Digital Tips - 2 : Radio (again)

Continuing the theme of Freeview radio, you don't need to have your tv switched on to listen to any of the many radio stations on Freeview if your reception is via a Freeview STB or Personal Video Recorder (PVR). So long as your STB or PVR has "audio-out sockets" (and most, if not all, do), you can connect those sockets to the Auxiliary-IN or Line-IN sockets of your audio equipment. Your Freeview box does need a number display, at least. Radio 2, for example, is on Freeview number 702, so it's easy to punch the number in using the box's remote control.

Of course, if the Freeview box and the audio equipment are a long way apart, you'll need long cables and it may not be acceptable to you to have those trailing around the room. However, I'm going to ignore that and explain just how to set this up as it's the most useful way to listen to digital radio (the sound is better than Digital Audio Broadcasting [DAB]).

The audio-out sockets and the Aux-IN sockets are what are called "Phono" sockets. Here's what they look like:

The white one (sometimes it's black instead) is for the left stereo channel and the red one is for the right stereo channel. You will need to buy a stereo phono cable to connect the equipment together. Here's what the ends of such a cable look like, showing the black and red phono plugs.

The black plugs go into the white (or black) sockets of your STB and your audio equipment and the red plugs go into the red sockets - it couldn't be easier! Just make sure you've measured how long the cable needs to be and buy a cable of at least that length - goes without saying!

What to do about Digital - 2 : Buying a Freeview Set-Top Box (STB)

If you currently have an analogue-only television set and have not embraced the digital Freeview tv service at all, you will lose all your favourite television programmes next March if you do nothing. The simplest thing to do is to buy what is called a "Freeview Set-Top Box", or just an STB, for short. This will work with your current tv aerial and sit between that aerial and your tv set. See "What to Do About Digital - 1" for more information about this.

How do you choose a Freeview STB then? You can either investigate what's available on the internet or visit a local tv shop. Let's look at what you'll find. If you put "Freeview Set Top Boxes" into Google it will return nearly two million "hits": somewhat daunting! Some of the hits will be reviews and some will be offering STBs for sale. Go into a local tv shop and you'll probably have less choice, which is more workable, but do go into several shops because they may well stock different manufacturer's products.

You may well decide on a maximum price you're prepared to pay. As your tv is old and probably of the old bulky cathode ray tube (CRT) design, you aren't interested in High Definition (HD). That will keep the cost down. You could well come away with a box costing under £30.

You will need to know one thing before starting this exercise: does your tv have a Scart socket?
Here's what one of those looks like on the back of a tv:

If your tv has at least one of these, you're fine. If not, when you seek a Freeview STB you'll need to ask for one "with an RF modulator inside it". Those are the words to use. They are more expensive, possibly £60 to £70, and there are very few of them available. You will then be able to "play" the STB through your aerial lead connecting the STB to the tv (see "What to Do About Digital - 1") and use one of the numbered buttons on your tv and/or remote control to tune the tv to the STB. Your sound will be in mono and not stereo but your tv may be just mono anyway.

If you are able to buy one of the cheaper STBs because you can connect it to your tv using the Scart cable provided with it, then stereo sound will be heard if your tv is a stereo one.

What else do you need to look out for?
Firstly, if you intend to listen to Freeview radio then it's useful if the STB has a display of at least numbers, rather than just a light (LED) which has one colour when the STB is in standby and another colour when it is on.
Secondly, ask to see the EPG (Electronic Programme Guide). That's a way of finding out what programmes are on all stations for seven days ahead. Some of them are easy to follow, some are a pain. Make sure you can navigate that with the remote control easily before you decide on a purchase.
Thirdly, and this may no longer apply, a few years ago there were several STBs for sale which had a faulty component inside. This resulted in a few seconds of silence every ten minutes or so. Sometimes the silence would actually last for ten minutes and then return: not very helpful. The way round the long silence was to quickly change station and then go back to what you wanted to watch: not something you really want to keep doing. It's worth asking in the shop if the STB you finally choose is without that fault, but do give it a good test once you have it up and running in your home.

Finally, any good tv shop will install an STB for you, free of charge (you have bought it from them, after all). Do watch the way it's installed and where all the cables go. If at any time you have to disconnect it (decorating, etc) you need to know how to put it all back because you can't expect the shop to do that all again for nothing - they'd make a charge. Making a diagram at the installation time is a good idea.

If you live in a poor reception area, it's better to wait until next March before buying a Freeview STB. You will then be able to test it on the new, stronger transmissions. If you do decide to buy it before then and, once installed, you cannot receive anything, don't be swayed by any suggestions of a new aerial being needed or a booster (amplifier) on your existing aerial being required. That may not be needed next March - just be patient: you don't want to spend money unnecessarily, do you? See what happens in March - if you still cannot receive the digital signals, then you will need advice and I may be able to help with that, so long as you are a Wimborne U3A member.

Mendip Transmitter Changes : 2011 - 2013

Although the Mendip transmitter experienced its Digital Switchover in March 2010, there are still changes yet to come as a result of other areas having their DSO plus the selling of channels to mobile phone companies for the new 4G network.

There will be three further changes in 2012 and one in 2013, none of them requiring a rescan.
29 February 2012 - CHANGE: A rescan will be required on 28 March 2012 and again in 2013, date to be advised when known.

What to do about Digital - 1 [Installing a Freeview Set Top Box]

This is the first in a second series of posts on this site to help you with the Digital TV Switchover at the Rowridge and Winterborne Stickland tv transmitters next March.

I know some of you who currently have only analogue television reception are beginning to think about what to do about digital. Here are some initial thoughts - more will follow in subsequent posts under this heading.

You can continue to use your current analogue tv. You will, however, have to add what is called a "Freeview Set Top Box" ("STB"). These are available from all good television shops plus other outlets like supermarkets, discount stores etc.

This STB will usually come with an "aerial fly-lead". Your current aerial lead going into a socket on the back of your tv has to be taken out of that socket and plugged into the "aerial input" socket on the STB. The aerial fly-lead given with the STB then is connected between the "aerial output" socket on the STB and the aerial socket on the tv. There are different plugs and sockets used so you cannot go wrong - just look at the plugs on the ends of the aerial fly-lead and the sockets on the equipment and you'll see how easy it is.

The STB should also come with what is called a "Scart Lead". This is quite a beast of a lead with a large plug on each end. It has to be connected between the "TV" Scart socket on the STB and a Scart socket on the tv, usually called "AV1" or "IN-1". If you have some other device connected to the tv by a Scart lead already, that socket will most likely already be used, so you'd have to use another Scart socket on the tv for your STB.

If you qualify for the Digital Switchover Help Scheme (essentially over 75 years of age or on some form of benefit), you can apply for that help from September onwards, up to one month after the final Switchover date (March 21st). Or you could buy an STB at any time, but do ask very near neighbours if they can receive digital terrestrial (Freeview) tv (not satellite) successfully. Otherwise, if you cannot receive it now you would be wasting guarantee time on the STB by buying now. Reception after the Switchover will be much better than now so it may be better to wait until close to March 7th before buying an STB.

Certainly if you are watching your analogue tv from the Winterborne Stickland Relay transmitter, there is no point in buying an STB yet because there are no digital transmissions from that transmitter until next March.

The next post in this series will look at possible problems with buying and installing an STB - there are a few! Guidelines will be given about possible ways of overcoming those problems, but the basic message behind this first post is:
You do not need to buy a new tv, nor do you need a new aerial (assuming your analogue reception is currently all right). Here is a LINK to explain more about the Switchover Help Scheme.