1. When will it start?
Digital satellite2. How many channels will be available?
Digital satellite
Viewers will eventually be able to receive up to 250 channels, the majority operated by BSkyB, at the moment about 70 depending on the
sky package you pay for plus BBC1, BBC2, BBC choice, CH4, CH5 (Note no ITV at this time). 3. How much will it cost?
Digital terrestrial viewers will be able to get about 30 channels includeing BBC1, BBC2, BBC choice, ITV, ITV2, CH4, CH5
new channels from ONDIGITAL and some of the sky ones like films, sport, and sky1 also Film4 depending on the package you pay for.
The sky digibox is £199.99
if you take it with the BIB subsidy (the box must be connected to your phone line for 12 months)
if no phone connection then a extra £167.00. Also if you take a sky package the installation is free for a standard installation.
Sky subscription packages start from £6.99 per month 4. If I want sky and Ondigital do I have to have 2 boxes?
The terrestrial box is £199.99 when you take out a subscription to Ondigital. (The box subsidy is from Ondigital).
Ondigital subscription packages start from £7.99 per month
Initially the plan was to use a add on unit but due to changes in the systems it now looks
like the answer at the moment is YES you will have to have 2 boxes.
5. Can I record one channel and watch another with the digital box ?
The same is true for the Digital Terrestrial box.
But when we get TV sets and Video recorders with built in digital tuners this should not be a problem.
6. What is analogue TV ?
Analogue TV is the old way of transmiting TV that we have had for years.
The new digital system will give better use of the space and more channels. 7. Can I use the sky digibox for channels from other satellites ?
The digibox is designed to be used for sky from the astra satellite at 28.2 east. Due to it's limited symbol rate and sky software it is not recomended to use it with other satellites, but some experts say it will work with a few free to air channels from other satellites. .
8. Can I get a box and install it myself?
The sky digibox should be installed by a sky approved installer if you want to get
the BIB subsidy.
The Ondigital box is sold as plug and play so you just take it home and plug it in to your TV and aerial.
9. Can I use my viewing card in another digibox?
Digital Cards are married to the digibox so can not be used in another digibox
unless you phone sky to get them re married to the new box.
The same is true for Ondigital but a card is not required for the free channels with the Ondigital box.
10. Will I be able to receive Ondigital channels on my exsisting Aerial?
If your TV pictures are good with the analogue signals then it should be ok. But if they are poor then you will probley have to get a new aerial.11. Can I have a digibox if I dont have a phone?
Yes but you wont get the BIB subsidy with the sky box and will have to pay the extra £167 yourself, also you wont be able to use the interactive services. (See 16 for Ondigital)12. Can I have a digital box if I dont want to subscribe to pay Tv?
Yes you can get a free card for the Sky digibox for BBC, CH4, CH5, and the other free to view channels but you will have to pay for the installation about £100.13. When will digital TV's and Video's be available?
It will take a while until they are all digital but they shoud start to be available from some Manufacturer's during mid 1999 but will cost more than analogue ones.14. Are all the channels on astra at 19.2 east on digital?
No at the moment it mainly the sky ones plus some new ones, the German ones and some others non sky and radio channels are not available yet.15. Can I keep my old satellite system and have a digibox?
Yes but your old one is usualy disconnected. You may have to pay a extra installation charge if you want both. Also if you want to keep your sky analogue channels you will have pay a analouge subscription as well as the digital one. You may also require planing permision for the second dish.16. Will the Ondigital Terrestrial box want a phone connection?
Yes it has a modem in it so will want a phone connection to use the interactive services. But unlike the sky digibox it is not a requirement for the subsidy.17. Can I connect a digital box to more than one TV.?
Yes it can be connected into a aerial distribution system and its signal sent to other TVs like you can now do with a video recorder. The sky digibox also has a second output (This is an RF output so is not stereo) that can power a box to send the remote control signals back to the digibox from the second TV. It also has a stereo output that you can connect to your HI FI system.