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[Analoguesat]

Have to say Im thoroughly discouraged by the switchover process so far here in the Borders.

1) Speaking with the folks I work with over the last few weeks, many of them have bought unneeded new equipment after being told that for example their video recorders "wont work after switch off". NO they wont work directly but scarted into your FreeView adaptor they will work just fine. No maybe you wont be able to record one channel whilst watching another but if you just want to record a movie whilst you nip out for a pint in an evening its totally unneccessary to shell out for loads of shiny new toys.

2) The HD display tv's in Galashiels TescoExtra look impressive from the far end of the store, but closer up they are incredibly badly set up. The brightness levels are all the place, and someone please tell Tesco that you shouldnt get BBCHD on the 14" portables. Delving round the back of the tellies one quiet morning I found out how this impressive trick is delivered.

There isnt a single HD connection in the display - all the HD tellies are served by an rf distribution system! At a guess its a DVD player out of sight on a repeating loop.

3) Radio Borders has had wall to wall adverts from Sky TV - almost every ad break on the breakfast show for weeks, and apart from a few of the feeble ads from that annoying git "Digit Al" and his tart of a sidekick. I havent heard a single advert for Freesat or Freeview.

If this is the level of (mis)information delivered to the population in all the other tv regions in the next 4 years god help all of us.

[Analoguesat]

Only hours to go to until the start of DSO at Selkirk transmitter network.

Have to say the level of knowledge about whats happening over the next few days is WOEFULLY inadequate. Almost everyone I know seems to think the whole process will be done tonight. Not helped at all by hopelessly inaccurate reporting on the local radio station - one of the DJ's is staying up until midnight to watch the channels go off. (He lives in Selkirk so hes going to be disappointed!  )

Digital UK - you have to do better as other transmitter groups start switching. Detailed info is needed of EXACTLY whats happening on which trasnmitters and when in the local rags, local radio etc.

Its depressing really.

[admin]

We have tried on many occasions to get onto the press release lists for Digital switchover.... as yet we have been unable to.

So we are glad of the heads up from users of this site letting us know what is going on.

This is a site set up to help each other, so the more information provided the better.

So if you are a press officer please post your information here and we can help spread the message.

Admin

[Analoguesat]

Well Im glad to say technically it seems to have gone fairly well. This is the timeline according to Arqiva:

0031 - BBC2 analogue switched off from channel 62 at Selkirk tx.
0216 - High power multiplex PSB 1 switched on at Selkirk
0500 - Selkirk testing completed..
1005 - Eleven relay transmitters at Bonchester Bridge, Clovenfords, Eyemouth, Galashiels, Hawick, Innerleithen, Jedburgh, Lauder, Peebles, Stow and Yetholm were successfully broadcasting the PSB 1 digital multiplex.

I "just happened to have" a 10 quid Asda DTT box up in my office this morning    so decided to try it from my workplace. Galashiels relay is about a mile from work, line of sight. I didnt have a proper aerial so just stuck a 1m length of single core electrical wire into the aerial socket! Amazingly it actually worked well enough to get a full mux scan on the box. Although the pictures broke up badly it was good enough for a proof of concept.

[Analoguesat]

Despite all the publicity, theres still a distinct lack of understanding about exactly whats happening. I got asked twice this afternoon "why have I lost BBC2 today"

I posted this over on DigitalSpy earlier but I think its along the lines of whats needed in the next switchoff area.

The current DSO captions are nowhere near informative enough. What is required is something much less woolly

Something along the lines of :

Location X transmitter group switch off timetable

November 6th 2008: BBC 2 analogue switched off on all transmitters and replaced by a new high power BBC digital service

November 20th 2008: BBC1 ITV C4 & C5 switched off and replace by high power digital services.

And these have to be played out over before every news bulletin on all channels and over the start and end credits for Corrie, EastEnders, Neighbours etc for weeks in advance.

Ive seen numerous comments from folk that few if any captions were inserted over the picture last night!

A few half ar5ed captions that say summat along the lines of "DSO is coming to your area on November 6th" isnt any good to anyone. Hardly anyone Ive spoken to realised things change round again on November 20th

[Analoguesat]

As the AV technical expert at my workplace I got landed with the job of fitting up the digital adapter on the tv in the pupils common room at the school I work in....

The kids were disgusted there wasnt any E4, Dave, or music channels on their new box. I told them to give BBC Parliament a try and learn something useful.      

When I went down to fetch something an hour later the boix was tuned into CBeebies!