City gears up for digital TV changeover

Wanganui is going digital. Starting in September next year, the analogue television network will be progressively switched off and replaced by a digital signal by November 2013.
A $13 million campaign was launched by the Government at the end of last month, and will be spread over the next three years to ensure people know how to make the switch.
Switching to digital will free up the radio spectrum in the 700MHz range for next generation mobile telecommunication services, giving space for the development of faster, cheaper mobile broadband.
Wanganui is scheduled to make the change in September 2013.
For the 71 per cent of New Zealanders who are already watching television through Sky TV or Freeview, the change won't make any difference.
Anyone already watching channels like TVNZ6 or TVNZ7, or using a Freeview compatible device like PlayStation 3's Play TV or TiVo, have also already gone digital.
But for the other 31 per cent of the country still watching television through the old analogue network, a few changes will have to be made.
To get digital television, analogue network users will have to buy either an ultra-high-frequency (UHF) aerial and set-top box, or a satellite dish and set-top box.
Or you can sign up with a pay television service such as Sky TV, and they will install the necessary equipment.
Apex Electronic Service Centre co-owner Murray Kirkness said all television sets purchased in the past 12-18 months should have a built-in digital decoder, so they won't need an additional set-top box.
People should double-check their user manuals to make sure, he said.
Owners of new televisions will need to make sure that their aerial is up to scratch to pick up the signal, and either upgrade it to a UHF aerial or get a satellite dish. Existing satellite dishes will also work.
Wanganui was difficult because it received its signal from a translator at Wharite, meaning a lot of homes couldn't receive UHF digital reception.
He had been told that Wanganui was going to receive its own translator, possibly in Roberts Ave, which would give good coverage to Central City, Wanganui East and Aramoho, but he did not know when it was due to happen.
Digital signal could be received by a satellite dish from anywhere, but the best quality reception, in his opinion, was with a UHF aerial - if you could get the signal.
There was a way of checking whether your address could receive digital television on the Freeview website, but he had found it's advice had proved unreliable in the past.
Places that it said couldn't receive signals could, and vice-versa, he said.
There were additional things that could be done to better a signal anyway, like upscaling the set-top box.
A set-top box could cost anywhere from $150 to $220, depending on its features. An upscaled model is about $250. A set-top box simply needs to be plugged into the television and to the aerial.
A UHF aerial cost about $80, and those who were currently using "rabbit ears" on top of their televisions would need an outside aerial, he said.
A full installation of the aerial - including plugs, cable, bracket and labour - cost from $260.
It was cheaper if there was an existing aerial the new aerial could be bolted to, he said.
You really needed to talk to someone to find out exactly what you would need. As soon as they saw the situation they saw what needed to be done, Mr Kirkness said.
To buy and install a satellite dish using an upgraded receiver, including dish and set-top box installation and labour, up to $640.
The cost of installations could be less, depending on what the individual homes needed, he said.
If you are in doubt, call an expert in for advice.