The notorious DTT “blackout” will allow us to say goodbye, once and for all, to all the channels that still broadcast in SD quality (below 720p). This does not mean that many others have been broadcasting in HD for some time, and even RTVE, which has moved forward.
Some channels will disappear from our television, giving way to HD broadcasts for which we will need a compatible television and decoder. However, When will the announced DTT blackout happen? Exactly, in less than 48 hours.
Two days until the blackout of the SD channels. This you need to watch the channels in HD and 4K
From Xataka Móvil we have covered and warned about the change that is coming in Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) of our country. Until now, we had a mix of channels broadcasting in different resolutions and leaving us with the obsolete SD ones, which look horrible – to be honest – on the new televisions.
However, the Government’s initiative prospered and everything pointed to February 2023 to receive this blackout. Finally, it was postponed to February of this same year, well into 2024. Therefore, in two days, on February 14, broadcasts in SD will disappear (with maximum resolutions of 576p) and all must necessarily be in resolutions higher than 720p (commercially known as HD Ready).
What equipment do we need for the new HD channels? Really none, as long as we have recent equipment. Of course, our devices must meet some requirements:
- A television compatible with HD resolutions, 720p or higher.
- A decoder compatible with DVB-T2, with HD resolutions, and with the H.265/HEVC codec.
Meeting these requirements will be as simple as retune channels from the aforementioned day. Thus, we will begin to see the traditional chains in a higher quality. In fact, the jump may be even greater: TVE’s La1 will broadcast in 4K/UHD in the coming days. In this case, our television and deco must also accept the 2,160p resolution.
The channels that disappear
The blackout of standard definition channels is about to fall. And with it we will lose a few channels, among them:
- RTVE: The SD version of channels such as ‘La 1’, ‘La 2′, ’24 Horas’, ‘Clan’ and ‘Teledeporte’ will disappear in the early hours of February 6. On February 7, La 1 UHD will be launched, with broadcasts in 4K quality.
- Atresmedia: The SD versions LaSexta, Antena 3, Neox, Nova, Mega will no longer be available on February 14.
- Mediaset: Telecinco, FDF, Divinity or Boing will stop broadcasting on the same date, February 14.
- Telemadrid: since February 8.
- Canarian Television and Cat3: They stopped broadcasting in SD on January 16.
What do I do if my television or decoder is not compatible
In this case, in addition to acquiring new equipment to continue watching DTT from the antenna, we can opt for other alternatives. For example, if you have a Chromecasta device with Android TV or a Fire TV, you can use them to watch tv in hd. We tell you how:
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