The era of new digital terrestrial, distinguished by the acronym DVB-T2 (Digital Video Broadcasting – Second Generation Terrestrial), is fast approaching. Between September next year and June 2022, the technology with which our televisions receive the signal from the air will be modified and updated. The new coding standard HEVC it will allow on the one hand the transmission of high definition content, and on the other hand the release of the frequency spectrum between 694 and 790 MHz, which can thus be used for the development of the 5G network.
The first switch-off is the transition to high definition
A first phase, starting from the beginning September 2021, will provide for the progressive abandonment of the MPEG2 coding standard in favor of MPEG4 and the transition to high definition, with resolution up to 8K. The transition will take place on different dates for the different regions and geographical areas of the Peninsula. The program implemented by the Ministry for Economic Development provides for a subdivision of the territory into four areas (1-2-3-4).
Area 1 includes Emilia-Romagna, Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. La 2 incorporates Liguria, Tuscany, Umbria, Lazio, Campania and Sardinia. Area 3 includes Piedmont, Val d’Aosta, Lombardy and Trentino-Alto Adige, while 4 Marche, Abruzzo, Molise, Puglia, Basilicata, Calabria and Sicily. In areas 1 and 3, the transition will take place between September 1st and December 31st 2021, in areas 2 between January 1st and March 31st 2022 and in areas 4 between April 1st and June 20th 2022.
One will initially be implemented retuning, however, already in place, for the channels included in the frequencies between 50 and 52 UHF, which will be replaced. Programs broadcast in the spectrum between 51 and 53 UHF will instead be relocated. These are frequencies on which mostly local broadcasters transmit, but in which there are also the Mediaset1 muxes, which transmit some free-to-air channels of Sky programming and the DFree mux.
The transition is necessary for free the gang gods 700 MHZ, one of those that will be used in the future for the 5G, both for mobile telephony and for the Internet of Things (Iot). Checking if your television set is compatible with this first innovation is simple: just tune into channels 100 and 200 and check for the confirmation message.
From June 2022 programs broadcast only in Dvb-T2
In the period between 21 and the June 30, 2022 there will be the transition from DVB digital terrestrial transmission technology to that DVB-T2, with the adoption of the compression standard HEVC. From 1 July 2022, the entire programming of the television broadcasters will be broadcast in digital terrestrial Dvb-t2 technology with 10-bit Hevc encoding.
The transition to DVB-T2 and HEVC coupled allows a transmission capacity increased by 50% compared to the past and greater signal stability, more resilient to any interference. There is also a better quality of the image and of the video stream, with a reduced occupation of the band.
All televisions placed on the market starting from 2017 must, by law, be able to receive the new signal, while all televisions marketed starting from December 2018 must be able to decode the 10-bit HEVC. For older television sets it will be necessary to have a new decoder or, in some cases, replace the device.
Also in this case a test is possible to verify the compatibility of your TV. By tuning into channel 100 (mux 1 Rai), as regards the Rai broadcasts and 200 (Mux Mediaset 4) for those Mediaset, it must be possible to display a blue screen with the words “Test Hevc main 10”. The presence of the “tivùsat” or “lativù” stamp guarantees the compliance of its televisions with the new digital terrestrial standards.
To support this technological transition, the Ministry of Economic Development has made available, starting from 18 December 2019 and until 31 December 2022, a economic contribution of 50 €. The bonus provides for the deduction of the amount from the purchase price of the DVB-T2 decoder or the new television.
The proposed grant was not exempt from a trail of controversy, both for the stringent requirements required in order to obtain it, including the presentation of a self-certification of the ISEE (less than 20 thousand euros) to the retailer, and for the smallness of the amount. Features that make the bonus a subsidy aimed, in fact, at a very narrow niche, compared to the estimated nine (from Confindustria Radio Televisions) millions of non-compliant TVs, still present in Italian homes.
–
