Unless you've been hiding out somewhere for the past few years, the chances are you'll know all about the pending switch to digital broadcasting.

Indeed, the switch is already well underway and it will ultimately mean the old analogue TV signals will be consigned to the history books by 2012. To watch digital, all TV viewers will need is digital equipment, either in the form of a set-top digital receiver, or via a brand new, state of the art digital television. Radio, however, will continue to be broadcast in both analogue and digital past 2012.

So, what exactly does ‘digital' mean? Well, for television and radio at least, digital means that the visuals and audio are transferred into digitised 'bits' of data and compressed. They are then broadcast from a transmitter to TVs and radios across the nation.

The signal can still arrive via an aerial (for example, that big antenna on the roof), or via a satellite dish or cable. Upon arrival, the signal is then transferred back into pictures and sounds in the form of entertainment programmes thanks to a special decoder device which is built into the TV or, for those who haven't yet graduated to a digital screen, the set-top box that's connected to the old analogue TV.

The whole point of this isn't to cause people a great deal of hassle and expense. Given that the digital signal is compressed, it requires much less bandwidth space than the old analogue system which - in a nutshell - makes it possible to broadcast more TV stations.

Of course, the benefits aren't restricted to quantity. Whilst it does indeed enable a far greater number of stations, another key advantage is quality.

HDTV is high-definition television which results in superior quality pictures and sound. Indeed, the quality is so good that some commentators have suggested that viewers will be able to see individual blades of grass on a sports pitch. Also, some celebrities may not look quite so attractive, with the clear, crisp pictures making blemishes and spots far more visible to the audience at home.

This is probably just hype though. Nobody will be buying into the HDTV revolution for blades of grass or blemishes. The real appeal will be in visual spectacles such as action movies, World Cup or Champions' League Football or one of David Attenborough's many splendid wildlife documentaries.

High superiority packages will become more commonplace over the next few years, as more and more people switch from analogue to digital. Quality and quantity come as standard with Supertelly, which is one more reason to make the switch long before the 2012 cut-off point.

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