Your article on Home Theatre PCs was both interesting and informative. Unfortunately, as with virtually all similar articles, the issue of digital terrestrial reception was brushed aside with the line; “If you live in a freeview area with good reception.....”; continuing on as if we all do, completely ignoring the fact that approximately 25% of the population of the UK patently do not.

How about some advice on ways to improve reception in areas that are partially blocked? And what about news of any progress for areas without reception, like you occasionally used to do for the advance of ADSL.

I live in an area where the vast majority of households do get good reception, but because of geographical anomalies and sheer bad luck, there’s a small enclave of twenty or thirty properties that are in some kind of ‘dip’ where reception is poor (reception is also poor for analogue TV, but the only effect of this is that we get a little ‘ghosting’, the image itself is usually reasonable). Houses just across the road or around the corner have no problem.

These enclaves are apparently quite numerous, nationally and there’s little prospect of improvement anytime soon, as there’s no easy (or cheap) way to force the signal to go “around” whatever is causing the blockage. The powers that be are aware of the situation, because when you look up my post code on the freeview.com website, they acknowledge our plight with the line; “SORRY - FREEVIEW doesn’t cover your area for the postcode...”.

I’ve tried a couple of set-top boxes, borrowed from friends and although we do get a signal and some of the channels, the picture can be pixellated and for some reason, contrast/colour is very poor. It’s like watching TV through a fog.

My main concern is for the future. Sometime in the next five to ten years, analogue transmissions are due to end. What happens then? One thing’s certain. I won’t pay for a TV licence if they things don’t improve.

I am of course aware of the alternatives, such as cable and satellite; and they are available, but I don’t want them. I’m happy with the five terrestrial channels and do not wish to swap my 8Mbit ADSL for a vastly inferior, bunged up, cable connection. And before you suggest it, I won’t pay for both.

I suppose I ought to say “thanks for a great magazine” and all that now, but after that letter, I’m not in the mood. Oh, all right then; “thanks for a great magazine”.

Nick Hawryliw