Digital Television Switchover

2012 - It’s the big analogue television switch-off in our area.

How are you going to watch the television then?
Simple – it’s all going to be digital.

We currently have digital television courtesy of Freeview (terrestrial), Freesat (satellite) and Sky (satellite) running alongside
the old analogue service.

(Freesat is essentially Freeview via satellite.)

Analogue TV will end in the Wimborne area in March, 2012.

Are you ready for this?

Do you know how different digital tv is from analogue?

Can you fully control your television/set-top box/PVR (Personal Video Recorder)/Hard-disc drive+DVD Recorder etc etc etc?

Do you know how to rescan a digital tv tuner and what to do if you lose some channels??

Ignorance may be bliss but it can be very inconvenient and expensive. Enjoy the benefits of knowledge and understanding instead. The Course won’t be too technical.

It will however pay homage to the edict – “if in doubt, read the manual!”

Back to: Activities Programme

All Wimborne U3A Members are invited to visit our Blogsite at: www.wimborneu3adigitaltv.blogspot.com

Summary

What is it?

“Understanding How to Receive and Enjoy Digital Television” is the subject of the Course.

When is it?

The Course will consist of three sessions in one term (ie each session will be four weeks apart) in the Leader’s house – with a tea/coffee break, of course.

The Course will be repeated each Autumn and Spring Term until the analogue switch-off occurs in March 2012.

When signing up for this course, you will be asked to provide information about your current television receiving

equipment (make and model number).

This applies to television sets and set-top boxes and is to help the Leader personalise the Course for you.

Do please visit our Blogsite by using the link in the panel at the top of this page. You will find a wealth of material there about digital television. The site is constantly being updated with the latest information and will become an essential visit as March 2012 draws ever nearer.

“Thank you so much for your excellent TV course and valuable additional advice. I found I learned a great deal of "hot off the press" information and practical tips enabling me to make the most of the increasing range of equipment and changing services. The explanations were always clear and I appreciated the hand-outs and patient and expert explanations. Many more people would certainly benefit from attendance.”(Dec 2009)

“I would claim that I am not a great television watcher. I have a basic analogue four-channel affair that can play and record videos but has never been asked to. The instructions were read to the extent of being able to switch on and off, change channels and increase or decrease the volume.

Now comes digital; do I need to know about it? The answer would be “Yes”. From what source? That is the easy question. U3A’s Leader has all the answers to your TV set-up from however basic your knowledge is to how far you want to take it!

The two-hour sessions (three of them) tell you how to get the best from your digital ‘set up’ and, by default, enjoy your viewing more, in a logical and easy to understand way, no note-taking required, have your questions answered and be prepared to laugh.

Will digital television and the change-over to come in March 2012 cause you a problem? Not if you have been lucky or wise enough to attend one of the Leader’s relaxed and friendly courses.” [1 April 2009]

Course Members’ Comments