The end of an [analogue TV] era
While I’m a big fan of digital TV I have to admit that I was a little saddened to read the BBC’s article yesterday that confirmed the death of analogue. According to figures from Digital UK, the body overseeing the switch to digital terrestrial in the UK, not a single analogue television set was sold in May.
This is good news for the TV industry, but for those of us that remember the famous BBC test card F it heralds the end of an era. But, it’s not hard to see why people have switched to digital TV: there’s the greater number of channels offering a broader range of content, an improved picture quality, and a range of interactive ‘red button’ information and video services. In some parts of the UK consumers are already benefiting from DVB-T2 technology that enables them to watch free-to-air high definition TV (providing they have a Freeview HD set-top box or TV with an integrated T2 tuner).
Another good thing from the Digital UK report is that it also suggests that 1 in 3 people over the age of 65 feel that they had a better understanding of technology as a result of the digital switch… and that can only be a good thing, can’t it?