I am sometimes asked about the different ways of receiving a TV signal. This can be somewhat confusing, particularly if your forte is not technology. I thought I would give a brief overview.
There are four ways of receiving TV signals in the UK. This can be via:
· TV aerial which is commonly referred to as Freeview or DTT (Digital Terrestrial Television)
· Satellite, commonly referred to as Sky TV, Freesat or Free to Air
· Internet; Which covers a multitude of formats including catch up Tv, Netflix, Amazon TV and many more. A more in depth guide can be found on Which
· Cable Tv were the providers are normally Virgin or Telewest
Most TVs are now Smart TVs which basically means they connect to the internet. The main purpose of this is for catch up TV programmes that can be viewed via Apps (short for applications) such as BBCi Player ITV Hub 4OD etc. The other main use is to watch TV programmes from the likes of Netflicks
Personally, I believe FreeviewPlay is one of the better ones. If I was buying a Smart Tv; I would always recommend this format. Be warned some TVs are Smart but have the catch up can be in a different format.
You can also receive programmes from a combination of a Freeview signal and the internet. This is normally achieved by purchasing a set top box such as BT Vision, EE, TalkTalk, Amazon TV; they have paired up with YouView. Here you will receive both channels from your TV aerial and the internet. Some of these will be subscription based.
The main satellite provider is Sky TV. As a company I don’t particularly like them. However, their boxes are, I believe, the most customer friendly. If you get fed up of paying the forever increasing subscription cost of this company, then you can always switch to Freesat. Freesat uses the same signal as Sky TV ; so if you did switch you could simply swap out the box. However, you will no longer receive any of the Sky channels. Remember though, there is a 28 day cancellation notice. If you do decide to cancel then you should be offered a new deal by Sky as they will not want to loose your custom.
Internet TV can be viewed via your Smart TV, set top box or plugin sticks such as Firesticks, ROKU etc.
Personally, I have a basic Sky package, so I can easily record programmes. I can also watch catch-up TV either via the sky box or a Smart TV. I recently threatened to cancel sky; as a result, I got a basic sports package through into by basic package.
Whenever I fit aerials, I always ensure the customer understands their TV control and I will tailor the talk to the level of their understanding, hopefully without being patronising.
Happy viewing
Dave
Pegasus Aerials