In just over a week, most terrestrial emissions in the DVB-T standard will be switched off in the Dolnośląskie and Lubuskie voivodships. Under the old standard, only MUX-8 channels (TVP Kultura HD, TVP Female, Metro, Zoom TV, Nowa TV, WP) and stations from local multiplexes, the coverage of which is limited, will be broadcast. A person without a tuner or TV that supports the DVB-T2 / HEVC standard will lose access to, among others TVP1, TVP2, TVP Info, TVN, Polsat, Puls. Unless it is within the range of a local multiplex that offers selected commercial channels. This will be the case in Wrocław and Świdnica. The process of transition to the DVB-T2 / HEVC standard it will cover other regions of Poland in the coming months. It will end at the end of June.
Who is at risk of signal loss?
The National Media Institute estimates that 1.7 million households are unprepared for change. That’s 3-4 million viewers. It is not known how many of them live in the regions that will be affected by the amendment in the first place. However, the problem mainly affects the elderly, often lonely, who do not use the Internet. As much as 30 percent. households do not even know that a change in the broadcasting standard is imminent. Information campaigns conducted by all broadcasters, test multiplexes in DVB-T2 / HEVC, a special program Checking TV launched by Telewizja Polska only slightly improved public awareness. In the fall, less than 2.3 million households were unprepared for the new standard.
The situation is expected to improve somewhat thanks to the new information campaign, which is now expected to reach all terrestrial channels. – The campaign must start now. If it doesn’t, then the black screen on March 28 will be the primary stimulus for any movement. People who see it may perceive it as a cyber attack in connection with the situation beyond our eastern border. I am counting on an interesting discussion, action and launching a nationwide campaign as soon as possible, which would help inform Poles – Mirosław Kalinowski, director of the National Media Institute, argued recently.
A PLN 100 voucher for the purchase of a set-top box is to encourage Poles to buy equipment. The law on this matter is already in force. The voucher will be available online or via Poczta Polska from Monday. Recently, the parliament has received a project for a PLN 250 subsidy for the purchase of a TV set. The legislative process will probably not end before the first switch-off of transmitters in the DVB-T standard. Some people will go to the store only when they lose access to their favorite TV channels.
“Delaying the switch to DVB-T2 / HEVC would be difficult”
We are talking about possible scenarios related to the transition to the new terrestrial standard with Michał Kanownik, president of the Digital Poland Union, associating e.g. TV manufacturers such as Samsung, LG, Sony and Panasonic.
Adrian Gąbka, Wirtualnemedia.pl: Will there be chaos in these regions after March 28, when the DVB-T signal is switched off in the Dolnośląskie and Lubuskie voivodships? Is there a risk that some older people will perceive it as a hacking attack from Russia or a war?
Michał Kanownik, president of the Digital Poland Association: The first stage of switching to the new digital terrestrial television broadcasting standard will apply to regions farthest from the eastern border of Poland, and the remaining media, such as radio and the Internet, will continue to function unchanged when the new standard is introduced. It can therefore be suspected that the upcoming change will not be perceived as a hostile action. Nevertheless, an intensified information campaign, especially in the above-mentioned regions, may help to minimize possible doubts and potential fears resulting from the change of the DTT broadcasting standard.
Due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, a change of the date of switching the terrestrial television broadcasting standard was considered, but for technical and procedural reasons it would be very difficult. Postponing the DVB-T2 / HEVC delivery date would mean interfering with the contracts signed by broadcasters, the decision of the Office of Electronic Communications and technical development plans. Although it is possible, the change of the date of entry into force of the new digital terrestrial broadcasting standard is a significant logistic operation. It is impossible to do so with a single administrative decision.
From Monday, the voucher will be redeemable in 150 stores
The act on additional PLN 100 for a set-top box was signed by the president. Seller registration has also started. The project for funding in the amount of PLN 250 for the TV set has just appeared. Is government action too late?
A grant in the form of a voucher is accepted and over 150 stores have signed up for the support program. From Monday, March 21, it will be possible to receive a voucher and redeem it in stores that have joined the program. Moreover, this month a special government information campaign will be launched, aimed at communicating the ongoing program of co-financing the purchase of TV sets. Therefore, we hope that the knowledge about the adopted solutions will reach the recipients on time.
In fact, the bill, which allowed to increase the subsidy for the purchase of TV sets to the amount of PLN 250, appeared late in relation to the previous announced actions, but it is being processed urgently and will probably enter into force next week. As a Union, we have informed from the beginning that only a new TV set, not a set-top box, can provide the full spectrum of benefits of the new DVB-T2 / HEVC standard. It is good then that the subsidy for TV sets was finally included in the government program and the amount was correspondingly higher.
It is also worth noting that the information campaign on changing the terrestrial television broadcasting standard has been going on since last autumn. Although we had some comments on the TV spots promoting the change in broadcasting, because they only promoted set-top boxes as a way to receive the new standard, the fact is that knowledge about the upcoming inclusion of the DVB-T2 / HEVC standard has been widely available since October 2021. and public awareness of it has since grown to a great extent.
Some people will not have time to replace the equipment
Is there a need to postpone the transition to DVB-T2 / HEVC or broadcasting in the old standard at least selected channels? We are in for chaos?
Given the scale of this technological shift, it is inevitable that there will be a certain group of recipients who will not have time to adapt their households to receive the new digital terrestrial television. However, there will definitely be no chaos. We should also remember that the change of the broadcasting standard will take place in stages and each subsequent one will probably run more smoothly than the previous one.
Moreover, research and experience from the domestic market clearly show that Poles postpone their purchasing decisions until the last moment. This means that even the most intense information campaign taking place in January or February 2022 would not change the fact that the purchase of equipment for the new standard will take place only at the last minute before its activation.
Therefore, the key is currently the last phase of the campaign, taking place just before the first phase of the inclusion of the new digital terrestrial television in the DVB-T2 / HEVC standard. The transmission of information on this topic is particularly important via television, while the other channels are merely supportive. Fortunately, the intensification of the campaign is noticeable. Of course, the readiness of stores to meet the increased demand for television sets is of course also extremely important.
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