The digital revolution is well and truly upon us, with all television sets in the UK now required to switch from analogue to digital. But what's all the fuss about?

Through a seven year communications programme costing £200m, the UK's old television broadcast signal, known as analogue, will be switched off and replaced with a digital signal. Any TV set that’s not converted to digital when the switchover takes place will no longer receive TV programmes.

Countries across the EU, including the UK, have agreed to try to complete switchover by 2012, while some countries such as the Netherlands and Sweden have already completed the process.

Today over two-thirds of UK homes have digital TV, but one in four cannot get it via their aerial, and many cannot even receive channel Five.

Digital TV is more efficient. It frees up airwaves that could be used for innovations such as high definition television (HDTV) or mobile television, and will also provide people with a greater choice of affordable digital options.

Moving to the best available technology will also ensure that the UK continues as a world leader in broadcasting.

Not only will digital improve the picture quality of your television, but it will also provide extra TV channels as standard. As well as all the usual TV channels, stations such as BBC Three, ITV2, E4, More 4, S4C2, Sky News, Cbeebies, CBBC, CITV, ITV3 and FilmFour will be available once the switchover has taken place.

VHS videos and analogue DVD recorders will play still be able to play tapes and discs, but they will only be able to record the same channel that is being watched.

For those who have digital on all their TVs now, the cost of the switchover is potentially nothing. For those who have yet to convert, the cost varies according to how many TVs are owned, whether consumers wish to replace their video, and whether they need a new aerial.

For a typical home with two television sets and a video recorder, the cost of switching this way would be in the region of £100-150.

An estimated 5-10% of homes will need a new aerial on their roof to receive digital pictures. Digital UK has developed ways to test an aerial in advance of switchover, such as a test card on teletext p284 and a handheld aerial checker available from retailers.

Whitehaven became the first area in the UK to complete switchover in November last year, and the process will continue TV region by region, starting with Border in 2008 and ending in four others in 2012.

Within each region, switchover is carried out by transmitter over a period of 6-9 months.

After switchover, 98.5% of UK homes will be able to receive digital TV through an aerial (commonly known as Freeview), up from 73% at the start of the programme.

The best way to check which TV region you are in is by seeing which ITV news service you receive or by going to Teletext page 106. The timetable for when specific regions will make the digital switch is as follows:

• Border 2008 - 09
• West Country, Granada 2009
• Wales 2009 - 10
• West, STV North, STV Central 2010 – 11
• Central, Yorkshire, Anglia 2011
• Meridian, London, Tyne Tees, Ulster 2012

For further information, please see the external link.

The article Get set for Switchover originally appeared on 999 Today