Introduction

Hallo and welcome to this blogsite for the new Wimborne U3A Activity to help with the switchover to digital television, scheduled for our area in March, 2012. That may seem a long time away but many people already have digital television equipment and that number will have to increase as the next four years pass. After March, 2012, the current analogue television transmissions will cease. It will then be possible to watch only digital television.

This U3A Activity will consist of just three sessions of two hours each (with a tea/coffee break, of course!). You will find out all you need to know about digital television and, after the experience, be in total control of whatever equipment you now have or will have. To obtain maximum benefit from this Activity it is advisable to possess already at least one piece of digital television receiving equipment. If you've not yet taken the plunge, this website, set up specially for this Activity, will contain articles giving advice on choosing digital television receiving equipment, though there will be no specific product recommendations.

What will happen in each session?
Each of the three sessions will occur four weeks apart, on a Wednesday afternoon at 2pm. There will be repeats of these three sessions each Autumn and Spring Term up to 2012 (and beyond if there is demand!). You can therefore decide which term in which year will best suit you if you wish to participate. The group size will be limited to six, so over the next four years forty eight Wimborne U3A members could avail themselves. If demand should be greater than this, additional times can be made available.

This Activity will be tailored to you personally, enabling you to understand your own equipment as well as the many ways in which digital television is different from analogue television. You will receive advice on how to deal with the equipment when it fails in some way, as it will! Most failures can be corrected by the owner; it's easy when you know how! Major problems will still require professional services but minor ones will not.

This site will have articles covering general points about the switchover to digital television in the future, especially as more information becomes available about the event. One of the first of these will deal with points to watch out for when purchasing a Freeview or Freesat set-top box (STB).

This site is open for all members of Wimborne U3A to view. If you have any questions, please use the e-mail contact facility stated in the sidebar under "Contact and Posting": such e-mailing is available to all Wimborne U3A members.

Colin