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24th Sep 2012

Ask The Expert: The Digital Switchover Is Coming, More of Your Questions Answered

In part three of our series on the Digital Switchover, find out if you need a new TV, if your existing aerial will work, and whether you still need a TV license...

Rebecca McKnight

The Digital Switchover is now one month away. On October 24th 2012 Irish television will switch from analogue to digital, and we’ve paired up with Digitalswitch.ie to make the transition an easy one. If you’ve got questions, we’ve got answers…


I’m a little short on cash… Do I really have to buy a new TV?

No you don’t need to buy a new TV to get Saorview. If you want to keep your existing TV, you will need a Soarview approved set-top-box to connect to your TV and aerial. For more details on where you can buy these, check out www.digitalswitch.ie

 

Do I need a Saorview approved set-top-box if I already have a Saorview approved TV? 

No, you need a Saorview approved set-top-box if you want to upgrade your existing TV – you will also need a UHF aerial. If you have a Saorview approved TV, you just need an aerial and you are ready to sit back and enjoy Saorview! The Saorview approved TV has a decoder built in, so you don’t need a separate set-top-box.

 

What about my existing aerial, will that work with Saorview?

The best way to get Saorview is with a rooftop UHF aerial. Most people who use an aerial to receive TV at the moment will be using a UHF aerial. If you currently receive RTE 1, RTE 2, TV3 & TG4 with your aerial, that aerial is likely fine to get Saorview. If you don’t, then you will need to change.

 

Do I still need to fork out for a TV license if I change to Saorview? 

Yes, you’ll still need a TV license. Every household, business or institution that has a TV set, regardless of the TV service – free or Sky/UPC – must have an up to date TV license.

 

If you missed part one and two of our Ask The Expert series, you can check them out here and here. For more information, see www.digitalswitch.ie

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