If you are wondering how to check if your TV is compatible with the new digital terrestrial , know that you can control it independently simply by using your remote control and typing in appropriate test channels. The procedure is very simple, but we recommend that you continue reading to find out all the steps to take.
First of all it is good to know when the switch off begins , as the transition to the new digital terrestrial will take place according to the following schedule:
- from 15 October 2021
national TVs, without any obligation but by free choice, will be able to discontinue the Mpeg-2 encoding. - from 15 November 2021 to June 2022
progressively each region of Italy (starting from Sardinia) will switch to the Mpeg-4 / H.264 standard for all broadcast channels. This means that national and local broadcasters will leave the 700 MHz band to broadcast in DVB-T / Mpeg-4 (compared to the current DVB-T / Mpeg-2). - from 2023 (the exact date has not yet been set)
definitive transition from the DVB T standard to DVB T2.
During the first two phases it will be possible to continue watching the programs only if in possession of a TV or decoder compatible with the DVB T standard and with the Mpeg 4 video-audio codecs.
How to tell if your television is compatible
From 15 November 2021 it will be essential to have a TV compatible with HD channels. To do a test just type on the remote control one of the channels currently available in high definition, such as Canale 5 HD (channel 505) , RAIUNO HD (channel 501) or LA7 HD (channel 507) . If you see them correctly, it means your TV doesn’t need to be changed.
In particular, you can check that your TV is compatible with the change expected from October 2021, when the retirement of MPEG-2 encoding in favor of MPEG-4 encoding on DVBT standard will start and broadcasters will start broadcasting with the new it encodes a part of their representative programs.
You can make sure that the TV is able to receive the new encoding by trying to see the channels already available in HD: for example 501 for RAIUNO HD, 505 for Canale 5 HD and 507 for LA7 HD. If at least one HD channel will be visible, your TV is capable of supporting MPEG-4 encoding. If not, you will need to replace your TV or set-top box in order to continue watching the entire TV program .
From 2023 we will switch to DVB T2 therefore it will be necessary to have a TV or a decoder compatible with this technology in order to continue watching the programs. If you bought a TV after January 1, 2017, you shouldn’t have any problems with the new dtt standard as well .
If you don’t remember when you bought your TV, you can check compatibility in two ways:
- If you have the booklet of the TV or decoder available, check if the DVB T2 tuner with 10-bit HEVC encoding is present.
Or
- Turn on the TV and enter channel 100 or 200of the digital terrestrial on the remote control . If the message “ Test HEVC Main10 ” appears on the screen, it means that your TV or decoder is compatible with HD and 4K and with the new standard. If you can’t see the writing, try to do the automatic re-tuning of the channels . If nothing happens, try doing manual retune . If even after this step you do not see test channels 100 and 200 it means that your TV or decoder is not compatible.
What to do if the TV or decoder is not compatible
If you want to continue watching the programs on TV – starting from 1 July 2022 – you will necessarily have to buy a television for the new digital terrestrial. If you don’t want to change your TV, you can opt for a DVB-T2 (HEVC) tuner decoder to connect to your TV. Find out which are the best decoders.
