Blog: Switched off by digital switchover

Blog: Tonight is Planet of the Apes night on Film4, with Beneath the Planet of the Apes followed by Conquest of the Planet of the Apes. That's a lot of apes, and had they been on before the digital switchover I'd have looked in.

My freeview reception was a big on the dicky side before the digital switchover, but it worked. True, people would freeze occasionally if it was a windy night, or go a bit green and blocky, but on the whole, if a good film was on I could watch it.

And then came the digital switchover.

Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the whole point of switching off the analogue signal was to boost the digital signal.

Well, that's not the case, because my Film4 reception has gone from being slightly dodgy to non existent.

I just cannot get a signal.

It's the same for Dave (home of Top Gear and other BBC comedy shows with added adverts every seven minutes), Yesterday (home of antique WW2 documentaries, antique episodes of the Antiques flamin' Roadshow and antique WW2 dramas such as Secret Army and Colditz) and Bid TV (home of things you don't want to buy being sold by people you don't want to watch). I can get these channels, but the reception is worse than it was before the switchover.

So, no great loss then.

My BBC reception is crystal clear - BBC 3, BBC4, and the BBC News Channel are all present and correct.

But not Film4. And in the desert that is freeview TV, Film4 was occasionally like finding an oasis complete with towels, sun loungers and a free bar staffed by Teri Hatcher in a skimpy bikini. (I say 'occasionally' because they show their fair share of rubbish, too.)

So, presumably my choices are to get a professional in to go into the attic, walk over the beams and fiddle with the aerial (for a lot of money), or take up that nice Mr Murdoch on his offer of a satellite dish. For a lot of money.

Or I could forget all about Film4 and make do with DVDs and the other channels.

And books. I could start reading books again and take up a hobby. Get out of the house. Join a club. Talk to people. Get away from the telly.

Actually, digital switchover, you may well have done me a favour...