» posted on Wednesday, April 21st, 2010 at 11:19
Start here
There’s quite a lot of information on this site about different aspects of digital TV, and other topics too. So, to help you find some of the most useful bits, here are some of the most important things that you should read.
Want to watch TV in HD?
First, you need to work out if you’re ready for HD, which means having a suitable TV set. And if you already have a TV that can show HD pictures, you need to learn how to set it up properly. And since sound is just as important, you may want to read my introduction to surround sound.
You have a choice of satellite or terrestrial (cable too, if it comes past your door, but I’m not covering that much here). If you don’t want to pay a subscription, that means Freeview or Freesat.
Freeview: HD through your aerial
If it’s Freeview you want to know about, then take a look at my Q&A on Freeview HD. And if someone’s telling you that you need a special aerial for HD services, take a look here to learn why they’re being economical with the truth. There are also some tricky issues concerning surround sound on Freeview HD right now, and I have a list of boxes that will give you surround sound via your existing equipment.
Freesat: HD via a satellite dish
In some areas, satellite is your best bet for HD pictures. If you already have a dish, and want to add a Freesat receiver, you need to learn how satellite cabling works first. For an overview of what Freesat is, and why it’s important, turn to this article, and for the details of surround on Freesat, look here. If you’re good at DIY, you can even install your own dish.
What can I watch?
There are slightly different channels available on Freeview and Freesat, and it’s not always possible to make all the channels appear on all the different services. Find out why.
Many HD boxes allow you to access material over your home network, either from other computers in the home, or from internet TV services (like iPlayer or YouTube). Here’s how to connect your HD box to your network.
As more content is added to Gone Digital, I’ll be updating this page to make sure it’s simple to find the most important articles, especially those on Digital TV.
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Paul Hunter said:
Mar 15, 12 at 20:47Hi Nigel,
I’m trying to find out if any BBC iPlayer HD programmes are transmitted in Dolby Digital (like the ‘Live’ programmes), and if not, why not, and also any plans for it in the future?
Your thoughts appreciated
Thanks
paul
Nigel said:
Mar 16, 12 at 11:25I don’t believe they are; certainly, I don’t get that from the Roku box I’m using, which has an iPlayer app and is capable of Dolby Digital from Netflix streams. Nor have I noticed it on any of the other platforms with the app built in.
I suspect that there are two main reasons; the first is bandwidth requirements for 5.1 audio, and the second is that iPlayer has typically been developed from the PC/web perspective, where 5.1 isn’t really that common. Until recently, there have been relatively few devices that could play the HD streams, and few of those manage to output surround from internet content.
However, now that iPlayer is available on more devices, some of which are capable of outputting 5.1, there may be more of a reason to develop it. I’ll try to see what I can find out.