All you need to know on digital switchover, and more

You'll be able to get more channels with digital than with terrestrial analogue television - but how many depends on the digital service you choose.

With Sky TV, you can choose the Entertainment Pack for £20 per month or Entertainment Pack Extra for £25 per month. Our Premium Packs, the Movies Pack and the Sports Pack are also available. Plus you'll automatically receive more than 200 free-to-air digital channels, four times more than Freeview, including all your BBC, ITV and Channel 4 favourites. And with Sky+ functionality you can watch what you want, when you want, so you can make the most of what's on offer.

Switching to digital enables viewers to experience much more through their televisions, now and in the future. Digital TV signals use less broadcast space than analogue, allowing more capacity for other services - including more TV channels, new features and high definition (HD) television. Once analogue is switched off, the strength of the digital signal will be boosted, improving levels of availability and broadcast quality throughout the UK.

With Sky, you will receive digital quality pictures and sound through your minidish - meaning you won't need an aerial upgrade which, if required, can cost up to £180. If you choose to receive a service like Freeview you may need to upgrade your aerial after the switchover.

Your recorder may be affected after the switchover, with some DVD and video recorders losing the ability to record one programme while you watch another. Sky+ and Sky+HD boxes are a digital TV switchover solution and digital video recorder in one, meaning you can continue to record and store your favourite programmes to watch.

The digital switchover is the process of switching the traditional analogue TV signal over to a digital TV signal, taking place on a region-by-region basis across the UK between now and 2012. It means that television viewers will need to convert, upgrade or replace their TV equipment to receive digital signals.

Switching to digital enables viewers to experience much more through their televisions, now and in the future. Digital TV signals use less broadcast space than analogue, allowing more capacity for other services - including more TV channels, new features and high definition (HD) television. Once analogue is switched off, the strength of the digital signal will be boosted, improving levels of availability and broadcast quality throughout the UK.

Once your TV region has switched to digital, you will not be able to watch TV using the traditional analogue signal through your TV aerial. Getting digital TV from Sky or another provider is the only way to ensure you won't lose your favourite channels.

The Government is responsible for digital switchover policy and made the decision to turn off the analogue signal and switch to digital. Digital UK is a not-for-profit organisation leading the implementation of the switchover.

The 'digital tick' logo is an official certification mark, usually black with a pink tick, to help consumers identify products and services which will work through switchover. If you're buying a new TV or new TV equipment, for example, look for the 'digital tick' logo - this indicates that the product is designed to work both before and after the switchover.

The digital switchover will be taking place on a region-by-region basis between now and 2012. To find out when your local area will be switching to digital, take a look our interactive digital switchover map.

The switchover is happening between November 2007 and 2012 on a regional basis. To find out when the digital switchover is coming to your region, consult our interactive digital switchover map.

There are over a thousand TV transmitters to switch to digital across the UK, therefore in order to minimise the risk of disrupting TV services and ensure a smooth transition from analogue to digital, the switchover is being staggered by region.

No. Virtually all TVs will work after the switchover - even old or black and white televisions - as long as you can connect it to a digital box like a Sky+, SkyHD or Sky+HD box. A SCART lead is the best way to connect your digital box to your TV set. If your TV was manufactured after 1996, it will probably have a SCART socket (it's the rectangular socket with holes for 21 pins). If your TV doesn't have a SCART socket there are still other methods to connect your TV to your digital box - ask your local electrical retailer for the available options. If you're buying a new TV, look for the 'digital tick' logo. This indicates that the equipment is designed to work after the digital switchover.

With Sky, you will receive digital quality pictures and sound through your minidish - meaning you won't need an aerial upgrade which, if required, can cost up to £180. If you choose to receive a service like Freeview you may need to upgrade your aerial after the switchover.

Your recorder may be affected after the switchover, with some DVD and video recorders losing the ability to record one programme while you watch another. Sky+ and Sky+HD boxes are a digital TV switchover solution and digital video recorder in one, meaning you can continue to record and store your favourite programmes to watch.

Switching to digital means viewers will be able to experience much more through their televisions, now and in the future. Digital TV signals use less broadcast space than analogue, allowing more capacity for other services, including:

• More TV channels
• Digital radio through your TV
• New technology including high definition (HD) television
• Improved picture quality and reliability
• Wider geographical availability and quality of TV channels
• New features, including on-screen TV listings and interactive TV (the ‘red button')

You'll be able to get more channels with digital than with terrestrial analogue television - but how many depends on the digital service you choose.

With Sky TV, you can choose the Entertainment Pack for £20 per month or Entertainment Pack Extra for £25 per month. Our Premium Packs, the Movies Pack and the Sports Pack are also available. Plus you'll automatically receive more than 200 free-to-air digital channels, four times more than Freeview, including all your BBC, ITV and Channel 4 favourites. And with Sky+ functionality you can watch what you want, when you want, so you can make the most of what's on offer.

Yes, you will still be able to receive digital. In fact, after you switch to digital you should be able to watch Channel Five as well.

Let Sky take care of your switch to digital TV. Here are six reasons why...

1. Great value, quality TV - up to four times the number of channels currently on Freeview.
2. Sky+, SkyHD and Sky+HD boxes – a digital receiver and recorder in one, meaning you can watch what you want, when you want to.
3. Professional set-up - so you don't have to worry about wires or retuning your TV yourself.
4. A digital quality minidish - no need to upgrade your aerial.
5. Free broadband and calls for the ultimate home entertainment package.
6. Peace of mind after the switchover – you'll get a 12 month warranty on your box, there's no need to re-tune your equipment after each switchover and our helpline is available to answer any questions every day, from 8.30am – 11pm.

Find out more about your complete digital switchover solution from Sky today.

Yes. Sky provides a digital signal through your satellite, so you're already watching digital TV in your home. Remember, you need to convert all the TVs in your house to digital, not just your main one. If you want to watch Sky on more than one TV in your house, find out more about Sky Multiroom today.

Arrange a time and date that suits you to get set-up, and we'll take the care of the rest, including putting up your minidish, setting up your equipment and showing you how everything works.

With Sky+HD you can experience television like never before with up to five times more picture detail, incredibly vibrant colours and superb quality sound. Plus you get all the Sky+ functionality such as record, pause, rewind and series link, and storage capacity for up to 185 hours of standard definition or 60 hours of HD programming. Find out more about Sky+HD.

Sky+ is the functionality, free to Sky digital subscribers, that lets you record, store and play back your favourite shows. It works without tapes, DVDs or timers, and you can pause and rewind live TV and record entire series at a time - all at the touch of a button. Sky+ functionality is available in the Sky+HD box, exactly as it is in the Sky+ box.

Sky+ functionality is free for all Sky TV subscribers, otherwise an additional fee (£10 a month) is chargeable.

To get started with Sky+HD, you need an HD ready TV, a Sky+HD box and Sky TV with the HD Pack. Sky has the widest range of HD channels in the UK – with everything from movies and sports, to arts, drama and documentaries, all in stunning high definition. Build your Sky TV package from just £20 a month, and then add the HD Pack to watch the HD channels in line with your TV subscription.

Sky+HD is designed to work with all compatible HD TVs. If you're buying a new TV, select one carrying the official 'HD ready' logo.

Add the HD Pack to your Sky TV package to receive all the HD channels in Sky's Entertainment Pack for an additional £10.25 a month. Remember, the HD channels you receive will depend on your TV package. If you want to watch Sky Sports or Sky Movies in high definition, add the Sports or Movies Packs to your TV package.

A Sky+HD box is a digital TV receiver that lets you watch, record and play back your favourite shows without tapes, DVDs or timers, whenever suits you. Once connected to your HD ready TV it will allow you to watch standard definition and high definition programmes. Without an HD receiver, like the Sky+HD box, you will not be able to watch high definition programmes on your HD ready TV.

Take a look at the latest Sky+HD box and see for yourself – the box is black, streamlined and sleek, and will fit straight into your living room.

Yes, you'll be surprised at how easy it is to use. We've worked hard to make sure our remote control and the instructions on screen are simple to understand and quick and easy to use. Plus there are no fiddly tapes or timers to contend with – you can record at the click of a button.

Yes, you can record up to 60 hours of high definition shows, or up to 185 hours of standard definition programmes. The Sky+HD box has all the Sky+ functionality, such as recording selected series at the touch of a button, recording two programmes at once and even setting your Sky+HD box to record from your mobile or via Sky.com.

Your Sky+HD box comes with an HDMI cable, which delivers the best possible picture quality by maintaining a digital connection. Most new HD ready TVs come with HDMI connectors.

The Sky+HD box has one HDMI connector.

Along with a Sky+ subscription (which is free for Sky customers), a Sky+ box is a digital TV receiver that delivers all the benefits of a standard Sky box. It's also a digital video recorder that lets you record and play back your favourite shows without tapes, DVDs or timers whenever suits you.

Yes, you'll be surprised at how easy it is to use. We've worked hard to make sure our remote control and the instructions on screen are simple to understand and quick and easy to use. Plus there are no fiddly tapes or timers to contend with – you can record at the click of a button.

Sky Multiroom lets you enjoy your Sky TV channels in another room, so different family members can watch the shows they love at the same time. You'll need an extra Sky box and the Multiroom subscription (£10.25 a month per box) for every extra room you want to watch Sky TV in.

To get Sky Multiroom you need an extra subscription and box from Sky for each additional room you want to watch Sky in. You get all the same great channels you currently enjoy on another TV, and pay an additional Sky Multiroom subscription for your chosen channel package. Multiroom means all the family can watch different Sky channels in different rooms all at the same time. The kids can watch cartoons upstairs whilst Dad watches football downstairs and Mum watches a movie in another room - flexible viewing for the whole family!

No. You will need to pay your TV licence as usual.

High definition or HD refers to a screen definition standard that offers four times more picture detail, incredibly vibrant colours and superb quality sound, rather than digital compatibility. If you're buying an HD TV, look for the digital ‘tick' logo to ensure that your HD TV is also designed to work with digital TV. Find out more about HD and Sky+HD here.

The Switchover Help Scheme is a government scheme set-up to help people to switch one of their TV sets to digital. The scheme will explain the digital switchover process to you, discuss your requirements and set you up with everything you need. All you'll need to do is contribute £40. It's thought that over seven million households are eligible to receive help – find out more by visiting the Digital UK website, DigitalUK.co.uk.

It's estimated that over seven million households are eligible to receive help through the Switchover Help Scheme. The Switchover Help Scheme is available if:

• You are aged 75 or over
• You are living in a care home, and have done so for six months or more
• You are registered blind or partially sighted
• You are receiving Disability Living Allowance

If you're unsure, call Digital UK on 08456 50 50 50 or visit DigitalUK.co.uk.

We'll send your M&S vouchers by recorded delivery when you join Sky TV online. They will arrive within 45 days of activating your viewing. Royal Mail requires a signature from whomever receives the item. If there's nobody available to sign for your vouchers and they are not collected or redelivery rearranged within seven calendar days, they will be returned to Sky. If you miss delivery, you can go to a Royal Mail Delivery Office and collect your item (with the delivery card and one form of identification), or arrange a redelivery online or by phone.

Sky TV is the UK's most popular pay TV provider. With Sky TV, you're able to choose between our Entertainment and Entertainment Extra packs so you only pay for what you want. Our Premium Packs, Sky Movies Pack and Sky Sports Pack are also available.

Sky TV gives you access to more than 100 channels of shows dedicated to comedy and drama, knowledge, style and culture, music, children and news and events. Sky Movies Pack and Sky Sports Pack are available too. Also at your fingertips are 200 non-subscription TV and radio channels - like ITV, BBC, Sky News and Sky Three services.

A SkyHD box is a digital TV receiver, allowing you watch and enjoy all your favourite programmes on Sky. Available with Multiroom, it comes with lots of great features, including parental controls so you can keep a check on what the kids are watching, easy browsing with our on screen TV guide and on-screen reminders to switch over to your favourite shows.

Find out more about the SkyHD box

Sky+ functionality lets you record and play back your favourite shows without tapes, DVDs or timers.

Find out more about Sky+HD

With Sky+HD you can experience television like never before with up to five times more picture detail, incredibly vibrant colours and superb quality sound. Plus you get all the Sky+ functionality such as record, pause, rewind and series link, with extra storage.

Find out more about Sky+

You will be able to watch five HD channels without any subscriptions: BBC HD, Channel 4 HD, ITV1 HD, Five HD and Luxe TV HD. To watch these HD channels you will need a Sky+HD box and a HD ready TV (a valid viewing card is required for Channel 4 HD). You need to subscribe to Sky digital and the Sky HD Pack to view the HD pack channels in line with your TV subscription and a choice of on-demand high definition programmes. You can only receive the Sky Sports HD channels if your Sky digital subscription includes the Sky Sports Pack. You can only receive all the Sky Movies HD channels if your Sky digital subscription includes the Sky Movies Pack.

Find out more about Sky+HD

Sky Multiroom is a great way to keep everyone entertained. By allowing everyone in the home to enjoy Sky's great entertainment in different rooms at the same time, Multiroom gets the entire family talking about their favourite shows.

With Sky Multiroom, you never have to miss any of the quality entertainment you love. Whether the whole family is enjoying a film in the front room, or Dad's relaxing in the study with his favourite musicians, with Sky Multiroom you can watch all the channels you already enjoy with Sky TV in another room. To get Sky Multiroom you need an extra Sky box and extra Multiroom subscription (£10.25 extra a month) for each additional room you want to watch Sky in.

Your Sky Multiroom subscription covers the address of your home in the UK, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, where your Digital Satellite Equipment is installed. All the Sky boxes you watch must be connected to the same phoneline capable of making outgoing calls. This enables some Sky services to work, so you must tell us immediately if the line or number changes. Each Sky box must also be connected to a mains electricity supply and have its own viewing card. If you have taken up the free Sky box and minidish offer, the Interactive Discount contract, Sky Multiroom subscription(s) or Sky+HD, then as part of the installation we must connect your box to a working telephone line. If an appropriate socket is not available or the Box cannot be connected to such a socket for any other reason, we will not be able to deliver or install your Digital Satellite Equipment. Instead, we will arrange a later installation date once you tell us that the appropriate telephone socket has been installed. In connecting the Box to the socket, we will use the nearest available socket and any cabling will be clipped to the relevant skirting.

Your Sky Multiroom service mirrors your main subscription. You can watch (and record, with the Sky+HD box) all the channels that are part of your subscription package and those programmes you purchase.

Wherever you can enjoy Sky – in the UK, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Sky Multiroom can be installed in up to 8 rooms in the house – as long as you can connect your boxes to a power supply and the same working phoneline you can enjoy Sky wherever you want to watch.

No, even if your Sky boxes are on different floors of your home, they can all be connected to the same minidish.

Your Sky Multiroom service mirrors your main subscription. You can watch (and record) channels that are part of your subscription package and those programmes you purchase afterwards, such as Sky Box Office movies, sports matches and other events.

You pay the subscription for your Sky boxes plus an extra £10.25 per month for Sky Multiroom, so choose your combination and your Sky Multiroom subscription will mirror this.

With Sky TV, you can choose the Entertainment Pack for £20 per month or Entertainment Pack Extra for £25 per month. You'll also automatically receive 200 free-to-air channels, including all your BBC, ITV and Channel 4 favourites. Our premium Packs, the Movies Pack and the Sports Pack are also available.

Sky TV customers are taken care of by our excellent customer service team who are just a phone call away, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Yes. Sky provides a digital signal through your satellite, so you’re already watching digital TV in your home. Remember, you need to convert all the TVs in your house to digital, not just your main one. If you want to watch Sky on more than one TV in your house, find out more about Sky Multiroom.

With Sky, you will receive digital quality pictures and sound through your minidish - meaning you won't need an aerial upgrade which, if required, can cost up to £180. If you choose to receive a service like Freeview you may need to upgrade your aerial after the switchover.

Any TVs you have connected to a Sky box will be unaffected by the switchover but your other TVs will lose their traditional analogue channels. You can make sure all your TVs are set for digital with Sky Multiroom, which enables you to watch Sky TV in different rooms at the same time.

Your recorder may be affected after the switchover, with some DVD and video recorders losing the ability to record one programme while you watch another. The Sky+HD box is a digital receiver and recorder, meaning you can continue to record and store your favourite programmes to watch.

The switchover is happening between November 2007 and 2012 on a regional basis. To find out when the digital switchover is coming to your region, take a look at our interactive digital switchover map.

High definition or HD refers to a screen definition standard that offers five times more picture detail, incredibly vibrant colours and superb quality sound, rather than digital compatibility. Find out more about HD and Sky+HD.

To enjoy High Definition TV with Sky you need a Sky+HD box and the HD Pack for £10.25 extra per month. The HD Pack gives you access to over 50‡ HD channels, in line with your TV subscription. Remember, the HD channels you receive will depend on your Sky TV package. If you want to watch Sky Sports or Sky Movies in high definition, just add the Sports or Movies Packs to your TV package.

Your Sky+ box allows you to watch any standard definition programming. To watch programmes in high definition you will need a Sky+HD box, which comes with all the familiar Sky+ functionality and includes high definition capability. If you want to enjoy HD entertainment in one room and all your favourites in standard definition in another, simply upgrade to a Sky+HD box with Sky Multiroom. You’ll get a free Sky+HD box when you take the HD pack and free standard set-up if you add Sky Multiroom.

Yes, you can record up to 60 hours of high definition programmes, or up to 185 hours in standard definition. The Sky+HD box has all the flexibility of Sky+, such as recording selected series at the touch of a button, recording two programmes at once and even setting your Sky+HD box to record from your mobile or via Sky.com.

Your Sky+HD box comes with an HDMI cable, which delivers the best possible picture quality by maintaining a digital connection. Most new HD ready TVs come with HDMI connectors.

The Sky+HD box has one HDMI connector.

No. Virtually all TVs will work after the switchover - even old or black and white televisions - as long as you can connect it to a digital box like a Sky+ or Sky+HD box. If you’re buying a new TV, look for the 'digital tick' logo. This indicates that the equipment is designed to work after the digital switchover.

The switchover is happening on a regional basis. To find out when the digital switchover is coming to your region, take a look at our interactive digital switchover map.

With Sky Multiroom you can enjoy all your Sky TV channels in another room, so different family members can watch the shows they love at the same time. You’ll need an extra Sky box and the Multiroom subscription (£10.25 a month) for every extra room you want to watch Sky TV in.

To get Sky Multiroom one of our engineers will come round and install a second Sky box in another room. That way all the family can watch different Sky channels in different rooms all at the same time. The kids can watch cartoons upstairs whilst Dad watches football downstairs and Mum watches a movie in another room - flexible viewing for the whole family!

Your Sky Multiroom service mirrors your main subscription. So you can watch (and record, with the Sky+HD box) all the channels that are part of your subscription package.

Wherever you can enjoy Sky – in the UK, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Sky Multiroom can be installed in up to 8 rooms in the house – so as long as you can connect your boxes to a power supply and the same working phone line, you can enjoy Sky TV wherever you like.

No, even if your Sky boxes are on different floors of your home, they can all be connected to the same minidish.