Analogue television in the United Kingdom
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Analogue television in the United Kingdom includes terrestrial, satellite and cable services broadcasting using analogue television signals.
[edit] Analogue terrestrial television in the United Kingdom
Analogue terrestrial television in the United Kingdom is, traditionally, the method most people in the UK, Channel Islands and the Isle of Man used to receive television. Analogue terrestrial television is currently being phased out in the UK and will be completely replaced by digital terrestrial television in the United Kingdom by 2012.
[edit] Analogue satellite and cable television in the United Kingdom
Initially, satellite and cable systems broadcast using standard (PAL) signals though often scrambled to prevent people watching the channels without paying a subscription.
The major provider of satellite television in the UK, BSkyB launched a digital service (called Sky Digital) in 1998 based on DVB-S. This allowed many more channels and was marketed with a smaller dish. Take-up was very successful and Sky discontinued the former analogue service in 2001, although some of the channels which had been part of their package, such as CNN and CNBC Europe, have continued broadcasting unaffected by Sky's departure
Cable has not fully transitioned to the digital format (DVB-C) as some parts of the physical cable network are not suitable for transmitting the digital signals. It is not known when (if ever) analogue transmission will cease on these systems. In some parts of the network where digital cable is available, analogue transmissions have been ceased in order that the bandwidth may be utilised for more data for the digital platform, in others both systems run alongside each other, though often new channels will launch on digital at the expense of channels on the older analogue network, which encourages those users to switch.
