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The old, worn-out analogue TV signal is finally being turned off in London tonight, the BBC reports, halting transmissions of BBC One, ITV1, Channel Four and Channel Five to those of you who haven’t upgraded to digital yet.
The switching of the TV broadcast from analogue to digital has been in progress for a few years now, but today’s the day for our beloved capital to switch off that dusty old signal once and for all.
In case you aren’t aware of all this nonsense, the digital switchover means TV broadcasts will no longer be transmitted on the old analogue frequencies, instead relying on digital transmitters that theoretically provide a stronger signal as well as being able to handle high-definition services. You’ll be able to receive digital TV through your existing aerial, meaning you’ll be able to watch channels like E4 and BBC Three.
London is one of the last parts of the country to switch over, with only Tyne Tees and Northern Ireland lagging the capital.
Roughly 12 million people in the London area will be affected, but most will have already made the switch — switchover mascot AI (pictured above driving a van, almost certainly without a license) has been shouting about it for ages.
Any TV and equipment you’ve bought in the last few years will almost certainly be digital ready, but if you’re in any doubt and don’t want to be left out of the loop of the latest episodes of Corrie, head over to the DigitalUK site and check out their info.
If you know you’re fully prepared for the switch — which you probably are, given how progressive and devilishly attractive you are — you can sit back and watch all your HD channels on your huge Samsung telly with a good brew in hand.
Also, go find a window in your house that looks out at the transmitter at Crystal Palace — it’s going to be lit up with 200,000W of lighting on Wednesday. Britain’s favourite nature guru Sir David Attenborough will be in attendance, along with bespectacled presenter Chris Evans, so get your party hats on and dance the night away. Or something.
