He consumption of television content has changed a lot in recent years. Smart TVs have popularized TV access through applications officials of the respective television networks. To this we must add YouTube, OTTs such as Netflix, Prime Video or HBO Max, pay TV (Movistar, Orange, Agile TV…), free-to-air IPTV and the free platforms Pluto or Samsung TV Plus. This is causing DTT consumption to lose followers. However, in Spain there are more than 28.2 million people who turn on the television every day. Millions of users who will soon enjoy the DTT in HD either DTT in high definition. We say goodbye to SD channels with lower image quality.
DTT continues to be the default way to view content of millions of viewers. And they haven’t made it easy for us. Although it was launched in 2000, it was not until 2005 that we began to talk about DTT, the Digital Terrestrial Television. We went from free-to-air analog TV to digital TV. And they promised us more channels, more content and with better image and sound quality. Until today, we have seen channels born, closed and opened of TV. Also. We have had to retune our televisions and adapt our antennas to make room for 5G.
What does DTT mean in high definition?
Well then. Although It seemed that everything was already in order On DTT, many of us saw that something was going wrong. Televisions gained in inches and image quality. Today, millions of people have 4K televisions. And HD televisions are already the majority. It is difficult to find old devices without a DTT tuner or that are not compatible with high definition. So, in this context, it was surprising that we still saw SD channels on DTT. Last year, half of the channels broadcast in a standard from 25 years ago. But in 2024 that will change.
Several deadlines were considered for all DTT out in HD, have been postponed due to the lack of interest of public, and especially private, media groups in this country. The COVID pandemic didn’t help either. But, finally, we now have a day to mark on the calendar. On Wednesday, February 14, 2024, all DTT will broadcast in HD or high definition. The SD channels will disappear from the television grid to adapt to current standards. As explained the Official State Gazette a year ago.
Eliminating SD channels and opting for DTT in HD has many implications. We abandon the quality emissions 576 and we will see content in 720 or 1080 pixel resolution. Not only that. RTVE, the Spanish public radio and television entity, will begin to broadcast in 4K quality for the entire public after a long period of testing. And, in the future, this opens the doors for the rest of the media groups to start their broadcasts in 4K. Although we have patience. In addition, closing SD channels leaves the 26 GHz band free, necessary for the full 5G rollout in European territory.
All DTT is obliged to make the change
In practice, in recent weeks and months there have been announcements and changes to the television schedule. The local and regional TV channels They have been the first to abandon standard quality. For example, 3Cat (Catalunya), began its DTT broadcasts exclusively in high definition on January 16.
Others have announced that they will do so sooner rather than later. Most on February 12: EITB (Basque Country), South Channel (Andalusia) or Aragon TV, among many. The last to announce this change have been the group Mediaset Spainwhich already broadcasts in HD Telecinco, Cuatro and Be Madbut it broadcasts channels like FDF, Boing, Divinity and Energy. For its part, it is likely that Atresmedia Please make the announcement shortly.
How to prepare to have DTT in HD
Now that we know the advantages of DTT broadcasting only in HD, it’s time to look at the negative side. Every change is accompanied by side effects. Something that should not affect a large majority of the population, but perhaps it will affect you. The main requirement to watch DTT in HD is that your television integrates a compatible DTT tuner with that resolution.
Has your TV for more than ten years? So, you may have to change your TV. Although in 2008 it was already possible to purchase televisions compatible with DTT in high definition. If you bought it in 2013, it is certain that TV is compatible. And even supports the DVB-T2 standard. Did you buy your television in the last ten years? Well, nothing to worry about. If you don’t know if your TV is compatible, do a retune right now.
What happens with the individual or community antenna? In principle, if today you already receive enough signal to watch DTT channels in HD, it means that the antenna is already working correctly. If not, “it may be necessary adjust it to optimize reception Of the signal. In the case of neighborhood communities it may be necessary install additional modules or update “the existing ones, so the community of owners should contact an authorized installer.”
The DTT tuner, compatible with HD
If you don’t see any HD TV channels right now, you have two options. Can change devices or purchase an external tuner for DTT in HD. If your television is more than five years old, you will have already paid for it. And although there are very expensive models, there are also very economical ones. Just make sure it supports DVB-T for HD. And, by the way, it is also compatible with DVB-T2. To be prepared for the future.
To watch DTT in high definition, televisions need to incorporate an HD tuner compatible with the DVB-T standard compatible with H.264/MPEG-4 AVC codec. Until now, to watch DTT in standard definition, the DVB-T standard with MPEG-2 codec was used. In some media they talk about DVB-T2 standard, which are not supported by all current televisions. But, for the moment, the previous standard will continue to be used to cover the almost all televisions current.
Retune the channels, yes or no?
From here, if your television integrates an HD tuner and the antenna works correctly, do you have to change some of your settings? If you already have high definition TV channels tuned, you don’t have to change anything. Currently, SD and HD channels coexist. Some show the corresponding callsign. Although you can check the quality yourself watching your own TV’s indicator in the channel information.
Regarding current SD channels, will switch to HD automatically but from the same frequency. So you won’t have to retune them either. But nothing prevents you from doing a retune on February 14 to make sure. By the way, if you have questions about the DTT channels on broadcast and how to search for them, this page of the Government of Spain may help you with the channel tuning and other related topics.
The only exception is the channel TVE Clan. With the jump to HD, it will also change multiplexes, so you may have to search for it again to see it correctly. And, starting February 6, you may have to retune to find The 1 UHD, the RTVE channel in 4K quality, that is, with 2160p resolution. Currently it can be tuned in practically all of Spain, with broadcasts being tested. And from February 6, it will broadcast programming similar to the main RTVE network but with much higher resolution. Ideal for sporting events, movies, series and documentaries, but also for all kinds of content.
What about IPTV and platforms?
The jump from DTT to high definition and the closure of the SD channels only affects their DTT broadcasts, that is, through the television antenna. Left out of this transition are IPTV channels that broadcast via Internet. Either from the official websites or applications of each media group or through payment platforms such as Movistar Plus+, Vodafone TV, Orange TV, Agile TV either Tivify.
In the case of IPTV channels, many already broadcast with a HD quality or similar, so it is better to watch those channels that way than on DTT. With the change to DTT in high definition, the quality would be on par. For their part, free or paid platforms that broadcast TV channels, are not obligated to offer all its content in HD. So it will depend on each one and their agreements with each broadcast provider.