With the digital switch-over and the impending end of all analogue TV transmissions, you may be asking yourself whether you can get digital TV. There are many ways to get a digital TV signal and so the answer to that question is very probably yes.

You can either get digital TV for free through a television aerial or a satellite dish, or you can get it through subscription based services. To see which services are available in your area you, use our digital TV availability checker and insert your postcode. It will then tell you which digital TV services are available in your area.

Free digital TV through your television aerial is called Freeview and it has been available for several years. In theory, all you need is an inexpensive set-top box and you should be able to get digital TV through your existing aerial.

However, generally if you do not currently have good analogue reception your digital reception is not likely to be good enough to get a decent TV picture and sound so may have to upgrade your aerial. If you are simply not in an area with good enough Freeview reception, then the other free alternative is Freesat.

This involves getting digital TV through a satellite dish. Here, you will have to pay for a satellite dish and digital receiver, but once you have done that there are no other costs. It is very likely you will be able to receive Freesat digital TV, with that added bonus that it will also enable you to receive HD channels if you have a HD Ready TV.

Types of Digital TV

There are two types of subscription service available that can provide digital TV; cable and satellite. Cable works using fibre optic cables to send the digital TV signal directly into your house and is only available in areas of they country that are connected to the cable network.

It has the advantage of being more reliable in comparison to aerial and satellite receivers and is unaffected by weather conditions. An added bonus of cable is that it will give you access to more channels and features, such as Catch Up TV (e.g. BBC iPlayer) directly on your TV instead of having to use a computer.

It will also give you access to a large library of On Demand movies and TV series', so you can watch what you want at your convenience and have a much greater choice of programs and films.

Although cable TV is only available through subscription, the same channels that are available through Freeview are available for free when you have a cable phone line (and optional broadband connection) so they are effectively available for free if you buy the phone service. Subscription satellite services provide extra channels in addition to the usual Freeview channels.

You will require a satellite dish of course and this tends to be the most expensive way to receive digital TV. However, if you want the particular channels and extra services that are available from subscription service providers and you do not live in an area where cable is available then this will be your only option.