SENDING digital television to conventional rooftop aerials could cost Britain鈥檚 main terrestrial digital broadcaster a fortune. Many aerials may need to be replaced, and the company has promised to pay for all of them.
On Digital, which plans to start a commercial digital terrestrial TV service in November, has told subscribers that it will pay to send out an engineer within 48 hours of hearing of a problem.
Rooftop aerials are constructed to match the frequencies of the local analogue transmitter, and cannot be retuned. Some may not be able to pick up digital transmissions, which are in other parts of the spectrum so that they do not interfere with existing analogue broadcasts.
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Steve Beeching of Newark Video Services in Nottinghamshire says: 鈥淥n Digital may live to regret their free aerial promise. In some areas, like the East Midlands, where completely different frequencies will be used, as many as 90 per cent of homes may need one. Across the whole country it could be 50 per cent.鈥�
On Digital鈥檚 chief executive, Stephen Grabiner, estimates the free service will cost his company 拢50 for each home that reports a problem. He is confident that the number of people who will need a new aerial will be 鈥渆ven smaller鈥� than the 鈥渧ery small minority鈥� who need help from an engineer. Tim Jenks of the Confederation of Aerial Industries, which represents the installers, warns that upgrading a household could cost between 拢40 to 拢175.