The history of television in South Africa is an eventful one, despite spanning just 37 short years. By comparison, Zimbabwe — or Southern Rhodesia as it was known then — introduced the box back in 1961.

It has grown from being described as the "devil's own box, for disseminating communism and immorality" and a vehicle for undermining Apartheid faced, through the limited early Afrikaans broadcasts, the introduction of pay-channel M-Net in the eighties, to the present day of PVR decoders and 150-inch plasma screen opulence.

Now, South Africa is on the threshold of the biggest broadcasting revolution since the Nationalists permitted a 15-minute screening of Armstrong setting foot on the moon.

Thus enters the era of digital TV.

"Will my TV work? What equipment will I need? What's the big deal about this HDTV thing? What's this switching-off process I hear about?" These are but a few of the many questions surrounding digital TV and I'll try to shed some light on the matter.

But firstly, why should you care? The jump from analogue to digital TV is similar to the leap from dial-up to ADSL. It may not seem like a big deal until you experience it for yourself.

There are many advantages in making the switch to digital TV: It takes advantage of High Definition TVs, something that the current analogue signal is not capable of. Digital TV broadcasts can also take advantage of widescreen TVs, with its wider picture.

Furthermore, with the ability to squeeze many channels into one transmission, digital TV is far more versatile than analogue television. In a country with 11 official languages, this versatility takes on a new mantle of urgency.

For those not in the know, HDTV (high-definition television) is a type of television that packs much more detail into its image than a normal TV. It is not as drastic a jump as the transition from black and white to colour, but looks wonderful nonetheless. As to whether to buy one now; go for it. Although you won't experience a jump in quality on current broadcasts apart from the new MNET-HD channel available through DSTV, your DVDs and Blu-ray discs will look phenomenal on your new TV.

(For more information about HDTV's, read our article 'Demystifying HDTVs'.)

» Will your TV be able to work with a digital signal? Find out on page 2.