iPhones, HD televisions and complex webbery: just what does our digital future hold for us?

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Digital televisions sets, high-speed Internet, smart phones and virtual communities, you could forgive some of the more pedestrian members of society for finding this digital revolution a touch bewildering.

It’s easy to forget that a mere decade ago we would quite happily invest half an hour boosting up a sluggish Altavista page whilst the sound of mechanical beeps danced in the background; that mobile telephones would come with extendable aerials and, to the majority of us, Channel Five represented the zenith of choice.

Today, the digital landscape is unrecognisable. Jobs and revenue created by digital businesses are at the heart of the government’s scheme to drag the country out of the recession, and yesterday Lord Stephen Carter, the communications minister, announced that every home in Briton should expect the have access to a broadband system by 2012.

‘There is no sector with the possible exception of energy that the rest of the economy relies upon more than this one,’ Carter claimed as he published his interim Digital Britain report.

But what does this mean? What is digital Britain going to look like? Probably one of the most noticeable changes for the majority of Britons is going to be taking place on their television screens.

Firstly, Sky appears to be in the midst of a determined push on their Sky HD packages. High Definition television (or HD, for short) means that the visual quality of programming is improved by around four times. Sky aren’t stopping at this, however, and have hinted recently that within 24 months UK viewers could be treated to something as exotic as 3D broadcasts.

Then, with the soaring speeds of broadband Internet, we could well see more and more households adopting video streaming sites in place of traditional broadcasters. YouTube is the obvious frontrunner with a surge in the number of different channels, but other sites such as Vimeo have been causing a lasting stir online and are tipped to grow strongly this year.

Most people don’t know much about Vimeo. Currently it is the technological playground of individual users and small businesses, but there is every chance that over the next few years broadcasters such as the BBC and Sky will begin to invest more and more of their resources in online technology, dragging more viewers online, and exposing them more and more to sites like Vimeo and YouTube.

Whether it’s Sky, Vimeo, YouTube or the good old BBC, the digital juggernaut is already off down the hill, and where it ends up is probably going to surprise us all. For 2009, however, there is one thing of which Sky are certain, that High Definition TV isn’t just for the privileged, but for everyone.

Tags: BBC, Digital TV, Sky, Switchover by Mr Remote
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We’ve now got HD channels by the bucket load. Sky Box Office HD, Sky Sports, Sky Premier, Sky One, BBC and Channel 4 are just a short collection of these, each of them available in glorious high definition.

The number of channels is testament to the big step forward the technology has taken. Launched in May 2006, the longest subscribers to the Sky HD service will now have been enjoying the service for around three years, and in the next three years the service is set to grow quickly.

The UK’s two biggest broadcasters, Sky and the BBC, are both committed HD enthusiasts, and by the time the London Olympics arrive in three summer’s time they aim to have a vast majority of the British public hooked onto their network.
One of the key draws is price. The Sky HD service is now available for well under £100. At the time of launch a subscription would have only been possible after the £299 initial fee was paid. And with the appropriate technology, BBC HD can be received for free.

So, whether Bond is your bag – or you’d prefer to put your feet up to the sound of the Premiership, it could be time to jump onto the HD wagon, because it’s already off downhill and it isn’t showing any signs of slowing down.

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Image Credit: fmc.nikon.d40 on Flickr

Tags: Digital TV, High Definition TV, Sky, Switchover by Peter Moore
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Many viewers left ‘in the dark’

The many the ‘Digital Switchover’ is a puzzling concept, its significance diluted amongst a thousand Blairite sound-bites. And can you really blame people? ‘Education, Education, Education’; ‘Hearts and Minds’;’ Special Relationship’; ‘Prudence’ and now ‘Competence’ – is it at all surprising that people are failing to draw the meaning out of words anymore?

I say this, because a recent parliamentary report has claimed that ‘many viewers do not understand the implications of the digital switchover’, despite the efforts of a £200m campaign. The statistics are unequivocal. Of all of the television sets sold in the first half of 2007, over half of them were analogue. In total it is estimated that there are 26 million analogue televisions in existence that will need replacing.

Whitehaven became the first place to fall under the glimmer of digital television on 14 November last year. In that town, on the north western Cumbrian coast, it is now only possible to watch television on broadband, Freeview, Sky, satellite or cable. Like a pack of cards, the rest of Britain is poised to follow suit over the next four years. The problem is that many remain in blissful ignorance.

Once the analogue signal is switched off permanently, viewers will only be able to receive a digital signal unless they pay for expensive extra equipment. The upshot of this is – that people across the country need to begin to consider what digital service they would like to opt for in the future.

Sky and Freeview are the two most prominent options available. Sky with its array of programming and effortless programming quality and Freeview boasts a quick-fix connection to the digital signal and comes with a cart load of free-to-air channels. Other companies have joined the mix – and currently Virgin Media, BT, Tiscali and Setanta are amongst a cluster of companies offering attractive digital packages.

Meanwhile the report suggests that the government have to do more to make the population aware of the impending change. Specifically, it suggested that the digital tick that signified whether or not a product was suitable for the digital changeover remained a ‘mystery’ to many sales staff and customers.

Therefore it is clear that the facts surrounding the digital switchover will have to be better promoted – otherwise viewers quite simply could be caught in the fuzz and forced into a last minute upgrade.

Tags: Digital TV, Sky, Switchover, Virgin by Peter Moore
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Winners and losers

So, what exactly do Steven Gerrard, James Bond, Ross Kemp, Winston Churchill, Ellen Page and the Gladiators have in common? Well the answer is quite simple: they are all featured on Sky’s Heroes season of programming.

This season has been running for some time now and it is indicative of Sky’s latest decision to organise its programming into various different seasons. The ‘Heroes’ season includes a wave of programming across a number of different Sky channels.

The biography channel is featuring a number of British national heroes; Sky Sports is concentrating upon dramatic sporting finale and the movies channel is focussing on films telling stories of personal bravery and courage.

The ‘Heroes’ season is slated to be followed by other genre lead series of programmes. Sky have already promised that in the future there will be series of Westerns, animations, films from the 60s and musicals to follow the end of the ‘Heroes’ one at the end of May.

To find out more information about Sky’s specific scheduling, you can visit their website to browse up to date listings and timetables.

Tags: BBC, Digital TV, Programmes, Sky, Switchover by Peter Moore
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Get ready to switch

Whitehaven is not a place famed for its revolutions, which is just as just as well considering the presence of Sellafield’s nuclear power station.

But last year it won the honour of being not only the last place in Britain to be invaded – well a boat load of Americans came ashore and got drunk during the American Revolution anyway – but also the first place to succumb to the big Digital-Revolution and switch off its analogue TV signal.

Digital TV is here to stay and coming to a place near you and fast and you can find out how fast at What started last year in Whitehaven ends in 2012 in London, just in time for the Olympics.

From now on we will all have access to at least 18 different channels, which is apparently going to give us “increased choice” of “high quality programming” according the government.

Unfortunately a quick perusal at the listings for BBC Three is making me doubt this confident pronouncement.

Programmes like Page Three Teens and Britain’s Youngest Grannies hardly make it sound like it is going to be worth all the effort, but I am sure that the less cynical amongst you will disagree.

The real revolution will come once the switchover is complete and the freed up spectrum allows greater access to HD TV and mobile television, it’s what Marx had planned for us all along comrades!

Tags: Digital TV, Switchover by John Hillman
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