SWITCHING from analog to digital television in July could be hit by delays if parliament does not pass the legal framework before April 14, when it dissolves ahead of the elections, the head of the broadcasting watchdog said yesterday.
“If it is not passed we cannot switch off [analog television] on July 1,” said Andreas Petrides, head of the Authority adding that the situation gets somewhat complicated afterwards.
“The cabinet will have to transfer the date [of the switchover].”
The bill basically extends the Broadcasting Authority’s power to supervise digital channels that go on air in July, in line with a government decision.
Communications Minister Erato Kozakou-Markoulli has said that all necessary infrastructure is in place, along with licences for digital broadcasting, with the only thing left being for providers to acquire the equipment.
For consumers the switchover from analog to digital means having a television set equipped with an MPEG-4 converter.
Televisions built after 2009 will more than likely have the capability to support digital TV without the need of an extra set-top converter.
If it was bought before 2009 though, it will probably need a converter as it will be equipped with an MPEG-2 as opposed to MPEG-4, which is able to receive and decode digital transmissions.
Subscribers of providers such as Cablenet, Primetel and Cytavision, among others, should be okay as they would have already done everything needed for the switchover.
Some of the advantages of digital television include superior image and sound and more options through the increase of channels and closed captioning for the hearing-impaired.
Additional services offered via digital technology are video-on-demand and interactive content and video games.
The advent of digital TV will also free up a significant section of the radio frequency spectrum, which is said will open up new horizons in information and entertainment. The EU has mandated the end of 2012 as the final date for ‘Analog Switch Off’.
After the switch from analog to digital is complete, analog TVs will be incapable of receiving over-the-air broadcasts without the addition of a set-top converter box.
