Scottish Digital TV Switchover Complete As Analogue Transmission Ends

It has been confirmed that the last analogue transmitters have now been switched off in Scotland, which means that the digital TV switchover in the region is now complete. The switchover has been a gradual one that was carried out over a three year period. The last people to see the digital signals go online were Freeview viewers in the central belt.

Digital TV switchover complete in Scotland

After the news of the completion of the project Paul Hughes, Digital UK national manager for Scotland, said that this was great news for Scotland and would offer many benefits. He said that already digital TV coverage had been extended to reach an additional one million viewers, and the completion of the project had brought Scotland storming into the 21st century in terms of technology and the digital age.

According to reports, some Freeview boxes and HDTV sets in Scotland needed to be retuned in order to locate missing channels after the switchover. Hughes said that Digital UK would continue to be on hand to help resolve any issues that viewers may experience following the completion of the switchover. He also added that eligible viewers still had time to apply to the Switchover Help Scheme.

This scheme is open until 22nd July and is run by the BBC, which has an agreement with the government. The scheme is designed to help disabled people and older viewers to make the switchover and includes demonstrations and assistance as well as installation if required. Digital UK was set up in 2005 to oversee the digital television switchover.

Officials have said that although people did have initial reservations about the switchover at first the process has gone smoothly. The switchover has already been completed in Wales as well as in some regions of England. The process is scheduled to come to an end next year.

2 comments

  1. David Tennant AMIEE (rtd)

    No end of problems, in-spite of using digital prior to switch over. eg Retune main digital TV and can display STV in the chanel list and can view it until such time as I switch off, then on switching back on STV along with several other channels is missing! Retune again and result is STV ok till switch off!
    When I scan for available channels on my PC Dongle I only get one Glasgow provider (41) instead of the 6 Digital Providers that I was getting pre switch over. Same new outside aerial I purchased with digibox a few years ago. Only difference is all TV’s now trying to view Digital whereas used to be 2 Digital & 2 Analogue (via same coax and signal amplifiers). What happened to the stronger signal we were promised?

  2. Constant problems with lack of poor signal on digital here in Edinburgh when it is raining. Also my uncle in Glasgow encounters the same. We have returned the TVs several time. Absolute rubbish the switch over.