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Arqiva statements on London Digital Switchover

"The Digital Switch Over process for the Crystal Palace transmitter group, serving 12 million people in Greater London and parts of the Home Counties, has been successfully implemented by Arqiva."

 The Digital Switch Over process for the Crystal Palace transmi
published on UK Free TV

From Arqiva press office: Date: 18 April 2012

Arqiva completes Digital Switch Over for London

The Digital Switch Over process for the Crystal Palace transmitter group, serving 12 million people in Greater London and parts of the Home Counties, has been successfully implemented by Arqiva.

All six digital multiplexes are now being transmitted at high power from Crystal Palace itself, Guildford, Hemel Hempstead and Reigate. The three public-service multiplexes are being transmitted for the first time from a further 49 dependent relay sites at: Alexandra Palace, Assendon, Biggin Hill, Biggin Hill Link, Bishop's Stortford, Cane Hill, Caterham, Chepping Wycombe, Chesham, Chingford, Croydon Old Town, Dorking HP/VP, East Grinstead, Edmonton, Farningham, Finchley, Forest Row, Gravesend, Great Missenden, Greenwich, Hammersmith, Hampstead Heath, Hemel Hempstead Town, Henley, Hertford, High Wycombe, Hughenden, Kenley, Kensal Town, Lea Bridge, Marlow Bottom, Micklefield, Mickleham, New Addington, New Barnet, Old Coulsdon, Orpington, Otford, Poplar, Skirmett, St Albans, Sutton HP/VP, Walthamstow North, Welwyn, West Wycombe, Wonersh, Wooburn, Woolwich and Worlds End.

Following the analogue switch-off for BBC Two on 4 April, the remaining analogue signals for BBC One, ITV1, Channel 4 and Channel 5 ceased from 00:11 on Wednesday 18 April. The new digital signals entered official service at Crystal Palace at 06:00, with the last of the relays completed by 17:14.

Arqiva celebrated the London switchover with a spectacular light show at the Crystal Palace tower later in the evening.

Peter Heslop, DSO Director at Arqiva, said: "London is the biggest TV region in the country so it's a particular milestone in the project to complete the Crystal Palace transmitter group. Today 18% of the UK population has been switched, bringing us to about 83% in total. But DSO is not over yet as we have still to complete Meridian region by the end of June, then Tyne Tees in September and finally Northern Ireland in October."

Arqiva switches London to all-digital TV

With 10 times the power of the current digital TV service, more than 400,000 viewers in coverage black spots across the region will be able to watch Freeview TV for the first time. Millions more will benefit from an improved digital TV signal and better reception across the fifty plus channels on Freeview, including HD.

London's history of pioneering broadcasts

World's first regular TV service was begun by BBC on 2 November 1936 from Alexandra Palace - the first programme broadcast was a bulletin of British Movietone News.

"The Estate" will be the last programme broadcast on the BBC One analogue TV service.

Crystal Palace broadcast the first colour TV test transmissions in November 1956, with a regular colour service starting on BBC2 in 1967

Europe's first free-to-air terrestrial HDTV broadcasts started from Crystal Palace in 2009

London's digital switchover is part of the UK's largest-ever broadcast engineering project.

Over five years, Arqiva has installed new digital equipment at over 50 TV transmission sites across the capital

At Crystal Palace a new 17.5 metre digital antenna, weighing 4 tonnes, has been placed at the top of the 219 metre tower to replace the analogue and low-power digital TV antennas.

The switchover has cleared London's airwaves for the delivery of next generation, high-speed 4G mobile broadband services in the near future.

Prime Minister David Cameron said: "The Digital Switchover is a landmark project that is helping drive forwards our goal of creating a truly Digital Britain. The London Switchover marks another key milestone, and I congratulate Arqiva for successfully undertaking the largest digital network project this country has ever experienced. Public-service broadcasting has been a vital part of life in the UK for 75 years, helping make British broadcasting the envy of the world. Our Switchover will leave a truly 21st Century television service, bringing greater choice and convenience to homes across the UK."

Sir David Attenborough, broadcaster and naturalist, said: "Thanks to public service broadcasting, for the past 75 years we could all take part in the most memorable moments in the UK's history. Think about the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953 or England winning the World Cup in 1966. Now with the switch to digital TV, we're celebrating the start of a new, very exciting time in UK broadcasting when viewers will have more channels to choose from and a better viewing experience than ever before. This is as wonderful as anything I've experienced in my 60 years of working in the TV industry."

John Creswell, CEO of Arqiva, said: "Digital switchover is the 21st century equivalent of the introduction of colour TV, bringing crystal-clear pictures, more channels and interactive features to the whole of the UK. With London's rich history of broadcast firsts and almost five million homes served by Crystal Palace broadcast tower, London switchover is a very special moment in the nationwide switchover project. Behind the scenes, the scale of this national infrastructure project is immense. By completion in October we will have transformed a network that took 25 years build in only five years, transforming this vital public service into a modern platform that will meet the evolving TV viewing needs of the UK population."

Help with Freeview, aerials?
How do I get a test card with Freeview1
I would like to know if it is possible to receive UK terrestrial Freeview servic2
I have been told I would receive too much singal from my Freeview tansmitter as 3
Can my Freeview box receive more than one BBC and ITV region?4
Is it true that my 87 year old mother is entitled to a FREE upgrade when the ana5
In this section
Should the UK close down the TV networks to allow for more mobile broadband? 1
UK Digital switchover ends - Northern Ireland completes on 24th October 20122
The last day of analogue television in the UK - goodbye PAL3
2 days left of analogue television - goodbye teletext4
3 days of analogue to go - goodbye to NICAM 7285
Changes to Saorview frequencies and power levels, 24th October 20126

Comments
Sunday, 22 April 2012
S
sandy
5:28 PM
Leigh-on-sea

cannot seem to get film 4 sky news can only get all bbc eg bbc 1 2 3 4 and all the itv progs and the channel progs eg more etc but know film 4 or itv 3 or itv 4 or the other free channels have tried to add them with no success i live in southend on sea area crystal palace i belive transmitter.

link to this comment
sandy's 2 posts GB flag
sandy's: mapS's Freeview map terrainS's terrain plot wavesS's frequency data S's Freeview Detailed Coverage
T
threewheels
7:12 PM

Hello

Receiver is Goodmans 8015F2 and it does not appear on any of the lists of equipment that will not work.
However there may be an issue with the frequency of channel 28 being moved, it all worked well after the retune on the 4th but not on the 18th.
I am reluctant to buy new equipment and then find bleedover over mobile phone channels at a later date.

Regards

Barry

link to this comment
threewheels's 3 posts GB flag
D
David
7:54 PM

Am in sight of Crystal Palace; roof aerial, Pioneer DTV. Since the 4th retune had occasional breakup on BBC1, BBC News 24 - picture/sound freezes and comes back with pixelation for a bit then clears. Thought it would go away after retuning on 18th but it didn't. Anyone have any ideas? Many thanks

link to this comment
David's 1 post GB flag
S
Stephen P
sentiment_satisfiedGold

8:31 PM

David - How far from CPal?

Try without the aerial; just the flylead. Can get overlaod.

link to this comment
Stephen P's 1,173 posts GB flag
Mark Agius
sentiment_satisfiedGold

9:33 PM

Bill Taylor (from Digital TV) talking about digital switch over on BBC Breakfast time 18/04/2012

See;
Bill Taylor from Digital UK on BBC Breakfast, 18/04/2012
- YouTube


Q: Will relays get all the channels? Bill Taylor takes 25 seconds to say no.
Bill Taylor: "About 15 channels for relays." (Excluding repeated channels it's 12 channels)
"Remember Crystal Palace started TV all all those years ago." (And not Alexandra Palace?)


see;
Bill Taylor from Digital UK on BBC Breakfast, 18/04/2012
- YouTube
(RH163LB)

link to this comment
Mark Agius's 374 posts GB flag
Monday, 23 April 2012
Dave Lindsay
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

2:51 AM

threewheels: As I suspected; it is one of the devices that will not receive signals with negative offsets which are in 8k mode:

http://www.digitaluk.co.u….pdf

The only change after 4th April was the BBC multiplex.

The multiplex on channel 28 is in fact 28- which means that it is a bit lower than 28. After switchover, all signals use 8k mode rather than 2k mode which they used before switchover.

link to this comment
Dave Lindsay's 5,724 posts GB flag
M
Mike Dimmick
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

1:25 PM

threewheels: There's a site dedicated to the rebadged Vestel units at Unofficial Vestel PVR Information (UK) - Home

link to this comment
Mike Dimmick's 2,486 posts GB flag
T
threewheels
7:14 PM

Thank you all I never got the broadcast updates and it looks like I will have to download it from the web.
I would guess that there will be a lot like me as this unit was being pushed in the local supermarket in 2007.
Strangely it all worked after the retune on the 4th but stopped working on the 18th.
Thanks again for the information, luckily a lot of the missing radio stations are on FM.

Regards

Barry

link to this comment
threewheels's 3 posts GB flag
Tuesday, 24 April 2012
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