Aussie viewers continue slow switch to digital
Just over half of Australian households now have at least one TV set capable of receiving free to air digital TV, the latest government tracking survey suggests.
According to the quarterly Digital Tracker report, prepared for ther Digital Switchover Taskforce, 53% of households have now get a digital-ready main TV set. This is an increase of 6% on the previous quarter.
The other findings of the report are:
- Ninety three per cent of households are aware of the digital switchover, however less than 1% know when it will happen in their area and this has not changed since the previous quarter.
- Fifty three per cent of households in Australia have converted their main set to digital TV, up a total of 6% from the previous quarter.
- Eighty three per cent of households intend to convert to digital TV, although 76% have indicated they will wait until just before the switchover date or until forced to.
- Seventy four per cent of Australian households know how to convert to digital TV.
- Fifteen per cent of households are negative to the digital television switchover.
- For those with digital TV, 82% are satisfied with it.
The analogue signal is due to be switched off across the country by the end of 2013,with some areas well before then. The digital Freeview services not available on analogue are ABC2, Nine’s Go and Ten’s sports channel One. Seven is yet to launch its spin-off Freeview service.
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“The digital Freeview services not available on analogue are ABC2, Nine’s Go and Ten’s sports channel One.”
Er, and SBS2.
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I’m assuming a lot of pay TV customers just can’t be bothered to pay foxtel $350 (or whatever it is now) to upgrade to IQ when they’re just going to give you an offer to upgrade when it’s closer to the time anyhow.
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Everything’s going digital these days. Even numbers…………
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Its al very well switching to digital tv and radio, but whats in in for me???
Seeing the same old repeats in digital seems like just subscribing to Austar, paying to watch repeats.
How many times must I endure watching two and a half men, CSI, Bones, Las Vegas, Boston Legal etc.
If you want to increase the uptake improve the programmes.
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Many people are finding that they cannot receive digital signals. In my case it took a new antenna, a higher mast and a masthead amplifier – and it still glitches whenever there is heavy rain between here and the transmitter about 100km away. Most of my neighbours cannot get it at all (I am on top of a hill), although they can get useable analogue signal.
What is being done to improve this situation?
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Ask the bright young things selling cheap set top boxes at JB Hi Fi and they’ll tell you they get a constant stream of returns and exchanges, as people discover they can’t get channels at their location with a particular box. Hook up a different one and you might get all channels or different ones.
Then it rains and Channel 10 disappears regardless, unless you switch back to good old analogue.
If they switched off analogue right now, we simply wouldn’t get some channels about 30% of the time – ok when you’re just “missing” Australian Idol but somewhat annoying when you were trying to watch the end of the grand prix on One.
Digital: Better picture! Better sound! …except when you get SFA!
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