Scottish digital switch will start in Novermber 2008

Scotland’s Selkirk TV antenna will start its switch to digital-only TV on November 6, 2008, says Digital UK. A new antenna has been built at Selkirk to cover part of the Border area, and in just over a year will start switching local viewers to digital-only TV. The rest of the Border region, including the Caldbeck antenna, will switch in the second quarter of 2009, along with parts of the Westcountry region.

Paul Hughes, Digital UK’s national manager for Scotland, said: “Around 80% of Scots already have some form of digital television, but only around half of all TVs in the home are converted. “So it’s a huge challenge to complete switchover in Scotland between 2008 and 2011. Some people will find the process easier than others, and there will be special help for those who need it most.”

The process in each case will mirror the digital switch going on now in Whitehaven, Cumbria, with BBC2 switched off first, followed a month later by the other analogue channels. Unlike Whitehaven, many viewers in Border can already watch Freeview, and the signal will be boosted as the analogue channels are switched off.