back to article A million TVs to go dark across London

Next week analogue TV will be switched off across London, knocking out an estimated one million TV screens which haven't made the jump to digital yet. The estimate comes from Digital TV, the body appointed by the government to hold our hands through the transition, and most of them will be in back rooms and bedrooms as almost …

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  1. Jeebus

    A million TV's go dark. The quality in programming is not noticed.

    1. davtom
      Joke

      A million TVs go dark...

      ... actually means the quality of the programming has improved...

  2. stsr505089

    South East News Bias ? - Nahhhhhh.......

    Not a sniff of the analogue TV switch off in the Yorkshire region last year..........

    1. Ragarath
      Mushroom

      Re: South East News Bias ? - Nahhhhhh.......

      I think our Capital getting switched is more important hence worth a mention. Guess what many other areas were not mentioned either.

      Does someone have a chip on their sholder?

      1. Jeebus

        Re: South East News Bias ? - Nahhhhhh.......

        Never met anyone from London who isn't obsessed with other parts of the country having a chip on their shoulder.

        Everyone hates London because it is a shithole lived in by shit people.

        1. Ragarath
          Mushroom

          Re: South East News Bias ? - Nahhhhhh.......

          Ahh I can see why Londoners might have a reason to be obsssed with it, judging by your attitude at least.

          Not living there myself I could not tell you what many of them think. So you might need to try again at insulting me because you though I was one.

        2. JDX Gold badge

          Re: South East News Bias ? - Nahhhhhh.......

          "Never met anyone from London who isn't obsessed with other parts of the country having a chip on their shoulder.

          Everyone hates London because it is a shithole lived in by shit people."

          No chip there at all. Now where's that Michael McIntyre sketch...

      2. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

        Re: South East News Bias ? - Nahhhhhh.......

        At least we have decent chips in Yorkshire - not just McDs french fries.

      3. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: South East News Bias ? - Nahhhhhh.......

        erm? Why is our capital "more important"?

        Ignorant t*sser...

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: South East News Bias ? - Nahhhhhh.......

      Population of Yorkshire is about 5 million.

      Population of London is about 14 million.

      There was lots of publicity for the first switch offs, and there is publicity for this one since it impacts so many people. All the ones in between were not news worthy outside of their own areas.

      There will probably be a lot of publicity for the final regions that switch.

      1. CD001

        Re: South East News Bias ? - Nahhhhhh.......

        Ummm... The population of (Greater) London is about 7.5 - 8 million - unless it's just annexed Kent and the Home Counties of course...

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: South East News Bias ? - Nahhhhhh.......

          > The population of (Greater) London is about 7.5 - 8 million

          According to the Office for National Statistics the population of the London metropolitan area is 13,709,000

          1. CD001

            Re: South East News Bias ? - Nahhhhhh.......

            According to the Office for National Statistics the population of the London metropolitan area is 13,709,000

            ... I assume then that the "metropolitan area" does annex the home counties then, since the very same ONS puts the figure for Greater London at about 7.83 million people.

            In the same way that Greater Manchester seems to contain about half of Lancashire (Manchester itself has a population of about half a million, whilst Greater Manchester is somewhere over two and a half million). *shrugs*

      2. Fibbles

        Re: South East News Bias ? - Nahhhhhh.......

        Condiment, your population figures don't seem to match anything I can find on the internet...

        Yorkshire - 5.18 million (Sept 2008)

        Greater London - 7.82 million (July 2010)

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: South East News Bias ? - Nahhhhhh.......

          I was talking about the London Metropolitan area, which is more or less the area affected by the switch-off. You can find the population figures here:

          http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/pop-estimate/population-estimates-for-uk--england-and-wales--scotland-and-northern-ireland/mid-2010-population-estimates/rft---mid-2010-population-estimates.zip

    3. Velv
      Trollface

      Re: South East News Bias ? - Nahhhhhh.......

      Can't we just switch off London?

      1. NogginTheNog
        Happy

        Re: South East News Bias ? - Nahhhhhh.......

        ...just in time for the Olympics?!

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: South East News Bias ? - Nahhhhhh.......

      Not a South East news bias. A London story that is all. London is not "The South East", it is only a small part of it. Though, to Londoners, it is a major part.

      From where I am in Brighton, London is positioned "In the North". So should I be complaining about a "Northern Bias" as there was no reporting of our TV switch over during March.

    5. RJG18
      FAIL

      Re: South East News Bias ? - Nahhhhhh.......

      It's because in London we all drive Range Rovers with those little TV's in the head-rests. These will stop working, so we are affected by this. You don't have little TV's in your combine harvesters, so are unaffected...

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: South East News Bias ? - Nahhhhhh.......

        @RGJ18

        "You don't have little TV's in your combine harvesters, so are unaffected..."

        Beg to differ, lots of combine harvesters have a telly in the cab,

        ...and a coffee machine,

        ...and a playstation

        :-)

        1. Gav
          Meh

          Re: South East News Bias ? - Nahhhhhh.......

          London turning off analogue TV has absolutely zero impact on the rest of the planet. It may be of marginal interest to some, but as an event it is neither new or unusual. In short; not news.

          Yes, there are lots of Londoners and lots of them will be readers of The Register, but I'm betting they already knew, having been told by their more local news sources.

          So I don't get why this was reported here, and a "top story" into the bargain, unless it was written by someone who either thinks everything that happens in London matters to everyone, or has been blind to events in the rest of the UK.

          1. JDX Gold badge

            Re: South East News Bias ? - Nahhhhhh.......

            >>So I don't get why this was reported here

            Let us know when they invent regional internet. Jeez what is it with you people today. News about our capital city IS national news. And I live nowhere near it. Stop griping, or move.

        2. BlinkenLights

          Re: South East News Bias ? - Nahhhhhh.......

          Exactly. Modern combines have GPS control and drive themselves. The person in the cab has to be kept entertained when trundling through the fields.

        3. jukejoint

          Re: South East News Bias ? - Nahhhhhh.......

          I can't wait to visit.

      2. MJI Silver badge

        Re: Farm vehicles

        My cousin moaned because his dad had a 6 cylinder tractor and he only had a 4.

        However they have radios so a radio DSO would annoy the farmers

    6. Wize

      Re: South East News Bias ? - Nahhhhhh.......

      There are a lot of Londoners (and I've met some of them) who don't care about the world outside the M25.

      Bit like the Americans and their "World Series"

      1. CD001

        Re: South East News Bias ? - Nahhhhhh.......

        Wouldn't we all be better off if we just put up a wall around the M25 and lock all the bankers, politicians and other assorted B-Arkers inside to play politics with each other and leave the rest of us out of it?

        Filling the interior of that wall with say, tapioca, afterwards is optional of course.

        1. Tom 38

          Re: South East News Bias ? - Nahhhhhh.......

          Would you be better with a wall around the M25? No, you'd be skint.

          In fact, lets stop fucking about with this silly "Devolve Scotland" question. London, East Anglia, South East, South West and parts of the Midlands sounds like a perfectly fine country to me, we'll have higher GDP per capita, low taxes, full employment, free education and comprehensive welfare.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: South East News Bias ? - Nahhhhhh.......

        Whilst I wholeheartedly agree about Londoner's ignorance of the outside world, I do have to pedantically point out the the World Series is so called because it was originally sponsored by "The New York World" newspaper.

        Right, I'm off to get some coal from the bath and fly my whippet...

        1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge
          FAIL

          Re: South East News Bias ? - Nahhhhhh.......

          "the World Series is so called because it was originally sponsored by "The New York World" newspaper."

          No. Google it.

      3. kain preacher

        Re: South East News Bias ? - Nahhhhhh.......

        But the world series does include Canada. So we do care about one other country.

      4. we all know how irritating it is having to interact with the shopkeeper in any way Silver badge

        "Londoners who don't care about the world outside the M25"

        That's because once you are in London the roads are so shit you can't get out. And if you do finally escape to the M25 that's a car park. But at least at that point you can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

        This analogue switch-off thingy is just like the poll tax -- try it on 'them out there' first to see if they squeal. Well the number of channels increased, and the quality certainly didn't get better, and we couldn't be bothered to squeal because we found something better -- the Internet.

    7. Chad H.

      Re: South East News Bias ? - Nahhhhhh.......

      Is London the last area to switch off? If so, then the yorkshire switch off really doesnt have the same level of newsworthyness.

    8. King Jack
      Holmes

      Re: South East News Bias ? - Nahhhhhh.......

      Have you considered this switch off marks the end of all analogue broadcasts in the UK?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Thumb Down

        Re: South East News Bias ? - Nahhhhhh.......

        Don't tell Tyne Tees or the UTV region, where switchover doesn't occur til september/october.

        1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge
          Pint

          Re: South East News Bias ? - Nahhhhhh.......

          "Don't tell Tyne Tees or the UTV region, where switchover doesn't occur til september/october."

          Yes, was also about to post that too. One wonders if that will be a national newsworthy event as the last of the switch offs?

          Pint. Because it's hot. There's no jobs on today so I get a day off.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        @King Jack - Re: South East News Bias ? - Nahhhhhh.......

        So what wasn't the end of analogue the story then? Rather than some rubbish about Londoner's not being bothered to get ready for the switch that the rest of us managed quite easily to cope with some months/years ago.

    9. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: South East News Bias ? - Nahhhhhh.......

      As a Londoner and a consumer of Yorkshire puddings I demand some respect or I'll take my pudding business elsewhere.

  3. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
    Angel

    So lots of babies in January, then?

  4. mark 63 Silver badge

    I thought we got rid analogue years ago!

    so its londons turn is it...

    RICKAAAAAAAY!!! DERES NAFFINK ON DA TELLLEEE!!!!!!!

    1. Anonymous Coward
  5. TRT Silver badge
    Facepalm

    Well...

    I believe that it's BBC2 that goes off and ITV moves onto BBC2's frequency, so ITV's old frequency is then clear for the new MUX, then...

    it's all very complex, but the fact that they HAVE to keep ITV going for as long as possible, above and beyond the vastly superior BBC2 programming, just gives me more cause to lower my head in shame.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    More power != better picture

    "after which the Freeview transmitters will be able to increase the power delivered to 400,000 Londoners, so most viewers will get a better picture rather than no picture at all."

    It's not the power levels that makes freeview look shit, it's squeezing too many channels into too small a bandwidth; instead of flogging of the spare spectrum they should be using it for better picture quality...but there ain't no money in that

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: More power != better picture

      True it'll still look compressed but with digital TV there is no "snow", it's either working or it stutters/judders and artifacts badly to make something unwatchable.

      In NW London I will be please at the boost in strength so I won't need so many boosters to get my 2 media PCs and TV signalled up with Freeview HD smoothly. Hopefully having to use thick heavily shielded copper/gold cables will also become less necessary.

      1. Wize

        Re: More power != better picture

        I remember when I still had analogue. The picture was much clearer than any standard def digital signal due to the compression. Things don't fade between light and dark, it has massive chunky steps. But I suppose thats one way to sell the HD by throttling the SD down to a nasty compression level.

        Tuning in a TV on the move is a bit more tricky with digital. Hired a campervan and toured the UK a few years ago. Got a directional antenna and a cheep freeview box for it.

        In areas where there was analogue, you tuned the TV till you got a bit of picture, moved the antenna till it got better and tuned it in a bit more. Picture might look fuzzy but you can still watch it.

        Digital was a whole lot more fun, since you need a good signal to tune the box but you cant work out where the good signal is till the box is tuned. Needed to go online, find where the nearest tower was, find yourself on a map with GPS, work out compass bearing...

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    More than just London

    There are people who live a good distance outside London who hate the place just as much as 'them up north' AND will be affected by the switchoff.

    I'm 30+ miles from Crystal Palace (Hants/Surrey border) but I get my Terrestrial TV signal from there.

    We have had a lot of warnings about the re-tuning. Even my 90yr old Mother has had detailed instructions given to her about how to re-tune her TV.

  8. Paul Mitchell 1
    WTF?

    Go dark?

    I would have thought they'd go all snowy.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    LOL @ northern stereotypes

    So can we assume from the above that Yorkshiremen really are all miserable then? :-)

  10. David 155

    when

    Does anyone know when exactly they are upping the power?

    1. Anna Logg

      Re: when

      April 18th guv.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    But Will Digital Start To Work?

    On everything except BBC the recent digital reception has been dark for much of the evening. If you want to watch TV at all you had to go analogue.

    With the analogue switch off the digital power will need a huge increase.

    Can they also switch off some of the dead heads making the programme choice, (it appears that many are based outside of London, is declining quality related to distance from civilisation?

  12. Wize

    Was going to upvote...

    ...till I got to your sentence.

    Having lived there for a while, I wouldn't call it civilised.

  13. HP Cynic

    ..as if a million voices suddenly cried out in terror and then were suddenly silenced...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Ah, that'll be it then.

      I thought I felt a great disturbance in the electromagnetic force!

  14. Roger Kynaston
    Stop

    London != || == civilisation

    I live in a bit of London (quite close to Crystal Palace transmitter). Great place to live. Yorkshire is also great though I have never lived there.

    Not all Londoners only see things inside the M25. Not all those outside never look inside the M25. it does bug me when so many people are rude about London but then don't listen to you when you explain that it is a place I like living in even it they don't.

    As to the article. Who gives a toss anyway. Nothing on TV these days except perhaps BBC4 - soft middle class southerner credentials showed there!

    1. Andus McCoatover
      Windows

      Re: London != || == civilisation

      BBC4? Radio 4?

      Oh, you mean the "Home Service". Now I got it,

  15. RyokuMas
    Mushroom

    TV Tax...

    And here it is - "Buy a freeview box for £(whatever) with (whatever)% VAT going to the government coffers"...

    No thanks. Bastards have already taxed me off the road with their great petrol rip-off.

    I'll be watching what little there is that's worthwhile on iPlayer, thank you very much.

    1. Chad H.

      Re: TV Tax...

      So with Freeview boxes going for about £20, that £4 is really that big of a deal to you?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: TV Tax...

        It bothers me. There's enough rich people out there to tax with out going after those that can least afford it.

        1. JDX Gold badge

          Re: TV Tax...

          Aww, our hearts bleed for you. Keep believing in that communist utopia...

  16. Anonymous John
    Unhappy

    Two months to goín my part of East Sussex

    And since the Heathfield transmitter doesn't yet transmit digital south, I get the impression that nobody knows what's going to happen. The booklet I got refers ominously to possible interference. From France probably.

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Least of my worries.

    Both of my 40 inch Samsung M87s started switching themselves on by themselves.

    Fortunately they have a roll back to previous update, or I'd be generating analogue signals of my own.

  18. tommy060289
    Trollface

    I wouldn't worry too much about them

    all the ones they looted last summer looked like they probably had a digi tuner in there

  19. Jeebus

    Never thought of that. So the riots were a precursor to the switch off. I'd make a typical London riot joke but it may be biased or something, given their rioting and all.

  20. This post has been deleted by its author

  21. Andus McCoatover
    Windows

    Ahhh, Sutton Coldfield...

    Grief, being shown around the old 405-line TV transmitter as a teenager.

    Thing was stuck together by duct-tape. I remember seeing an old resistor (not colour-coded as was, but coded with rings and spots - wartime stuff). It was hanging in the air, tied each end by a bit of twisted wire...Made me proud to get home, switch on my old monochrome 10" Murphy, knowing the signal I was watching was going through that resistor, 20 miles away.

  22. Richard Cartledge

    Aww

    I still have analogue in the car and it's quite a novelty when going down primitive south to pickup a picture on the screen.

  23. The answer is 42
    Unhappy

    Don't matter to me..

    Crystal Palace is the one I can't get .. My aerial (in Leicestershire) points at the local East Midlands aerial at Waltham, about 25 miles away, but I get South Yorkshire / Lincs and Granada as well. Central Tonight, Calendar News or Granada Reports (in HD) are my choices. The auto-tune defaults to South Yorkshire!

  24. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Power increases and Digital UK

    To correct the writer - the name of the organisation is 'Digital UK', not 'Digital TV'.

    And to the other anonymous coward above, regarding poor reception of digital terrestrial over the last few weeks... well, you may have a specific problem, but there's also been exceptionally high pressure weather.

    Two things will improve digital reception at switchover: a) the digital channels will move to the old analogue frequencies, which are not 'squeezed in' so much and b) allow for much higher radiated powers (in the scheme of +10dB, i.e. ten times the power).

    So you'll find the situation greatly improved, hopefully...

  25. P. Lee
    Pirate

    BAH!

    Am I the only one who is outraged by the fact that the government has taken something that is free (spectrum) and turned it into a cost item which will be passed onto the general (TV-owning) public?

    If that isn't taxation by the back door, I don't know what is. What is the point of the government "having more money" when the only ones paying for it are the UK public? Why not just increase tax a little bit and save the cost of the auction?

    How about allocating spectrum based on merit?

    Now, where's that magnet link for Dr Who?

  26. Tim S.

    In America...

    In the U.S., most average people are still confused about digital TV. Since the analogue switchoff, people think regular TV received with an antenna no longer exists. When they see a TV station received via an antenna, they assume it is coming from a satellite. *sigh* They also do not understand that vintage TV antennas will still work with digital receivers (as long as the antenna wire is connected to the receiver with a 75-ohm connector). Manufacturers are part of the problem as they make money off people's ignorance, and sell antennas with phrases added to the packages like "digital ready".

  27. Snobol4

    But when will the Freeview power be increased?

    Are we to assume that the power output for Freeview is being increased the following day? Or are we actually going to have to wait longer for that.....?

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