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WHAT'S THE STORY WITH THE CHOICE OF TV SUBSCRIPTIONS?:WATCHING TELEVISION in Ireland used to be a comparatively simple business. In the 1980s the TV viewing population was divided between those who had “the channels” – mostly those living on the east coast and near the Border – and those who had RTÉ 1 and 2 (the rest of the country), writes CONOR POPE.

Today the number of channels available through cable, MMDS and satellite services is mind boggling, and the range of packages offered by the companies who supply them can be overwhelming. Do you go with satellite or cable? High definition? Will a set-top recorder make your life better? (Short answer: absolutely.) What about multi-room viewers? And are we as digital-ready as our TVs claim to be?