If you're willing to ignore the ramblings of the irritatingly cute mascot created to help with the digital switchover, which has already begun in some areas and which by the time the London Olympics rolls around in 2012 will herald the completion of the switch from analogue to digital broadcasts.

In order to prepare yourself properly for the digital switchover there are a few pieces of kit that might grab your interest, so we'll take a little look at what's on offer.

Built in Digital TV

If you aren't that interested in paying monthly for your digital TV service then there is of course Freeview, the free to air terrestrial digital service which has more than enough channels for most and is constantly being added to and improved. When you're looking into buying a TV it is definitely worth while checking for the sets that have built in Freeview decoders.

This is a common feature on most mid to high end flat screen LC and Plasma HD ready TVs, and will save you having to plug in a Freeview set top box, as if the TV has a built in decoder you'll need to use less power and there will be less remotes cluttering your sofas and living room tables.

There are also TVs which offer built in Freesat decoders, the digital TV service which is broadcast using satellites but is still completely subscription free, provided you have the right hardware.

It is also important that when you buy any new TV it is High Definition (HD) ready because the digital switchover is also combining itself with the switch to HD broadcasting.

It is currently only the Freesat and subscription digital TV services that offer HD content, but over the next couple of years a change in the way that Freeview is broadcast will mean that HD channels will be available through your existing aerial.

However, this will require the purchase of a new set top box and of course an HD ready TV set, so you may have to wait for that technology to become available.

Set Top Boxes and HDD Recorders

Most of the main subscription digital TV services have been offering some form of HDD recorder as part of their most expensive packages, and these boxes have given the viewer ability to pause, record and rewind live TV as well as storing all of their favourite programs that they may have missed in the week at the touch of a few buttons on the remote.

Sky+, Virgin+ and Tiscali+ are all the top services offered by these pay monthly providers, but there's another way to record any shows and movies you're going to miss without having to sign up, and that is if you buy your own Freeview recorder.

All the big electronics companies are producing them, from Sony to Panasonic, and they will often vary in specification and price.

The best advice is to go for the best you can afford that combines the most functionality. You'll probably want one with at least an 80GB hard drive, if not 160GB, and if you've got or are planning to get an HD ready TV then look for a box with an HDMI or component output, both of which will allow you to watch your programs upscaled to an HD resolution.