Some digital TV set top boxes may no longer work

Reports on the Freeview website indicate that that a number of older Digital TV Set Top Boxes (STB) will no longer work as a result of exhancements to the service.

Extract from http://www.freeview.co.uk/help/getting-freeview/q24
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Engineering enhancements made to the Sutton Coldfield transmitter on 15 Januar 2008 may have affected some viewers using older set-top boxes in the Sutton Coldfield transmitter region (including Birmingham and parts of the West Midlands).

For those viewers who have experienced problems over the last week the service is now available until the 3 March 2008. Please retune your box.

However, this is a temporary situation, after the beginning of March these digital boxes will no longer be able to receive the Freeview service.

These enhancements are necessary to support current and future channels and interactive services. Unfortunately some older set-top boxes are not compliant with the standard required for digital switchover and will no longer work.
These boxes were designed before the full standard for digital switchover had been worked out. It is not possible to upgrade these boxes and a new replacement set-top box will be needed.

A list of models of incompatible STB's for Sutton Coldfield is given at the URL above.

In addition the page http://www.freeview.co.uk/help/getting-freeview/q24 lists some digital boxes and digital TV recorders will be incompatible for the digital switchover in Copeland.

In the longer term the proposed move to MPEG-4 and 256 QAM DVB-T2 could necessitate the replacement of all existing STB's and Digital TVs/recorders.

Ofcom Consultation on the Future of Digital Television http://www.southgatearc.org/news/november2007/
future_of_digital_tv.htm