Digital Broadcasting

[Lynn]

Anyone know when Italy is going digital and what happens when there is only a communal analogue aeriel in a block?

Lynn

[forzascalea]

Your best bet is to get a dish installed (€99 dish+decoder kits available from Spar). With this you get all the free to air channels which includes all the Italian terrestrial channels. Then you will need to pay someone to fit it which wont cost much.

You will need a location to put the dish with a clear path to the south east (ie balcony) as the dish will need to point 13 degrees east of south.

If this is not possible then you can try a freeview decoder from your existing antenna. This is more risky as Scalea's condominiums are not known for good tv reception, in fact the opposite. Reading up on this as long as your aeriel can receive good analogue signals then it should be ok to fit a freeview decoder (the Italian version). See below:

Devo cambiare la mia antenna terrestre?

No, gli impianti di radioricezione per la televisione digitale terrestre sono identici a quelli usati per la ricezione analogica. Le attuali antenne (nelle bande III, IV e V) e la rete di distribuzione dalle antenne agli interni degli edifici con gli opportuni dispositivi intermedi (derivatori, partitori, amplificatori, miscelatori/demiscelatori, attenuatori, filtri) sono adatte anche alla ricezione digitale. In qualche caso tuttavia potrebbe essere richiesto il montaggio di un'antenna supplementare, per esempio quando non si dispone già di un'antenna nella banda su cui è irradiato il segnale digitale.

Devo cambiare il puntamento della mia antenna?

No, in quanto è stato previsto che le nuove reti digitali abbiano gli stessi siti di trasmissione della televisione analogica. In alcune zone del territorio, tuttavia, i segnali digitali potrebbero provenire da siti diversi da quelli che irradiano i segnali analogici. In questo caso potrebbe essere richiesto il montaggio di un'antenna supplementare da puntare verso i siti che trasmettono in digitale.

Ci sono differenze nel caso di antenna condominiale?

No, se non per il rispetto delle regole condominiali per quanto riguarda eventuali interventi tecnici sulle parti comuni dell'impianto.

By what I have read this should be ok in theory but I think this is risky, but for the price of a cheap freeview decoder to find out is probably worthwhile.

I am still looking for info on whether the analogue signal is going to be switched off.

Ill keep you posted.

[forzascalea]

UPDATE IGNORE LAST MESSAGE: see the following website with all info on the switchover. DGTVI redirect

Calabria will be one of the last areas to be switched over scheduled for 2012 so nothing to worry about just yet!

Also looking at the current channels broadcast digitally to Scalea it is not worth getting a freeview box yet as none of the main channels are online yet.

So in summary:

DISH AND FREE TO AIR DECODER (pointed at hotbird 13 degrees east):
Pros - Great picture guaranteed
- All channels available now
Cons - Requires suitable dish site
- More costly

OLD FASHIONED ANALOGUE TV
Pros - Cheap
- No equipment required (except TV!!!)
Cons - Scheduled switch off 2012
- Often poor picture in Scalea

ITALIAN DIGITAL TV FROM YOUR AERIAL
Pros - Cheap to buy decoder
- Uses existing analogue aerials
Cons - Existing aerial might not be up to scratch
- Full range of channels not yet broadcast in the Scalea area

Hope this helps, David

[falcon]

Originally Posted by Lynn

Anyone know when Italy is going digital and what happens when there is only a communal analogue aeriel in a block?

Lynn

Checking on the Italian digital site , it looks like there is a transmitter active now. It was not last May when I was there. I will be there in a couple of weeks and will check it out for myself.
DGTVi - Per la Televisione Digitale Terrestre
Just choose Calabria Cosenza in the top drop down arrow and Scalea in the bottom one.

There is also a new service called TIVUSAT a bit like our Freesat where you get the same tv channels as you get via aerial. This should have started on 1st of August but I am still not sure it is live now. It does need a card which all residents and hopefully us non residents would be able to get for free. Again will check all this out when I go.

Francis

[falcon]

http://www.dgtvi.it/stat/Allegati/DI...sh_version.pdf