The colour has gone on all channels - analogue and digital. The set is 3 years old HD Phillips the digital receiver is also defective as it keeps switching channels

Digital TV uses less airspace than analogue TV, so after the digital switchover there'll also be more room for services such as high-speed mobile broadband and high-definition television (HD TV).

It may not be the set but a box if you are using one for signal via the set.

Sounds like you're only viewing analogue channels.
Go into Menu and find Inputs and select & choose DTV. This will restore reception of Freeview (Digital TV) channels.

Bitstream will pass the HD digital audio directly on to the receiver, in either DTS or Dolby format. This allows your receiver to decode these formats. The Onkyo TX-SR608 is capable of decoding all the new HD audio formats, and has quality Burr-Brown digital-analogue converters so it would be a shame not to use bitstream in my opinion.
Electing to output the sound as PCM will utilize the PS3's internal digital audio decoding, and I believe output a two channel analogue signal... which your receiver will then reprocess into simulated surround sound... not ideal really.

Yes . All plasma TVs are HD. It will accept HD signal inputs.

The transition from analogue TV broadcasting has been painfull in some areas. the only way to get out of this frustration is to buy yourself a digital set top box . This will convert the digital TV signals to analogue form so that your TV can pick them clearly. In any case ,the trend is to have all analogue transmissions phased out altogether

The problem has cleared itself a day later after being switched on/off a few times.I suspect the 'computer part' of the TV (channel processor, instruction decoder etc) received maybe a power glitch or an illegal infrared instruction (2 remotes used at once for example) and 'locked up' leaving just the analogue side operating.
I was going to continue happily using it with just the analogue side slaved to my Hd recorder for digital signals but it seems to have got over whatever it was that upset it.

In Australia analogue TV signals will be phased out and finished by the end of 2009 (I think).
If you have a standard analogue TV you won't be able to receive any more free to air analogue TV programs when they stop brocasting these TV signals. To recieve the new digital signals you need to buy a digital set top box (which receives digital TV signals and converts it to analogue signal that can be displayed on your old TV). The set top box will only receive Standard Definition signals and this is a lower screen resolution that is available from High Definition signals.

Digital TV signals offer approx. 15 TV channels ln High definition and Standard Definition, different programs channels will be available from the same TV broadcaster, although the High Definition pograms will also be repeated on one of the Standard Definition channels.

High Definition gives a sharper image than Standard dedinition, but you may not notice much difference because it depends much on the material you are viewing, You will notice how clear DVD and BlueRay movies are compared with the VCR tapes. To get the best images from DVD movies your player must be connected to the HDMI connector on your High Definition TV (provided your DVD player has one, usually BlueRay players will have one, they also will play normal DVD disks).

If you purchase a new High Definition TV you will also be able to receive all the Digital TV programs. Currrently these TVs are avail in Plasma or LCD screens and there are newer technologies within a few years. The Plasma screens use twice as much energy (electricity) as a LCD screen. It is suggested that the viewing distance to the TV should be 3.5 times the size of the TV screen.

Hope this answers your query.
Get back to me if you have any more questions.

There are many variables here that could cause the problem. I can receive a few local HD channels ( within about 60 miles ) on my 57H94. I am not aware of any "HD specific" settings- it's all part of the receiving circuits in the TV. The first thing I would look at is to be sure you have a secure antenna connection. Then be sure you have selected the correct antenna input on the TV (there are two). HD channels, as an example will show up as 10-1, 10-2, etc. Most TVs have different sensitivity thresholds, regardless of size. Usually digital signals, including HD, are either there or not. In most cases if a TV picks up a decent analogue signal, a digital set should receive the digital signal, including available HD channels, as well. If you are going to use an antenna, rather than cable or satellite, try to get the best antenna you can afford, that will meet your physical requirements ( indoor / outdoor,etc.). Keep in mind that not all digital TV signal are HD. All of our local stations in this area transmit a digital signal, but true HD broadcasts remain variable. I hope this has helped in some way-Good Luck!