Tomorrow, February 14, there will be another DTT outage in Spain. But don’t worry; It’s not even remotely like the last one that forced us to hire an antenna operator and replace community decoders. This is the deadline for all operators to convert their broadcasts to high definition, goodbye to SD broadcasts.

The mandatory transition to high-definition digital terrestrial television in Spain was originally scheduled for January 1, 2023, but due to the COVID pandemic, it was postponed until February 14, 2024. The date has arrived and SD channels will disappear completely, regardless of their coverage.

As we told you a few days ago, some operators such as public TVE have already done this. The aim of this measure is not only to improve the quality of the broadcast (which it does), but also save bandwidthwhich is a crucial aspect to finally be able to enjoy content in 4K and also make room for 5G deployment.

Are you ready for a DTT blackout?

Most modern TVs are perfectly prepared for these changes. In general, all models released on the market since 2014 (and many before) support this standard DVB-T2 which allows access to high definition channels.

In practice, if you have already watched HD channels, you will continue to watch them as usual. You will only have to retune the channels to fill the gaps left by the old SD. Some TVs do this automatically and in any case it’s just a matter of going into your TV settings and searching for channels. This process allows you to tune in and store the DTT channels available in your area.

If your TV is not compatible with HD broadcasting, you have two solutions. The first is the most obvious, buy a new TV, because if you can’t see high definition, it’s probably time to upgrade. The other is much cheaper and includes buy a DTT HD decoder or tuner that you have to connect the cable from the antenna and the TV. You can buy it from just over 20 euros. Very cheap and with the necessary wiring and accessories it is a good way to go extend the life of your TV.

What if you watch channels via SAT-TDT? DTT reception via satellite includes all channels that are currently broadcast in DTT nationally and regionally, which are part of the project. The solution is the same as for the visualization that comes from the cable and the antenna. If you have already watched HD, you will continue to watch it and it will just be a matter of rescanning for channels. Otherwise, you will need a new receiver.

DTT outage? It will really affect only a few households, and even those can solve the situation simply and economically by purchasing a decoder if they want to continue using their old television. The quality of the SD streams is really pathetic and should have gone long ago. We just hope this measure serves to promote 4K content once and for all.