1 Digital Television FAQ s Question summary 1. What is digital television? 2. How do I receive digital television? 3. What benefits does digital television offer me? 4. Will I still be able to receive the current free to air channels? 5. Do I need a new television set to receive digital television? 6. I have more than one TV, do they all need converting for digital? 7. How will I know which television sets can receive digital services? 8. Will I need a dish or new aerial? 9. Why might I need to have the aerial cabling in my building changed? 10. What will I have to pay for digital television? 11. As a leaseholder, do I need to pay for this service up front? 12. Can I choose not to have this work carried out? 13. If I don t do anything, will I lose my TV signal? 14. Will I still be able to use my video recorder or DVD player? 15. What provision has been made for visually and hearing impaired people? 16. Are there any help schemes available for the elderly or disabled residents? 17. Will switching to digital affect my television licence? 18. Do I have to switch to digital television? 19. I already have my own dish, why do I need to use a communal one? 20. Will we charge leaseholders if they are not connected? 21. Who will remove old dishes? 22. If I m an existing Sky customer, can I just carry on with my existing contract? 23. What Foreign Language channels are available? 24. What if I have cable/broadband currently? 25. When will we switch off the analogue connection to my block? 26. What if I decide I want the digital Sky connection after Sky have moved from my block? How long will it take to connect and will it cost me any extra? 27. What will happen if I have a non Sky dish? 28. In my block we are having major works carried out. What will happen to my dish during these works? 1. What is digital television? Digital technology provides a more efficient way to deliver television than with analogue signals. It enables the same services to be delivered in less space with greater quality of picture. This means that, as less space is used to transmit the signal, the free space can be used for other services such as more television or radio channels or enhanced or interactive services. The digital signal can be received by aerials, satellite dishes or cable but have to be decoded and turned back into sound and pictures by using a separate set top box, or a decoder built into your television (an integrated digital set). 2. How do I receive digital television? There are 3 main ways you can receive digital television today. a. Satellite To receive digital satellite signals in the UK you will need a set top box to use with your existing TV set or a new digital TV set designed to receive the digital satellite signals. b. Cable In this case, digital services are relayed through a cable laid below the ground that passes between the cable operator and your home and a set top box provided and located there by cable operator. c. Terrestrial This is the closest match to conventional analogue services. The network of land based transmitters around the country transmits signals to household aerials. The aerial signal needs to be connected to a set top box or to an integrated digital television (a TV which has the adapter built inside)
2 3. What benefits does digital television offer me? Common benefits offered via all digital methods (Satellite, Cable & Terrestrial) include: Improved picture (e.g. no ghosting effects, true widescreen) Better sound performance (CD quality, surround sound). More TV and radio channels Various degrees of enhanced and interactive services. These can include electronic programme guides that relay what s on now and next, or 7day programme schedules, information services and audio description services to assist the hearing and visually impaired. 4. Will I still be able to receive the current free to air channels? Yes. You will be able to receive the current free to view channels from the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Five on digital terrestrial and cable. All of the BBC's channels are also available free to air on digital satellite. ITV, Channel 4 and Five are available on all subscription packages on digital satellite. 5. Do I need a new television set to receive digital television? Existing televisions can normally be upgraded to digital by adding a digital adaptor (set top box). Visit your preferred local retailer for more information on available products and how to connect them. 6. I have more than one TV; do they all need converting for digital? Any TV that is not an integrated digital TV that you wish to continue to use after the digital switchover will need to be converted to receive the digital signal. There are various means of doing this including adding an individual set top box or adapter. We will install one wall socket per property that will allow one television to be connected to it. Should you wish to connect another television to the wall socket you can purchase a 2 way signal amplifier from any good electrical retailer. This connects to your mains supply and then to your televisions, please be aware that you may also need extra cable and run this internally in your home. This is a service that Homes for Islington do not offer and you will need to make your own arrangements to have this carried out. 7. How will I know which television sets can receive digital services? All TV sets will require a digital adaptor or set top box to receive TV broadcasts after the analogue signal is switched off. Integrated Digital TV s that have a built in adaptor will have the Digital Video Broadcasting mark as carried by the majority of integrated digital TVs either through a screen sticker or badge imprinted on the TV fascia surround. This is normally a pink tick. 8. Will I need a dish or new aerial? To receive digital satellite TV in the UK you will need a set top box to use with your existing TV set or you can use an integrated digital television with the satellite decoder built in, you will also need a satellite dish. To receive the digital signal via your terrestrial TV you may require a new roof top or loft aerial to receive digital terrestrial TV. Set top aerials supplied with portable TVs such as telescopic, loop varieties as well as other TV top aerials are unlikely to work effectively in many cases. 9. Why might I need to have the aerial cabling in my building changed? Changing the aerial alone may not be sufficient as problems can be encountered through the cabling that runs from it to the TV s. Digital TV signals are transmitted at much lower power levels than analogue services and as such are more prone to interference from other sources. Low quality cables or extension devices with inadequate screening, poor installation techniques and or excessive cable length can generate such interference.
10. What will I have to pay for digital television? As a tenant to the London Borough of Islington, your weekly rent will increase by 0.26p per week in order to cover the cost of the work carried out to your home. 3 If you receive housing benefit the amount you receive will be recalculated automatically, taking into account the new charge. If you do not get housing benefit now but are on a fixed or low income, you may become eligible when your rent goes up. Contact your local Area Housing Office and ask for a housing benefit application form. You may also have to pay to upgrade your equipment and/or for installation of digital equipment. If you want to pay for additional channels, you can subscribe to Sky for digital satellite, or to the Cable Company Virgin media TV and radio channels offered by the Freeview service on digital terrestrial are free to view. Prices for digital equipment depend on which broadcast method you opt for and the services being offered. These can vary from time to time or special offers may be in place. For the latest information visit your preferred local retailer. 11. As a Leaseholder, do I need to pay for this service up front? The cost for all communal work is re chargeable to Leaseholders and as this digital aerial and satellite upgrade is communal work, all Leaseholders will incur an installation fee of 75 as well as a yearly maintenance fee that will be stipulated by our Home Ownership Department. However, the cost is not payable in advance and will be added to your yearly service charge bill. If you have any questions regarding the terms of your lease, or any other Leaseholder issues, you can contact the Home Ownership Department at the following address: Homes For Islington Home Ownership Services 50 Isledon Road London N7 7LP 020 7527 7735 12. Can I choose not to have this work carried out? As your Landlord and managers of the properties within the Borough, it is essential that we ensure that all tenanted properties comply with the works. Failure to do so will mean that the property will not be able to use the new technology and this will have an affect on any new tenants residing in the property should you vacate. Therefore, as stipulated in your tenancy agreement, no Tenant can refuse to have the works carried out and you will still be charged for the service. If you are a Leaseholder, you can choose to opt out of having the internal wall socket installed. However, we retain the right to install the associated cabling to the outside of our building, which would mean that cables will still be run across the outside of your property. We will also continue to charge a yearly maintenance fee and program your property into the work schedule unless you specifically contact Homes for Islington to opt out of this service. If you choose to opt out of having the internal wall socket installed, the full 75 which would automatically be added to your yearly service charge will be removed. 13. If I don t do anything, will I lose my TV signal? Yes If you don t respond to any letter that Homes For Islington send you, and you don t have the works carried out to your property, once the analogue signal is switched off you will not be able to watch television using your existing analogue aerial.
4 14. Will I still be able to use my video recorder or DVD player? If you can receive digital broadcasts, you can record digital channels. Most of your Video or DVD s functionality will remain unaffected after switchover. You can play existing recordings, or pre recorded videotapes or DVD s You can watch a programme on digital and record that programme as you watch it. You can set your VCR or DVD to record your favourite programme when you are out, providing you set your digital tuner to the correct channel. However, each VCR or DVD player has its own analogue TV tuner separate to that in the TV set (that's why you can change channels with your video remote control). Unless your VCR has an independent digital tuner you will not be able to record one digital channel whilst viewing another digital channel at the same time. If this functionality is important to you, you may need to invest in a new recording device before digital switchover. Your local electrical retailer will be best placed to advise you on the options available. 15. What provision has been made for visually and hearing impaired people? All public service broadcast channels (BBC, ITV, Channel 4,Channel 5 and S4C) carried on digital terrestrial television must provide subtitling, sign language and audio description services. 16. Are there any help schemes available for the elderly or disabled residents? There is a Government led help scheme available for the elderly, those are registered blind or partially sighted, and those who receive disability living allowance. The help scheme is a separate project from the Homes for Islington digital aerial upgrade and we can only offer you the contact details for the help scheme, and not any advice on what the scheme can offer you. If you would like to contact the help scheme, please call 0800 408 5900 or email info@helpscheme.co.uk 17. Will switching to digital affect my television licence? A television licence is needed to watch analogue or digital television. The cost is the same and a separate licence is not required to watch digital television. 18. Do I have to switch to digital television? Yes Once your property has had the new technology installed, the analogue services will continue for a short time, but the Government intends to switch over fully to digital transmissions. The Government wants to do this as soon as possible and expects the switchover in Islington to be completed by 2012. 19. I have already have my own Sky satellite dish, why do I need to use a communal one? In accordance with the terms and conditions of your lease or tenancy agreement, permission should have been granted prior to installing your own dish. If you do not have written permission for this from your Area Housing Office, then you could be breaking your tenancy or lease terms. Once the communal dish is installed, you will have no need for your own Sky dish so you will be asked to remove this from the side of the property. 20. Will we charge leaseholders if they are not connected? Yes This is why it is important that you allow access to your property so that the works can be carried out. As the works taking place are a communal service, all leaseholders of the block will be charged the installation fee which is added to your yearly service charge statement. However, should you wish to opt out of having this service, we can only remove the charge from your service bill when you contact us to do so.
5 21. Who will remove old Sky dishes? As we are installing a communal Sky satellite dish to the roof of the block, there will be no need for you to have your own Sky dish. You can easily plug your Sky set top box into the new socket that Sky are installing. This means that we will be asking you to remove your redundant Sky dish. If the Sky dish stays up longer than what we feel is reasonable, then we can ask Sky to remove these dishes at a cost to you. 22. If I m an existing Sky customer, can I just carry on with my existing contract? This is dependant on whether you are a Sky Multi Room subscriber. If you are, then it is important to remember that we are only installing one wall socket per property. This has the capabilities of connecting to two standard Sky set top boxes, or one Sky+ set top box. If you do not have Sky Multi Room then your contract with Sky will not be affected by this change, just the way in which you receive your satellite signal. Instead of using your own satellite dish, you will plug your Sky box into your new wall socket which is connected to the communal satellite dish located on the roof. You will then be able to receive all of the channels that your current Sky contract allows you to view. The type of connection point that will be fitted in your home is pictured below. Satellite connection (SAT1) Satellite connection (SAT2) Television connection Radio connection 23. What foreign language channels are available? Currently Sky television offers the following foreign language channels: B4U Movies B4U Music Sony TV Asia STAR One STAR Plus PCNE Chinese Bangla TV mta muslim tv B4U Bollywood for you. The Premium Digital Bollywood Movie Channel. To Subscribe call Customer Service at 087007669248 (UK National Rate) B4U Music is a 24 hour, global South Asian music channel, with the biggest hits, bhangra, classics, exciting Bollywood events, star interviews and exclusives that count. To contact Sony TV Asia call 08700 766 9248 Eire customers call 00 44 08700 766 9248 A contemporary Hindi entertainment channel, featuring action, reality shows and game shows. Sky customers can get this channel & more for 1 extra per month (EUR2). To subscribe call 08705 123123. India's No.1 entertainment channel brings you top dramas, celebrity shows, and comedy. Sky customers can get this channel & more for 1 extra per month (EUR2). To subscribe call 08705 123123. Phoenix Chinese News and Entertainment (PCNE) features hit programmes from Hong Kong, China and Taiwan, coming to you in both Cantonese and Mandarin. The first Bengali Language digital channel broadcast outside Asia, showing programmes on Current Affairs, News and Family Entertainment. For further information call 0870 005 6778. MTA International is part of the world wide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. It carries religious & educational programmes with a variety of cultural representations from across the globe
Zee TV Zee Music Zee Cinema ARY Digital PTV Prime MATV National DW TV TVEi Abu Dhabi TV SouthForYou AlphaEtcPun TV5 MAX Record TV DM Digital ARY QTV DM Gold ARY The Musik Venus TV Aastha TV 6 Asian TV network, Hindi channel broadcasting Bollywood blockbusters as well as films in other languages. Dramas and Soaps from the sub continent with daily News, Game Shows, Cookery and more. 24 hrs Asian Music Channel. Non stop Songs, Bollywood Shows, Asian Pop, International Folk, Light Indian Classical & Devotional Music. Also about the latest happenings & releases from Bollywood. A 24 hr Hindi Movie channel from ZEE Digital Network, with movies for the entire family. Catch the best of blockbuster films from Bollywood. A Global Pakistani Channel bringing you family entertainment, sports, religious, dramas, latest news from the sub continent. Call 0870 840 4442 (national rate) to upgrade your subscription. First ever 24 hour Pakistani Television family entertainment channel in UK and Europe. PTV Prime extends to all Urdu/Punjabi understanding populace of Asian origin. To Subscribe call: 0870 8488 685 General entertainment channel catering for the South Asian communities. Soaps, serials, chat shows, films, music, community programming in Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi & Urdu DW TV Germany's 24/7 news and information channel for the world.broadcasting in English and German. Sky customers get each new Mix for 1 extra per month (EUR2). Upgrade now on Sky Active TVE International is the most watched channel in Spanish language and offers the best from Television Espanola. Sky customers can get this channel & more for 1 extra per month (EUR2) Abu Dhabi channel is a 24 hour news and entertainment network broadcasting in Arabic to some 35 million house holds world wide. Programmes include news, drama series, life style, cultural & game shows South Asian entertainment channel with blockbuster movies, best serials, talk shows, game shows, cultural programmes, popular events and news. To subscribe call: 0870 754 3080 Soap operas, music, movies, sport, news and current affairs, children's programmes, educational programmes and general entertainment in the Punjabi language especially for the South Asian audience French language channel with films, drama, live news and sport, music, travel, kids TV and much more. A bit of France chez vous. Sky customers can get TV5MONDE & more for 1 extra per month (EUR2) MAX is the premium channel from Sony TV Asia bringing you top quality Bollywood movies and events 24 hours a day. To Subscribe Call 08700 50 50 45. General family entertainment channel in Portuguese and English. Great variety of programmes including: talk shows, news, sports, children, documentaries, reality, religious and much more DM DIGITAL First Pakistani channel based in Manchester. Your new source of Entertainment, News, Current Affairs, Legal rights, Stock Market, Community reports, Education, Health, Sports, Dramas, Films ARY QTV is dedicated to imparting Islamic education to muslims, exclusively unbiased interpretation of the Holy Quran & Hadees, besides teaching the Islamic principles, values and way of life. 24/7 DM Digital Golden Movies, News, Current affairs with talk shows, bringing wholesome entertainment for the entire family, all highlighting the British Pakistani culture. For the best and freshest of South Asian pop and film music videos, watch The Musik. A part of the ARY Digital Network Asia TV Channel giving the best of movies, dramas, current affairs and music from the Indian Sub Continent Asian Indian Socio Spiritual Cultural Television Channel. Please
STAR News 7 call 0845 6048277 or 0870 0170730 to receive this channel. UK's first Indian News Channel, broadcasting showbiz news and business bulletins. Sky customers can get this channel & more for 1 extra per month (EUR2). To subscribe call 08705 123123. A 24 hour Bollywood movie channel, featuring the best from South STAR Gold Asia. Sky customers can get this channel & more for 1 extra per month (EUR2). To subscribe call 08705 123123. PTV Global, Pakistani Channel with mix of entertainment, news, PTV Global current affairs, religious and general programmes. An insight into Islam Covering the Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah of Islam Channel the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh); including documentaries, biographies, history, science, films and many more Channel 'S' general entertainment for Bengali Community in UK & Channel 'S' Europe Premium channel of Pakistani origin with news on the hour, chat GEO UK and discussions programs, music shows, dramas, soaps and sitcoms 24 Hour Gujarati channel from Zee bringing wholesome entertainment for the entire family. Dramas, films, news, comedy & Zee Gujarati more, all highlighting the rich Gujarati culture. To subscribe call 08706002888. An independent multilingual Kashmiri channel broadcasting Aapna Channel globally General entertainment channel in the Telugu language. We show movies, dramas, news and live discussions for the Telugu Mana Telugu audiences worldwide. For more information please visit "manatelugu.tv" MAX MIX the new generation of Asian Entertainment. Hindi Sahara Filmy cinema, dramas, events, news, reality and children's shows. To subscribe to the MAX MIX channels call 08700 50 50 45 MAX MIX the new generation of Asian Entertainment. Hindi Sahara One cinema, dramas, events, news, reality and children's shows. To subscribe to the MAX MIX channels call 08700 50 50 45 Hindi News and Current Affairs Channel catering to Indian AAJ TAK Diaspora. To subscribe call 0870 050 5045 A family entertainment channel, providing quality programming on Noor TV Education, Current Affairs, Tourism, Community activities in the UK Cultural Channel, Family Entertainment, Home & Leisure, Music & Peace TV Movies etc AAG is a combustible, edgy, exciting destination for young Brit AAG Asians. Discover global Asian lifestyle, music, fashion and films. Connect, share experiences, speak out and be heard! Channel S NTV General Entertainment and News, Factual, Lifestyle etc Channel S ATN General entertainment and news, factual, lifestyle etc Channel Punjab To subscribe please call 0845 880 8010 DD News Doordarshan News DD India Doordarshan India Unfortunately, Sky does not currently have any channels that broadcast in Somalia or Turkish. If you wish to subscribe to any of the above channels, or to obtain further information, please contact Sky as you would normally. 24. What if I have cable/broadband currently? If you are a current subscriber to any Cable or Broadband service such as NTL telewest or Virgin Media, then the way in which you receive your digital signal will not be altered. However, As the aerial upgrade work is to be carried out to all blocks and properties, you will still be required to have the new wall socket installed and should allow access to Sky to carry this work out. As a tenant or leaseholder, you will also still be expected to pay for the service charge.
25. When will we switch off the analogue connection to my block? Once we have installed the new communal aerial and communal satellite dish, and the majority of residents within the block have had the opportunity to have their new wall socket fitted we can then switch off the analogue signal. You will then be receiving your television signal in the new digital format. 8 26. What if I decide I want the digital Sky connection after Sky have moved from my block? How long will it take to connect and will it cost me any extra? Sky engineers will write to you once the communal aerial and dish has been installed. They will ask you for access to your property to install the new wall socket, and give you two weeks to contact them directly to arrange a mutually suitable time so that they may come to your home and carry out the works. If you do not respond to this letter, a further letter will be sent with another time frame that allows you to have the internal works carried out. Unfortunately, we cannot keep the Sky engineers on site any longer than this so they will have to move on to another site. Therefore, if you decide at a later date that you wish to have the internal works carried out, then the Sky engineers will have to return at a later date and carry out the works which you will have to pay for. Actual time scales and costs for this will be dependant on the block you live in and the progress of the whole project, but at present this cost is expected to be a minimum of 150.00 27. What will happen if I have a non Sky satellite dish? As a subscriber to a satellite company that requires you to have a satellite dish, we would firstly expect you to have written planning permission to have the dish installed. If you do not have planning permission you are to contact the planning office to obtain retrospective permission. They can be contacted on 020 7527 2813. Failure to do so will result in us enforcing the terms of your tenancy and instructing you to remove the dish. You will also be required to contact your local Area Housing Office to obtain written permission. 28. In my block we are having major works carried out. What will happen to my dish during these works? As part of our major work programme, it may be necessary for us to erect scaffolding to your block. We will gladly attach your satellite dish to the scaffolding as long as there are no health and safety issues relating to doing this. Once the work is complete and the scaffolding is to be taken down, the contractors on site will unattach the dish from the scaffolding and give this back to the resident. It is then up to the resident to obtain planning permission form the planning office along with written permission from their local area housing office if they wish re attach the dish to the building. Please be aware that it is not the responsibility of the contractors to reattach the dish if planning permission is granted. The responsibility lies with the resident to instruct their satellite company to carry out this work at their own expense.