Digital TV Bundles

As the year 2012 sneaks closer and closer and the mandatory switch to digital TV comes along with it more and more people are switching to digital TV services, and for good reason. You can get some digital channels for free using the Freeview service that is the new standard of terrestrial television, and for some people the channels on offer with Freeview are fine, but for others with a hunger for digital television content that isn't restricted a subscription based digital TV bundle might be more appropriate. There are two main companies offering digital TV bundles, and the merits of both can be confusing and hard to grasp at first glance, but hopefully by looking at the key differences you can come to your own conclusion based on your preferences.

Sky TV Digital Bundles

There are three main bundles that Sky offer digital TV customers, starting from under £20 a month. Sky is a satellite based subscription TV service, so they will need to install a dish on the outside of your property and you'll have a choice of three set top box types. The first and most basic is a Sky box. This will allow you access to a range of digital channels, and you can pick a package that suits you and your viewing needs, from movies and sports to kids TV and documentaries or a variety of combinations to suit your age and taste.

Once you have a Sky box and a subscription you can usually add on extra channels that you fancy whenever you like, but you may be required to pay more for them. You will of course receive all the channels available on Freeview as well at no extra charge. The next level up the Sky rung is called Sky+ or Sky Plus. The main difference between the basic Sky box and the Sky+ box is that you can pause, rewind and record live TV directly to your Sky+ box so that you can nip and make a cup of tea or answer the phone and not miss any of your favourite program. You can also set up your Sky+ box to record a program or a whole series of programs to be stored ready for you to watch whenever you like.

The final and most expensive digital TV product that Sky offers is Sky+ HD. This is again a set top box that can also record programs, but it has the added capability of allowing you to view high definition broadcasts, provided that you have an HD ready TV and are willing to pay for HD channel to be included in your package. Like most media companies in today's market, Sky will also offer you broadband internet and a landline phone package in conjunction with any one of their digital TV services that you sign up for, and for some people the convenience of combining services into one monthly bill may be appealing.

Virgin Media Digital Bundles

If you live in an area covered by Virgin Media's cabling then you could opt for digital TV with them. They offer many of the same channels as Sky, including the pay per view sports that are so popular, but also have a well developed on demand video system. This is a selection of TV shows from the last 7 days along with over 500 movies that you can watch whenever you want. Virgin also offer a set top box that can record broadcasted content similar to the Sky+ box.