It had been announced months ago and, finally, the Spanish will say goodbye to Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT). On February 14, an important update will be made that will cause all channels to broadcast exclusively in high definition (HD); an advance aimed at improving the quality of broadcasts and the user experience.
This transition is a challenge for both chains and consumers, since those owners of recent televisions will not have any major problems. Now, those with older TVs will find that channels broadcasting at a resolution standard lower than HD 720p will not be tunable.
The main networks affected will be Televisión Española (La 1, La 2, Canal 24 Horas, Clan, Teledeporte), Mediaset (Telecinco, Cuatro, FDF, Energy, Divinity, Boing) and Atresmedia (Antena 3, LaSexta, Neox, Nova, Mega ). Televisión Española is, in addition, the only free channel that will adapt to high definition in any of its varieties.
In addition, regional channels will be affected. If you have contracted pay channel services, such as Movistar Plus, OrangeTV or Vodafone TV, the company will be the one to carry out the adjustment.
To be able to watch television after February 14, it is recommended to ensure that you have sufficient coverage and that the antenna (also the neighborhood antenna, although most are already configured) is adapted. Users must retune their televisions, since all those channels that do not broadcast in high definition and do not comply with this new regulation will disappear.
In addition, it is advisable to have equipment compatible with HD technology – in the case of those with televisions that are more than ten years old that are incapable of processing this new signal in high definition, you can choose to purchase HD receivers or decoders. Alternatively, it is best to get a new high-definition television.