Television as you know it is changing. It's going completely digital, bringing you more choice, improved services and better quality. The Government and broadcasters are firmly committed to switching all UK broadcasting to digital - this is called 'Digital Switchover' and was outlined by Ofcom in February 2005 and confirmed in the government's pre-election manifesto for 2008 - 2012.

When will your area be affected? We've put together a Switchover Map that will tell you just that - click here to find out.

What Does This Mean To You?
Within the lifetime of your television the UK's television signals will be switched over from analogue to digital. What this means is that you will require a digital television or digital set top box to be able to continue viewing. You may already have digital - from Sky, Freeview or cable. But in future, every television and recording device in your house will need to cope with digital signals. So if you are buying a new television or recording device today, you need to think about your digital choices.


So, How Do You Get Digital TV?
There are many ways to receive digital television and you will need to decide the best option that suits you: a set top box, digital DVD recorder, hard disk drive, digital terrestrial through an integrated digital television (free service from Freeview or subscription from Top Up TV), digital satellite (free or subscription service from Sky) or cable (subscription based service from ntl: or Telewest).

The Sony Solution
Sony's range of digital devices are the easy way to ensure that you are ready for the switchover. The range includes integrated digital televisions (state-of-the-art LCD flat panels, 3LCD rear projection TVs and more traditional CRTs), all in widescreen format, and DVD and DVD Hard drive recording devices.

Integrated Digital Televisions
Buying a Sony iDTV gives you peace of mind that your television is switchover compliant. For example, an iDTV such as the KDL-V32A12U is already equipped to receive Freeview and so does not require an additional device to get the new digital signal. Furthermore, if at a later date you want to to use the television with digital satellite or cable the Sony iDTV remains compatible with each option.

An iDTV is an elegant one-box solution - one of the key advantages is that with the built-in digital tuner there is no need for an extra scart lead, plug socket or remote controller to lose down the back of the sofa! If you are thinking of buying a new analogue TV for the lounge, bedroom, kitchen or study, you will need to consider your connectivity requirements. Think about whether you have a VCR, DVD player or a games console that you intend to connect to your new TV. These all need scart sockets, as does a set top box.

And of course, having fewer boxes means you use less power – better for your electricity bills, better for the environment.

How Can I Record From Freeview?
Your existing equipment will still be able to record from your television's output. This does, however, mean that you can only record the digital channel you are viewing. Sony produce recording devices with integrated  digital tuners – a move that not only allows you to watch a different digital channel to the one you are recording but adds One Touch Recording - this feature takes full advantage of iDTV's ability to browse 8 days of listings. Just find the programme you want from the easy-to-use menu and press record. We've put together a demonstration of this feature to show just how simple it is to use -  click here to see it.

The Sony range of DVD Recorders with Hard Disk, such as the RDR-HXD710 add even more benefits:

- Store up to 428 hours of programmes.
- Pause live television.
- Intelligent scene chaptering lets you easily edit unwanted content from your recordings.
- Archive your recordings to DVD with High Speed Copy.
- Easy editing of camcorder footage – download direct from your camcorder with no loss of quality.

For more information on these SONY products check out our Which Device? section. It's the fastest way to find the iDTV that best suits your needs.