One of the most important changes DTT a few months ago SD quality channels were deleted from the program and all HD.

Also came The first official channel in UHD1 UHD, which provides a significant leap in image quality. However, the radio space will soon need to be reorganized to accommodate the new UHD channels, and this will not be entirely positive.

Placing more UHD and HD channels on the same bandwidth

And by 2025 Three new channels are expected in 4K UHD resolutionsomething that would imply that it would need to be moved between different multiplexes, which are the containers in which channels are grouped.

The Ministry of Digital Transformation gave preliminary information about the distribution planned for 2025. The aim is to rearrange the multiplexes to become RGE2. There is a bit more freedom in the implementation of the three new UHD channels.

Image: Expansion

Currently we only have La 1 UHD but these are expected to be added in 2025 RTVE UHD, Antena 3 UHD and Telecinco UHD This would result in Clan and DKISS, currently on the RGE2 multiplex, becoming part of other channel groups, thus creating sufficient bandwidth for new UHD channels.

Multiplexes that won’t get any changes include MPE1, MPE4 and MAutonomic. But the rest of us face the classic problem of lack of resources: We will put more channels than before on the same available bandwidth.

This problem will be offset to some extent, as the floors where this will happen, RGE1 (Rtve), MPE2 (Atresmedia) and MPE3 (Mediaset), belong entirely to a single channel. statistical multiplexing Allocating more bandwidth in real time to channels that require higher quality, depending on the type of content they are broadcasting at any given time.

But even with improvements and statistical multiplexing, it is likely Quality will deteriorate in RGE1, MPE2 and MPE3 multiplexes Anyway, we’ll pass From 4 channels in HD to having 5 channels in HD Since they are in the same radio field, each will have a lower average bitrate and a higher probability of pixelation.

Also the other big change will be in RGE2 where there is currently only one UHD channel (La 1 UHD) coexisting with two HD channels like Clan and DKISS. After the change We will now have 4 UHD channels in the space covered by these three.

The transition to the DVB-T2 standard is important so that the arrival of UHD quality channels does not harm the bandwidth allocated to each channel in the radio spectrum, because This allows the capacity to be increased by at least 30%But of course not all TVs are compliant with this standard and there will be a new DTT “blackout”.

Cover image | Antonio Vallejo

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