This 2024, which is now coming to an end, has been characterized by the blackout of the SD quality channels of the Spanish DTT, leaving many users televisions and tuners The old ones had to update if they wanted to continue watching their favorite channels.

But it also marked the beginning of official broadcasts. With the advent of UHD (4K) resolution ‘La 1 UHD’ and a significant leap in image quality, the changes will not remain constant, but They will continue to develop from the next 2025 with new improvements for which we must be prepared.

What will change in DTT from 2025?

A few months after the end of low-resolution channels, we learned that a new realignment of the electromagnetic spectrum was planned. New UHD channels from 2025.

Therefore, in September the Government published the new roadmap for the future National Technical Plan on Digital Terrestrial Television. Steps to be taken in the coming years to migrate existing DTT operating under the standard DVB-TTowards the most modern DVB-T2 standard.

DVB-T2 standard logo. Image: DVB

This will have direct consequences in improving picture and sound quality, but it will also be necessary for our televisions or decoders to be prepared for DTT. upcoming changes will gradually happen so we have time to adapt. Specifically, there will be two very different phases or phases:

• first stage Will be produced starting from 2025 and will consist of rearranging the spectrum with the arrival New channels in UHD and HD. The RGE2 multiplex will be modified to broadcast: DVB-T2 and has space to accommodate 4 thanks to the H.265/HEVC codec UHD channels, Two of these are for RTVE, two for Atresmedia and Mediaset, and Antena 3 and Tele 5 will have the opportunity to start their broadcasts in UHD. There is also a room new hd channel which will be placed in the MPE5 area under DVB-T standard (currently used).
• Phase two, the true “blackout” phase It will then arrive at a yet-to-be-determined date and all existing multiplexes and channels will be converted to the new DVB-T2 standard. So when this second phase begins DTT will shut down the current DVB-T standard and will start broadcasting everything via DVB-T2.

Why the switch to DVB-T2? This is a telecommunications standard introduced in 2008 that improves codec and spectral efficiency, among other things. HEVC or H265 instead of the previous MPEG-2 and MPEG4. With this you reach the following level: 30% more capacity improving the quality of the channels they broadcast if they don’t want to host more TV channels or add new ones.

It is a relatively modern standard used in all European countries, which over the years has started to reach televisions from some manufacturers such as LG and Samsung. 2012 and 2013Although the basic versions do not offer H.265 support, if our TV belongs to this era, we will have some limitations, as we will see below.

If what I want in 2025 is to continue watching existing DTT channels and not new channels coming in UHD, do I need to buy anything? Not for now. As we mentioned earlier, the first phase of the changes includes the arrival of new channels in UHD with the new standard, but only 4 channels in total will also have an HD version. on other frequencies. So if we can watch DTT channels at home right now, We will be able to continue watching existing HD channels in 2025 how do we do it nowIt’s something that won’t change until the second phase of the changes arrives at a yet-to-be-determined date.

Will it be necessary to retune the TV or decoder in 2025? Yes, both in the first phase of the change, with the first 4 new channels reaching UHD in 2025, and with the transition of all currently broadcasting channels to DVB-T2. If we don’t readjust, the screen will remain black on some of them.

This is the logo we need to look for on the TV or external decoder to guarantee that it will be compatible. Image: Giga TV

What if I want to be prepared to watch all DTT in the future? It will be necessary to have a tuner that includes the technology to be able to access all the new channels when the second phase of the blackout begins. DVB-T2 and is compatible with the codec HEVC or H265. This tuner could be integrated directly into the TV, so we won’t have to buy more devices or an external decoder that we can connect to an old TV via HDMI.

When will the definitive change to DVB-T2 happen to all DTT? Not sure. To avoid problems with existing homes, the Government has set out a number of conditions that must be met before the start signal is given. For example 95% of all televisions in Spain It will need to be compatible with DVB-T2 and 90% of devices should be compatible with H.265/HEVCIt’s something that could take years to happen.

How do I know if my existing TV or external decoder is compatible with the new standard? There are a few ways to do it, such as looking at the user manual if we have it, searching the equipment brand’s technical support website by model number, looking at the box the TV came with, or even looking at the equipment brand’s technical support website. Check devices for stickers or logo display printed with ‘DVB-T2’ initials and also abbreviation H.265.

Will the new UHD channels with the DVB-T2 standard and the H.265 codec look good on TVs with HD-Ready or Full HD resolution? Even if our TV has a compatible tuner, it may not offer UHD (4K) resolution and may only be 720p (HD-Ready) or 1080p (Full HD). In these models we can tune in to the new UHD channels of the first stage and those that will come later, but we won’t be able to benefit from the extra resolutionbecause we will be limited to what the panel offers.

It will be the TV electronics or external decoder that will downscale the original signal and will probably we don’t see any improvement in terms of image quality.

More information | Mineco

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