Your Guide to Going Digital ...

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Freeview is New Zealand’s free-to-air digital television and radio service. Freeview was introduced to try and preserve audience share for free-to-air broadcasters, provide consumers with a choice for digital broadcasting and to support progress towards digital switch over.

Your Options:

Please note UHF Freeview HD is not available in all areas. Visit www.goingdigital.co.nz or www.freeviewnz.tv for coverage information.

Digital TV Broadcasts are transmitted in the same way as Analogue TV either via Satellite or a UHF transmitter. The main difference is the signal - Digital TV is broadcast as a bit stream of 1’s and 0’s and is not reliant on Amplitude. The digital channel carries a 19.39 mega-bit-per-second (Mbps) stream of digital data that needs to be decoded by a digital TV receiver. Digital TV offers more flexibility for the broadcaster and also a signal that is less prone to interference for the consumer.

There are various ways to receive a Freeview signal:

1. High Definition (Terrestrial)

Requirements to view:

- A UHF Aerial (also known as a Prime Aerial. The Original Sky Aerial)
- HD Receiver (Either a HD Box Top, or Freeview Included TV)
- Digital Television Recorder (DTR) allows Pause, Record and Replays Live TV
- For Optimal picture quality: A Full High Definition TV (not essental)

2. Digital (Satellite)

Requirements to view:

- A  Satellite Dish (current Sky Dish is okay)
- A Digital Satellite Receiver

3. Integrated Digital Televisions

Requirements to view:

- As for High Definition (IDTV’s include HD Freeview)

Frequently asked questions:

Do I need a new TV?
No. Almost any television can be made digital ready with a digital receiver. The important thing to remember is that once your region goes digital, you’ll only be able to watch television on digital-ready sets.

Do I need a new aerial?
Depending on where you live, and how you currently watch TV, you may need a new rooftop aerial or satellite dish. If you’re in one of the main centres that can receive a digital signal from terrestrial transmitters, then you can watch digital TV using a UHF aerial. If you live in an area without this option, you’ll need a satellite dish and service such as Freeview or SKY TV. Your existing aerial may work, but if you have any problems, we recommend you contact a service person for technical advice.

Do I need a separate digital receiver or aerial for each of my TVs?
You can connect multiple televisions to a single digital receiver, but because you select the channel you want to watch using the digital receiver, all the TVs will show the same channel at the same time. If your family wants to watch different programmes at the same time on your TVs, you may need to buy extra digital receivers. No matter how many televisions and digital receivers you end up with, you’ll only need a single aerial or satellite dish.

Will my video, DVD or digital recorder still work?
Yes. Once your television is receiving digital TV from a digital receiver, your existing video, DVD or digital recorder will be able to record it. However, if you want to watch one channel while recording another, you’ll need a separate digital receiver for your recorder.