TV Aerial Installer - You Can Save Yourself a Lot of Pain by Contacting Us

By Henry Mangult

If you are amongst the crowd of people looking for a good TV aerial installer then there are several things that you should be familiar with as a potential consumer to ensure that you make a wise choice. It is very important to you, your family and your business that you choose a TV aerial installer who can provide a quick and efficient installation for your residence or workplace. It is important to never lose sight of the fact that a TV aerial installer is just like any other contractor or repair-man, there are some who do an excellent job while looking out for the consumer's best interest while others are only concerned about their own bottom line. Therefore there are several things that stand out as being important to recognize and realize prior to you picking a TV aerial installer for your job.

A good-quality TV aerial installer will always take the opportunity to speak with their clientele prior to beginning an installation. Because there are many different factors that can go into a installation it's important that the installer as well as the user have a working understanding of the system to be installed. An individual should be leery of any TV aerial installer who isn't willing to take the time to adequately answer any and all questions that they have with regards to the repair or installation of a TV aerial unit. Owners or individuals seeking a TV aerial installer should also be wary of any time in installer seems overly eager or tries to push you into a "hard sell". These are all signs of a company that does not have your best interests in mind.

Quality companies will more than often use highly trained technicians as their field TV aerial installer. These technicians should be familiar with the systems they're installing as well as accustomed to doing high-quality residential and commercial applications. There many companies who only hire TV aerial installers who have previous work experience therefore insuring themselves qualified individuals who will appropriately represent the companies' name.

So rather than pick through the phonebook or trying to Google a TV aerial installer in your area a great way to locate a solid TV aerial installer is to simply search the Confederation of Aerial Industries. This association is dedicated to the oversight and appropriate training of aerial installers.

In your search to find a TV aerial installer you can either Google or someone in your area, take a look through a phone book or visit the Confederation of Aerial Industries. The Confederation of Aerial Industries is an association dedicated to the training and maintenance of quality within the aerial industry. If you take time to visit their website you'll find a searchable directory that will give you the contact information needed for a TV aerial installer who fits your needs. So ultimately by doing your homework before picking an installer to work on your home or office project you can save yourself worry, grief and money. - 33366

About the Author:

Want to find out more about aerial installers in London, then visit Henry Mangult's site on how to choose the best aerial fitters in London for your needs.

Digital Television For Beginners

By Armadeus Cornelius

It is now possible to have access to more television channels than ever before due to digital television. There are also more options of how you receive the channels with programmes delivered by aerial, satellite dish, cable and phone line with broadband. Some channels are free of monthly charges and contracts and others are only available if you are prepared to commit to a monthly subscription. Many providers are also offering On Demand services where you can watch the programme or movie when ever you like sometimes at no additional cost and sometimes on a Pay Per View basis. High Definition channels are also available with and without monthly subscription.

There are free channels available from the BBCs and ITVs Freesat, Skys Freesat, Freeview, and Virgin Medias cable service if you rent a phone line. Monthly subscription services are available from Sky Digital, Virgin Media, BT Vision and Tiscali TV.

Freeview

Freeview digital television broadcasts are replacing the normal analogue terrestrial television broadcasts received by an aerial throughout the UK. To receive Freeview you will first of all need to be in an area where it is available and then you will have to have a suitable aerial and either a Freeview set top box or a television with freeView built in. Apart from having to pay the UK television licence Freeview is free of any other charges and offers 48 channels of television and 24 channels of radio.

The old analogue broadcasts are currently being switch off region by region around the UK and being replaced by Digital broadcasts. This process is known as the Digital Switch Over and is expected to be completed throughout the UK by 2012. If you are still watching the old analogue channels when your region switches over you will have buy a Freeview set top box or replace your TV as a minimum. This will apply to every TV, DVD recorder and Video recorder that doesnt have a digital tuner. Alternatively you may decide to receive your digital TV via another method.

The Digital Switch Over might not affect you if you are currently receiving all of your television programmes via Freesat, BT Vision, or Tiscali in which case you wont need to do anything.

Top Up TV

It is possible to add additional subscription channels to the free channels that are available on Freeview with Top Up TV via your aerial. It doesnt require any additional equipment other than the card that slots in to the card slot on your existing PVR set top box. It costs just 9.99 per month without any contract tie in. There is a Movie channel, a sports channel and an on demand channel of programmes that are automatically downloaded to your set top PVR for you to watch at your convenience.

Cable TV by Virgin Media

To receive Virgin Medias Digital TV channels via cable you must first live in an area that can offer this option. You will also have to be willing to at least switch your phone line to Virgin Media to receive a basic 45 channels for free. If you are willing to pay 19.50 per month then over 165 channels are available and there are other cheaper options with less channels. Every television that is connected to cable will have to have a compatible set top box to receive the programmes. So if you have multiple televisions in your house then you will need one for each television at an additional discounted monthly cost.

Virgin media also offer an on demand service where you can access a huge library of programmes and movies some are provided free and some are available on a pay per view basis. Some of the on demand content is in HD.

Sky Digital TV

As with the cable TV option if you choose Sky Digital you will have to choose which programmes you want to pay for each month. Sky Digital Television broadcasts can be received by most homes in the UK and requires the installation of a suitably positioned satellite Dish.

If you live in an apartment block or high rise flats then you might not be allowed to have a dish installed. Also some buildings have planning restrictions that dont permit the installation of satellite dishes. Also you may not be able to have satellite TV if there are any physical obstruction such as a building or Trees that prevents the required line of sight.

Every television that you want to connect to Sky Digital will require a suitable set top box connected to a satellite dish. It is possible to connect up to four set top boxes to one satellite dish with a suitable LNB attached however you may still need an additional dish. There will be an additional cost for the supply and installation of each additional set top box and there will be an additional monthly subscription cost for each set top box required. So this could work out to be quite costly.

There is usually a charge for providing and installing the satellite dish and the set top box. Sky packages start from 16.50 per month with a free set top box and 60 for the dish and installation offering over 200 channels. If you opt for all the channels available from Sky you will receive over 630 channels of TV and Radio channels at a cost of 46 per month with an installation charge of 60 for a standard box and 30 for Sky Plus set top box. Sky also offers the widest selection of HD channels at an additional cost of 9.75 per month.

Sky Digital also has an On Demand service that is available via the set top box and the internet. Sky Anytime is free of charge and offers a selection of films, documentaries, entertainment channels etc. Sky Box Office offers the latest films for a small charge on demand using the Sky Digital set top box. It is also possible access hundreds of films via your PC that you will have to download to your PC and then you can watch them on your PC or on your television. To watch them on your TV you will either need to copy them to a DVD Disc for playing on your DVD player that is attached to your TV or a you will need a Media Centre so that you can stream the data directly to your PC.

Freesat Television

Freesat television broadcasts are available in two forms one provided by Sky and the other from a joint venture of the BBC and ITV. Both options require a satellite dish and set top box. The BBC and ITV version can also be received by a television with an integrated Freesat tuner. The installation of the satellite dish is subject to the same possible problems as detailed in the Sky Digital TV paragraph above. There aren't any monthly subscription charges but you have to pay for the Set Top Box, Dish and installation. If you already have a Sky satellite dish with unused connections then you wont need to pay for a dish and installation.

The Freesat option from the BBC and ITV also offers a small amount of free high definition television broadcasts if the HD set top box is purchased.

Freesat set top boxes for the BBC and ITV version are available from 49 and 129 with a Satellite Dish and installation. The standard set top boxes have a standard definition picture and provide over 140 television channels that are free of monthly subscription. The Freesat HD set top boxes on their own start from 129 and about 229 if bought with a dish that is installed. If a Freesat compatible TV is purchased then you will still need the satellite dish but not the set top box.

There are in excess of 240 standard definition television channels on Freesat from Sky, Sky Freesat is obtainable for an initial payment of 75 and then there arent any further payments required. High definition television channels are not available on Skys Freesat.

BT Vision TV

BT Vision is provided using a broadband connection and a BT Home Hub router which is then wirelessly connected to a wireless receiver which is connected to your television. The BT vision television service offers Freeview and an on demand service of entertainment and movies. If you already use BTs broadband then the Home Hub Router is supplied without any cost.

It is possible to either pay for every programme that you view or you can pay a monthly amount for a bundle of programmes each month. If your broadband provider isnt BT then the you will have to pay 29.36 for the set top box and 29.36 for it to be installed. The basic package doesnt have any charges each month you just pay for what you view. BT Vision also offer several different bundles that include 45 channels of Freeview channels, Kids Programmes, Music, Sports and a limited number of Films from a monthly charge of 13.70 to 19.57.

Tiscali TV

Tiscali TV offers a mixture of digital television channels and on demand entertainment, movies and music that are received via an aerial and or phone line. Tiscali TV isn't available in all areas of the country so check with Tiscali for details. There are over 70 channels of digital television and radio channels available and over 1000 on demand movies. Packages start from 19.99 and include 8Mb broadband and phone line rental.

Fetch Television

Fetch television is another non subscription service that provides 48 channels of Freeview and access to over a 1000 standard definition and high definition on demand programmes and films that can be downloaded when you choose and streamed to your television. You will need a Fetch television PVR which is a Freeview box and high definition media centre, a computer and broadband. The media centre allows you to access films that you have downloaded to your PC and play them on your television. Fetch television set top boxes start from just under 130.

IP Television and Television On Demand

There are many programmes and movies that can be downloaded via broadband to your PC and then you can copy them to a DVD disc or it can be wirelessly streamed to a media centre that is connected to your television. There are high definition programmes and films that can down loaded via the internet. Television broadcasters such as the BBC, Sky, ITV and many other UK and Worldwide television companies now have content that is available to be downloaded when you choose. Some of this content is free of charge and some chargeable.

Conclusion

The options are almost endless with so many choices. Some of these choices may not be an option but nonetheless the choice is greater than ever before with delivery by Cable, Satellite Dish, Phone Line, Broadband, and Aerial. Whether you are prepared to pay a monthly charge may narrow the options but if you are then you also have to decide if you are prepared to pay extra for HD television broadcasts. IP television offers an interesting possibility but is restricted by our creaking copper cables ability to deliver the content fast enough and reliably enough. To benefit from all of the advantages of Digital Television you will also need a high definition LCD television or Plasma television. - 33366

About the Author:

For almost 2 decades Armadeus Cornelius has accumulated a wealth of knowledge in the electronics sector. For more details on Digital TV click his site http://www.digitaldirect.co.uk . If you want to save money then click cheapest tv uk or cheapest tvs in uk