It’s Permanent Sign Off for Analogue TV in 2012

Say goodbye to your analogue TV.

Analogue television in the UK will permanently be phased out come October 24, 2012. After eight decades of servicing the public, the analogue network for television, a 5-channel system will be shut off for good. This is a significant shift to digital era whose switchover already started way back in 2008. Digital television has mass appeal because of more dynamic channel options and better, sharper visuals and audio.

The first ever analogue television aired in August of 1932. It was BBC who first launched analogue technology in the year 1936 and the evolution of television to digital age has been phenomenal. The very first coverage of analogue TV were informative shows, entertainment and the historical coverage of the man’s first landing on the moon.

The analogue switchover was announced by David Scott, the chief executive of Digital UK. The analogue era has been a very crucial period for the television industry. But we are entering an age of better quality home viewing, thank to the digital age. The variety of channel options and quality pictures makes the future of television forthcoming, he added. “I’m looking forward to October next year when we will have brought the benefits of digital to every corner of the country” he said.

The final switchover of analogue is set for 2012 with the government being strict to its timetable, over 15 million viewers will be transferred to digital coverage via Freeview services, according to Digital UK. The group is working on a £53 million budget for the switchover.

The last analogue TV signals will be switched off in Northern Ireland where “virtually all” households will receive the new digital signal “including half-a-million viewers who cannot receive it now”.