Since 2019, Russia has officially launched a program to phase out analogue television. First of all, it will affect cities and towns where less than 100 thousand people live. In order not to be left without their favorite television programs, viewers are advised to purchase special digital receivers in advance. The state promises free access to packages of all-Russian channels in a new format.
Analog and digital television
Once upon a time, the analog way of transmitting picture and sound brought the joy of watching TV to every home. This technology uses the transformation of a television picture into an electrical signal, which is captured by the antenna or cable of the provider. The disadvantages of analogue television are susceptibility to interference, poor sound and picture quality compared to digital broadcasting standards.
Digital technologies provide the transmission of television signals in the form of simple discrete values that do not change with the imposition of extraneous noise, allow you to receive more programs in a limited frequency range, as well as receive high-definition picture and sound at the output. As a bonus, there are various additional functions that allow you to watch TV with maximum comfort: archive and recording programs, returning to the beginning of the program, adding subtitles, ordering video from a catalog on the server.
59 countries have already recognized analogue television as an obsolete technology and have completely phased out its use. Since 2019, a gradual transition to digital broadcasting began in Russia as well.
Rejection of analog television
An abrupt cessation of analogue broadcasting in Russia is impossible, since about 30% of televisions in the country operate using the old technology. For a smooth transition, it is necessary to inform the population, develop a shutdown schedule, and affordable prices for new equipment. By the way, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has already instructed the antimonopoly service to control prices for digital receivers.
Further, in large cities, they began to create an infrastructure for transmitting a television signal using a new technology. Several thousand transmitters were purchased to equip the TV towers with the necessary equipment. For the time being, viewers of digital broadcasting are offered two free channel packages or multiplexes.
The first multiplex included 10 main federal channels: Russia, NTV, Pervyi, Kultura, Karusel, Match-TV and others. The state will pay for the display and distribution of these broadcasters. The second multiplex is made up of 10 well-known commercial channels that pay for broadcasts in digital format at their own expense. These included "Zvezda", "TNT", "Spas", "Friday", "Domashny", "STS" and others.
The formation of a third multiplex with popular all-Russian and regional channels is also expected. At the same time, simultaneous broadcasting in analog format is allowed, since not everyone can pay for broadcasting in digital format. When there is a massive transition to the new television technology, multiplexes of commercial channels are likely to become paid. The package of federal channels will remain free, while the quality of broadcasting will noticeably improve. To the population living in remote areas where the signal of digital equipment does not reach, television will be broadcast via satellite.
Equipment for receiving digital signal
The greatest difficulty in abandoning analog television is the reluctance of the population to purchase the necessary equipment, although the price for it is quite affordable - about 800 rubles. We are talking about digital receivers (receivers) that accept the DVB-T2 format. Such receivers are connected to old TVs using RCA connectors, popularly called "tulip". A small inconvenience can only be caused by an additional remote control, which will have to be used instead of the television one.
More expensive ways to get connected to digital TV are to purchase a satellite dish or buy a TV package from an Internet provider. In the first option, you will have to spend money on a plate and pay a monthly fee, while the signal quality will depend on your location or weather conditions. In this case, a TV connection with an Internet provider is more reliable, but it also does not exclude a monthly fee for the services provided.
