator, or you can get a separate modulator. Here are some options:

1. Look for equipment that has an RF modulated output - this will allow you to use a standard aerial cable to plug into your existing TV co-ax socket. Once connected, you can then tune one of spare channels on your TV into the channel being used (i.e. 'modulated') by the Freeview box, in the same way as you would tune in an ordinary TV signal. We recommend the TVonics MFR-200 - a small Freeview receiver that doesn't require a SCART lead
   
   
2. You may be able to connect your equipment via something that has a modulator. Most old video recorders and some DVD recorders have built-in modulators, so you can connect via something that does support SCART - For example, if you have a video recorder that has a SCART socket, you can connect the equipment into the video SCART, switch the video recorder to the SCART input (AV/Ext), and watch on the TV's video channel.
   
   
3. You can make use of something called a UHF modulator - this is a box that converts SCART signals to a signal that can connect into your TV's "aerial in" socket. Plug a SCART socket in one end of the box, and a flylead to your TV in the other, and all should be well. You then tune your TV into the channel that the UHF modulator generates. We use a Universal Modulator from Maplin Electronics with excellent results. We've also found a cheaper modulator at TVcables.

For more help on connecting to a TV without a SCART, see our No SCART page.

Such a common question, we've created a page dedicated to this topic. Please see our Connection Page

If you're trying something complex like trying to connect a DVD, Freeview set-top-box and a video recorder into a TV set with a single SCART socket, you may soon find you've run out of sockets - and what you'll been needing is a SCART switch box. These let you plug multiple inputs into one box, connect the box to your TV (or video), and then select which SCART feed you want to watch. Here are a few of the box types available:

Splitters, multi-way SCART sockets, SCART leads and adapters are available from Maplin and Argos. Top choice for us is the Bluedelta Smart-SCART

For more on SCART sockets, switches and splitters, see our SCART Switcher page

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