[access-uk] Government offers free receivers for digital TV switchover
- From: "Peter Beasley" <p.beasley@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2007 10:06:48 +0100
Government offers free receivers for digital TV switchover
By Richard Wilson
The Government will provide free set-top boxes to the disabled and
partially-sighted as well as less well-off elderly people when the
digital TV switchover starts in Cumbria in October.
The Government faced opposition to its plans to switch off analogue
broadcasts from interest groups which said the cost of a digital TV
receiver would be an unfair burden on lower income groups and in
particular the elderly and disabled who rely on TV.
As part of its £600m assistance scheme, which was announced last
December, the Government has now said it will subsidise the total
cost of "the necessary equipment to convert one television set to
digital" for disabled and partially-sighted users as well as people
over 75 years of age who are on some form of income-related benefit.
The DTI has created a specification for the scheme's set-top box
which is known as a "Help Box". It is an energy efficient design,
sub-4W, incorporating an audio commentary feature.
The first area to convert will be Whitehaven in Cumbria where a
set-top box designed and manufactured in Wales by TVonics will be
offered as part of a £1m support scheme being provided by Capita. "We
are working on a Help Box for phase one, the Whitehaven scheme," said
a TVonics spokesman.
This box is a modified version of an existing digital TV receiver,
based on a Fujitsu chipset, which incorporates a feature known as
audio description. This provides an audio commentary of programmes
for blind and partially-sighted users.
Digital UK, which is overseeing the switchover for the Government,
has started the bidding process for manufacturers to supply
assisted-user set-top boxes for the rest of the country.
For this TVonics has proposed a digital recorder design based on a
Toshiba chipset.
http://www.electronicsweekly.com/Articles/2007/06/20/41633/
Government+offers+free+receivers+for+digital+TV+switchover.htm
David Andrews and white cane Harry.
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