A new era for television: London completes digital evolution
Ericsson’s John Griffiths on the digital switchover…
I was part of a little piece of television history recently, when I braved the wind and rain in south London (what’s new?) to celebrate the digital switchover in the capital and the surrounding counties. The event held at the Crystal Palace broadcast tower signified the end of analog television for nearly 12 million people, leaving only Tyne Tees and Northern Ireland to complete the UK digital TV puzzle.
I attended the event with my Ericsson colleague, Noel Matthews, TV Business Development and we were treated to a thoroughly entertaining celebration of British television. A panel of guests featuring Sir David Attenborough, Professor Brian Cox, Sir Peter Bazalgette and Chris Evans reflected on their contributions to UK television and shared their most memorable moments from the last 75 years of analog broadcasting.
It was a special evening for the organisers (and Ericsson customer) Arqiva, who spent the last two years installing the digital switchover equipment needed to power this new era in London. As the transmission contractor for all UK terrestrial television services, Arqiva has the responsibility for implementing the switchover at all 1154 transmitter sites.
The evening culminated with a fantastic lightshow display at the 219 meter high tower, launched by Sir David. The beams of colored light that emanated from the tower represented the new invisible digital signals that are now spreading all over London. For a few moments at least, the Crystal Palace site appeared a worthy rival to the Eiffel Tower! Well, almost.
As I stood in front of the Crystal Palace transmitter to watch the spectacular illuminations, I started to think about the incredible feat of engineering that make the UK’s transition from analog to digital television possible.
The town of Whitehaven in Cumbria (population 25,000) was the first place in the UK to have its analog signal switched off in October 2007, and was selected primarily because it’s a discrete area for broadcasting signals. When the final transmitters are disconnected in Northern Ireland in the autmn of this year, 98.5% of the entire UK poulation will have switched over to digital in just over five years.
The industry hopes to meet its target of providing DTT HD services to 98% of the country, offering an even greater viewing experience and broader selection of multi-channel television. The move to digital is taking place around the globe and I’m proud that we at Ericsson are at the forefront of this revolution, both with our technology and our thinking about how consumers want to interact with TV in this new digital world.
As our industry introduces multi-screen television and begins the journey towards a band of services delivered to multiple devices on multiple networks, we are continuing to develop innovative solutions that are enhancing viewing experiences even further.
Read the Ericsson blog here.