20 August 2008
An upgrade to the Freeview digital television system left thousands of digital set-top boxes unable to work. Thousands of customers found their older models failed to cope with increased information from the new signal after three-month upgrade work. Models made by Bush, Portland, Daewoo, Triax and Labgear may be affected. A Bush spokesman told vnunet.com that Freeview had changed the transmitter range. Rob Farmer of Freeview said the firm had not requested the upgrade but had worked with the Digital television Multiplexer Operations Ltd (DMOL) to make the "necessary changes". Daewoo did not respond to requests for comment. Television is currently undergoing a complete switch over to digital. The switch, which started this year, will take until 2012 to complete, going by TV region to TV region. Analogue, the old system, will be replaced with a digital signal. Any television set that is not converted to digital when the switchover takes place will not be able to receive television programmes.