What equipment?
Almost every TV can be converted to digital, even black and white sets. If you are thinking of buying a new TV don't forget to look for the digital tick logo, these sets have Freeview built-in so they are ready for digital switchover. Before you talk to your retailer or supplier, you should also ask yourself these questions to work out what you might need.
Buying guide
- How many TVs in the house?
- Do you have a black and white set?
- How many scart sockets are there on the back of each TV set?
- How many scart leads will you need?
- Do you record one channel while you are watching another?
- Do you need a new aerial?
Every TV set will need to be converted to digital to receive broadcast signals and to convert a black and white set you will need a digital box with a 'RF modulator'.
A scart lead connects a digital box (and other equipment) to your TV set. Some digital boxes come with them - some don't. Typically you will need one scart lead for every piece of equipment connected to your TV. If there is no scart socket, you will need a digital box with a 'RF modulator'.
The simplest option for recording is a digital TV recorder. You should consider asking for a twin tuner digital TV recorder so that you can watch one channel whilst recording another.
Most aerials should work after digital switchover and if you get a good picture now, you shouldn't need to do anything else. However, some aerials may need to be changed. For more information use the postcode checker above or look at our getting digital TV pages.
Converting equipment
If you are considering converting or upgrading your existing equipment check out the factsheet above.
Which service?
As part of your conversion you will need to consider which service you would like. If you just want a few primary TV and radio services for free or want to watch movies every night or catch the latest sports events live there are various options available. Use the postcode checker above and the digital options pages to see what's on offer.
Accessibility
Audio description, for those with impaired sight, is available on a selection of digital TV receivers and most products offer subtitles for the hearing impaired at the touch of a button. For more information check out our acessibility services pages.
