THE first stage of the switch to digital television took place in our region this morning - here's what you need to know.

• If you have Sky, Freesat or cable, you won't be affected. Only televisions that receive their signal through an aerial are affected.

• The first stage of the switchover happened this morning, for those receiving their signal from the Rowbridge transmitter. This covers Hampshire and parts of Dorset, including Bournemouth and Poole. The switchover for the west of Dorset is already complete.

• If you haven't retuned your TV, you'll lose BBC2 from today. You're also missing out on some new digital channels. Find out how to retune at digital.co.uk

• If you have problems after retuning you may have a early digital box or TV set. Not all digital ready TVs or set-top boxes (such as ONDigital or ITVDigital) are compatible with the new signal. Some very early digital television are also incompatible. You can check if yours is one of these here. If it is, you can connect it to an up-to-date Freeview box to get the full service.

• You shouldn't need a new aerial . If you get good signal from your aerial now, it should work after switchover. If you're unsure, try these two simple tests. If you think you do need an aerial, make sure you use a licensed installer. There's no such thin g as a digital aerial.

• The final stage of the switchover will happen on March 21. Your TV will need retuning again then. Between then and now you might need to switch between digital and analogue to see all the available channels. Find out how to do this .