By Matthew Burrell

Last updated at 18:58, Saturday, 27 June 2009

It was a smooth switchover for Cumbria’s television viewers this week when D-Day came for the digital era.

John Askew

Less than one per cent of homes rang the digital helpline for support – 0.3 per cent – according to Digital UK, the company responsible for the switch from analogue to digital at midnight on Tuesday.

John Askew, Digital UK’s regional manager for the Border area, was “very pleased,” he said.

“We’re only aware of a very small number of problems,” he said.

“It’s a tribute to the people of Cumbria. Neighbours and family have been helping each other out with re-tuning issues, so everything’s gone brilliantly.”

The switchover at the Caldbeck transmitter went better than expected, as a survey in April suggested 15 per cent of Cumbrian homes had not converted their sets.

Digital UK said they had 916 calls to their helpline, with most people asking about how to re-tune and whether they would get Scottish or English channels.

“This has been a very big job,” Mr Askew added.

He co-ordinated a team of engineers to alter 49 separate transmitters in the early hours of Wednesday.

“There was only one minor problem at the Gosforth transmitter, which the engineers had to visit a second time,” he said.

Cumbria is one of the first areas to switch in the UK, along with Dumfries and Galloway and the Isle of Man.

BBC 2 was the first to be switched over to digital, with other BBC channels following later on Wednesday. ITV and Channel 4 will turn over in the second phase of the switchover, on July 22.

There are 1,154 television transmitters across the UK, and it will take until 2012 until everyone has full digtial coverage.

The Granada region will join Cumbria on November 4 when the Winter Hill transmitter is switched.

• Still having trouble? See our Digital section

First published at 09:02, Saturday, 27 June 2009
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk