We're taking random areas of the UK to see what the options are like for digital TV, both the channel availability for Freeview and the availability of Sky, Virgin Media and BT Broadband/BT Vision services.
Carlisle
The administrative district of Carlisle City Council is covered by the Caldbeck transmitter in the Border TV region and its 48 relays, which will go digital in two stages on 24th June and 22nd July 2009 and is predicted to cover around 120,000 households. Stage 1 of the switchover will involve BBC2 going digital-only, in other words BBC2 on analogue will be switched off - at the same time the first batch of new Freeview channels will be made available, and in Stage 2 all remaining analogue channels will be switched off and the rest of the new digital channels will appear, although on both dates you will need to retune your Freeview, BT Vision or Top Up TV equipment.
We've taken three random postcodes in Carlisle, CA1 2TE in the Durranhill area of Carlisle, CA3 9AQ in Stanwix and CA6 4AA in Rockcliffe. When we tried these in the Digital UK postcode checker we found almost the same result for each - the methods of reception for a one off payment are Freeview, Freesat and Freesat from Sky and available subscription services are BT Vision, Sky and Top Up TV in all three, with the addition of cable company Smallworld in CA3 9AQ. These are the results we got using the BT, Virgin Media and Sky postcode checkers.
BT
In the BT postcode checker the message was similar for all three of our test postcodes - a good result showing decent broadband speeds.
Here is the message we got for CA1 2TE and CA3 9AQ;
"Your exchange is ADSL enabled, and our initial check on your postcode indicates that your line should be able to have an ADSL broadband service that provides a fixed line rate up to 2Mbps. Our check also indicates that your line currently supports a potential ADSL Max broadband line rate of 4.5Mbps or greater. Our check also indicates that your line currently supports a potential ADSL2+ broadband line rate of 6Mbps or greater. The actual stable line rate supportable will be determined during the first 10 days of use. This rate may change over time, to ensure line stability is maintained. If you decide to place an order, a further test will be performed to confirm if your line is suitable for the service you wish to purchase."
The message for CA6 4AA was very similar except with speeds of 2Mbps and a potential ADSL Max broadband line rate of 4Mbps or greater.
What does this mean? BT broadband is available to these postcodes and will be fast enough to be able to deliver BT Vision - you need a broadband speed that averages at least 2Mbps for this. It's advisable to check your own postcode to get your particular line speed, but if you are already a BT broadband customer or are considering BT then BT Vision would be a very good choice for digital TV in this area.
Virgin Media
The general rule with cable services like Virgin is you are likely to be able to get it in built-up areas and less likely in rural areas, so with Virgin Media more than any other service we recommend checking your own postcode here - it can vary from street to street.
However, all of our test postcodes came up with the same message - "Your home is not in a Virgin Media cable area so you can't get our fibre-optic cable services, but you can get our National services. National services up to 16Mb! Our National broadband and phone services are available to all. Unlike our cable services, they're delivered down your phone line - in just the same way other companies offer it."
What does this mean? As mentioned above, Virgin Media availability can vary from one street to the next, but in these two cases it means you can get Virgin Media broadband down your phone line but no cable TV services - they offer a Freeview box for £40 but this is not connected to the broadband (the way it would be with BT Vision), it's just a Freeview box like any other you would get from a shop.
Sky
For we got the following message - "Great news, Sky Broadband is currently available in your area. Based on the postcode you have entered there is a good indication you are in a Sky Broadband network area, where Sky Broadband Base, Mid, and Max are currently available. In order to join Sky Broadband you will need an active BT compatible phone line. Sky Broadband is exclusively available to Sky TV customers."
What does this mean? All of the Sky broadband and TV services are available to you.
The message for CA6 4AA was slightly different; "Based on the postcode you have entered, there is a good indication that Sky Broadband Connect, is available in your area. Fast download speeds of up to 8Mb and a massive monthly usage allowance of 40GB can be yours now with Sky Broadband Connect. Please note: broadband speeds vary with location and line quality. In order to join Sky Broadband you will need an active BT compatible phone line."
What does this mean? It means you can't get the regular Sky broadband services as your exchange hasn't been updated yet, but you can receive the 8MB Connect service - this doesn't affect your ability to get Sky TV in the usual way using a Sky TV box and Sky dish. You need either a BT or Sky phone line - Sky will install a phone line free of charge and then £10 per month is charged. You can still take out any of the broadband TV packages but only with the Connect broadband rather than Base, Mid or Max.
Freeview
Carlisle is in the Border TV region. The government body Digital UK estimates that 98% of households in the Border region will be able to get 17 channels after switchover, and 53% will be able to pick up more channels than that from the 53 TV channels (plus text and radio services) that will be available.
Our three postcodes all showed Freeview results suggesting that 53 channels will be available with good reception after Stage 2 of the switchover. A retune of equipment will be required - more information on that here. Here are the available channels;
Free Channels Available Carlisle
Subscription Channels Available
The map below shows the 14 TV areas of the UK and which year each area is expecting to switch off the analogue TV signal.
The main government website for the switchover is Digital UK, and there are many specialist help areas too, such as information on the Digital Switchover Help Scheme which can provide free installation and equipment to people over 75 and those with certain disabilities.
