Last updated at 14:43, Wednesday, 03 December 2008

Cumbrian Newspapers' own Digit Al - Alan Cleaver - says learn the lessons of Whitehaven and make your digital choice carefully.

Make the right choice

WHITEHAVEN was proud to be the first town to go digital in the UK. And generally it all went very smoothly. But there were some important lessons learned - that, afterall, was the point of going first!

And I think one of the lessons was the danger of putting too much emphasis on urging people to get a 'set-top' box. It is afterall, only one way of going digital. The people of Whitehaven also had the option of going with Sky. And shortly after the switchover, BBC and ITV launched their satellite service Freesat.

Some weeks after Whitehaven switched to digital, it became clear that a number of people wished they had chosen differently. To be fair, both Digital UK and the Whitehaven News laid out all the options before customers but those who left switchover to the last minute probably rushed into the 'wrong' answer. So here again is my advice on choosing the right option.

Spend a week monitoring which channels you and your family watch on TV. You may think you always watch BBC1 and nothing else but a week of noting down channels viewed might reveal some secret ITV watchers among the family!

Highlight those channels you definitely want.

Look at the hundreds of channels now available on Freeview and satellite. Jot down those you are very keen on watching.

Now you have got your TV wish list, see which of these channels are available on the various options. To recap, in Cumbria you have the choice of:

• Freeview
• Sky
• Freesat from Sky
• Freesat
• BT Vision

Crosscheck your wish list against the channels available on the various options and it will point you in the right direction. You may decide to lose a few of your favourite channels in favour of saving a few pounds. Or you might find getting all your channels is more affordable than you thought.

Watch in particular for channels on hybrid versions such as BT Vision. Services like these may offer some programmes from some channels in a mix you'll either find just right for you - or very frustrating!

And finally, bear in mind that service providers can - and do - change their channel listings from time to time. Doublecheck when you order that the channels you want are included. And try and pin them down as to whether there are any imminent plans to change the channels listings.

First published at 14:41, Wednesday, 03 December 2008
Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk