Private television channels in Cyprus will begin moving to new frequencies using DVB-T2 technology on Saturday, October 10, and viewers who have not retuned their sets could lose their picture.
This is the second attempt at the switch to digital, after problems with the first in the summer. Hellas SAT spokesman Petros Theocharides told Phileleftheros that the change would not happen all at once.
“It will be a smooth and gradual transition,” he said.
What has changed
What has changed now, Theocharides said, is that the requirements for reception quality, meaning televisions and antennas, have been lowered. All channels now broadcast in high definition (HD), and many households and businesses have retuned successfully over the past three months. During that time, Hellas SAT crews have worked with the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy to visit many households and other locations and fix problems.
He said the main problem when the switch was first attempted was the automatic channel search, adding that the move to a high-level digital signal brought more demanding requirements.
A large proportion of people have still not retuned their sets, which is needed to identify any problems, he said.
What viewers need to do
Retuning is a simple automatic channel search, Theocharides said. Viewers who run into problems can contact the technical department on 22000737 for help, or call a technician.
Older televisions will need a decoder, which costs 30 to 35 euros. Theocharides said, however, that it had become clear there were not that many old sets needing one, and that at present people had more questions than complaints.
He urged viewers to check the direction of their antennas, the quality of their cables and their connections, which he said were the three things that solve the problems.
How the switch-off will work
Velister’s existing system will not be switched off on October 10. Its small transmitters, which affect few people, will go first. Theocharides said this would bring problems to light and make the process easier to control.
The large transmitters will follow, and the last to be switched off will be those at Vavatsinia and Madari. The aim is to complete the switch before the Christmas commercial television season. Theocharides said there was leeway until November, although no specific timetable had been set.
Problem areas
Some models made by a well-known television manufacturer cannot pick up the new frequencies. An expert came to Cyprus from abroad to solve the problem, and an upgrade of the affected sets has been set in motion.
Some mountain villages never received Velister’s signal and so cannot receive Hellas SAT’s either. Under an agreement with the Deputy Ministry, Hellas SAT has ordered special transmitters to cover those areas.
In Xylofagou and Xylotymbou, a problem arose because of a peculiarity in the signal. Theocharides said it was caused by interference from Syria. Hellas SAT crews and the Deputy Ministry were at the site on Wednesday to adjust the signal, and the direction of the transmitters has been changed.
Theocharides said the switch brings changes in picture quality, which viewers will notice mainly in sports broadcasts and high-quality films. He added that the system should have been introduced a decade ago, as it was in the rest of Europe.
