Digital switchover regions
The UK digital switchover was scheduled by TV region and started November 6 2008 and was completed on 24 October 2012. An overview of the TV regions can be found below; you can either select your TV region on the map or one of the links below:
- Anglia – TV aerial reception
- Border – TV aerial reception
- Central – TV aerial reception
- Granada – TV aerial reception
- London – TV aerial reception
- Meridian – TV aerial reception
- STV North – TV aerial reception
- STV Central – TV aerial reception
- Tyne Tees – TV aerial reception
- Ulster (Ireland) – TV aerial reception
- Wales – TV aerial reception
- West Country – TV aerial reception
- West – TV aerial reception
- Yorkshire – TV aerial reception
Meridian TV Region
The Meridian TV region started its digital switchover on 8 February 2012 and completed switchover on 27 June 2012. After switchover was completed everyone in the Meridian TV region was able to receive digital TV via Freeview, or via other digital TV platforms such as Virgin Media, BT or Sky.
The transmitter in the Meridian TV region covers the area of Brighton, Dover, Eastbourne, Gatwick, Hampshire, Hastings, Kent, Sussex, Reading, Surrey and Southampton.
Switchover dates for Meridian TV region
The digital switchover in the Meridian TV region followed a switchover schedule published by Digital UK. The Meridian TV region is divided by 10 transmitter groups, which meant not all Meridian households were switched over to a digital TV signal at the same time – the actual analogue switch off and reception of the digital TV signal was dependent upon the transmitter group that was nearest to you. Even while digital switchover has now been completed, there may still be upgrades or maintenance activities for the Meridian TV region and as such it is recommended to check the DigitalUK website for any updates.
| Transmitter |
Area served
|
Completed
|
|
| Bluebell Hill | North and Mid Kent | 27 June 2012 | |
| Dover | South and East Kent | 27 June 2012 | |
| Hannington | Berkshire, Hampshire, Surrey | 22 Feb 2012 | |
| Hastings | Hastings area | 13 June 2012 | |
| Heathfield | East Sussex | 13 June 2012 | |
| Midhurst |
West Sussex
|
14 March 2012
|
|
| Rowridge | Hampshire, Dorset, Isle of Wight | 21 March 2012 | |
| Tunbridge Wells | Tunbridge Wells area | 13 June 2012 | |
| Whitehawk Hill |
Brighton area
|
21 March 2012
|
Receiving Freeview Digital TV in Meridian TV Region
To be able to receive Freeview on your television you require an aerial (antenna) and a television with a built in digital tuner or you can get a set-top-box that you can connect via HDMI to your HDTV or via SCART for an older (CRT) television. To compare packages of other digital TV providers such Virgin Media, Sky and BT, check the compare section of this website [coming soon].
Aerial
For the reception of any kind of digital terrestrial television you will need an aerial. The type of aerial may vary based on your location and that of the transmitter. In some instances an indoor aerial is already enough; in more rural areas you may require an external aerial. A “digital aerial” or “analogue aerial” doesn’t exist – there may be small differences between each aerial that makes one aerial better than another but there is no such thing as a digital aerial.
Re-tune
As result of upgrades or for instance channel line-up changes, you may be required to re-tune your digital TV receiver. This re-tune allows the digital receiver to search / locate the channels. It is an easy process for which more information is available at the FAQ section of this website.