The switch to digital TV in the UK is happening now and will be completed in 2012, at which point you won’t be able to receive the old analogue signal anywhere. It’s a great thing in the long run and will improve our TV viewing experience, but what are the downsides? The negative side effects for some and the great opportunity for others?

Bad for people who don’t get it

The confusion and ignorance that has surrounded the change is a perfect breeding ground for unscrupulous operators to move in to take advantage. Some TV retailers are reported to have instructed their staff to discourage people from buying a Freeview box (which may only cost around £15) in favor of buying a nice new TV for around £400-500; this would imply giving misleading information to rule out the fact that the Freeview box is all you need, even lying about the technical specifications to get the most profitable sale. Whether or not this is true of high street shops, it certainly doesn’t take much imagination to see dodgy guys going door to door in an area where change is imminent, telling older people that they need to change. his antenna (usually not required) or buying and having fitted one of his van boxes (probably costing £10 second hand and selling it to the victim for £40) or “you won’t be able to see Eastenders next week”.

Bad for power consumption

Until the transition of the average home from old equipment to new equipment is complete, much more electricity will be used, as more devices (Freeview boxes, Sky or Virgin boxes, hard drive recorders, etc.) are added to the existing setup. of people. This will resolve itself over time, as we will see viewers move to TVs with built-in tuners in the first place, perhaps also built-in hard drive recorders, and in the long run much more convergence between the PC, digital TV, music and all the entertainment. system in a house. So by extension…

Good for short-term utility companies

Like all those new Freeview boxes left on 24-7 will add up to a nice amount of extra income. So, by further extension…

bad for the environment

Although only as long as people have the correct settings, after which it should be better. The other short-term effect on the environment, I suppose, could be the disposal of unwanted old equipment. Most antennas don’t need to be replaced so it should be minimal and in fact most TVs can be used with whatever digital TV medium you’ve chosen (I’m not going to upgrade my TV until I need to, regardless of changes), so TV phasing should only increase a bit as people buy the necessary equipment and decide to enjoy better TV at the same time. The deletion problem can come from VCRs, and even some older DVD recorders that have an analog tuner, which don’t work after the change. Now I’m pretty imaginative when it comes to reusing old stuff, but I’m having a hard time thinking of a use for a VCR that can’t record – most family playrooms now have better equipment than that for watching Peppa Pig and that it’s the only idea that comes close.

bad for homeowners

If you own or manage a block of flats, for example, you’ll need to consider setting up community television; if you had a community analogue antenna before, it will be fine if everyone on the block wants to get a freeview box, but will you need an adjustment in signal strength, or will tenants suddenly ask permission to install a satellite dish? Possibly a headache owners could do without at the moment, given their stress levels due to the global financial situation and whatnot.

Bad for the blind?

When the first switch was carried out in Whitehaven, Cumbria, in October 2007, the RNIB was concerned that the decoders supplied as part of the town’s ‘Help’ program did not have talking menus, the software that helps people navigate. people with vision problems. your way through the channels and other options. A local blind resident, Sharon Bowell, said: ‘I feel like I am being left out of the so-called digital TV revolution. I have no way of knowing what channel I’m on or what show is on, I can’t use the on-screen guide to know what’s happening now or next, and I can’t even record my favorite shows. I just won’t be able to meaningfully interact with any of the affordable set-top boxes or digital TVs that are available in stores.’

Good for those with special needs

However, apart from this problem with navigation, there are many good features to help the visually or hearing impaired: Sky TV has 2 channels on its Sky Box Office movie service for the hearing and visually impaired (738 features signed films and 739 narrative films with audio description). They also employ a team of six qualified interpreters as their sign language team and offer sign language on at least seven of their channels. Sky seems to be leading the way when it comes to helping those with special needs, as they also have an Easy Grip remote available for people who have trouble with their hands; It also features large, easy-to-read tactile buttons.

Good for retailers and entrepreneurs

By staying in the digital pioneer town of Whitehaven, retailers have seen that the rush to buy Freeview boxes has the benefit of the secondary purchases that come with it. If you’re already in the store, chances are you’ll be picking up some batteries, that iPod charger you’ve been wanting to buy, and more. In fact, it’s often been the other way around: customers buying the £14.99 set-top box are tempted by the lovely flat-screen HDTV in the window. Craig Carruthers, manager of Currys in Whitehaven, said of the Freeview boxes; ‘Our sales are growing between 20 and 30 percent week after week. Many people are buying not only a set top box, but also a flat screen TV.’ This rush of customers caused by the staggered timing of each area’s turnaround makes me wonder about Freeview’s creation of shops advertising cheap digital TV, in the same way that fireworks shops and Christmas tree stalls pop up during two lucrative weeks and then they’re gone. All the entrepreneur needs to do is find out the date of change in each area and Bob is your uncle, there is a ready market. Will someone do this? Feel free to take the idea and put it into practice, I need to go and rewind the Peppa Pig videotape in the game room and then sit down and watch our portable black and white TV.