The digital TV switchover in Malta on the night between October 31 and November 1 was carried out without major hiccups, according to the Malta Communications Authority. As from this date Maltese TV stations available through terrestrial signals, i.e. the roof antenna, are transmitting only in digital format.
“The MCA is pleased to note that when comparing notes with our counterparts in countries like Cyprus, Spain and Italy, the digital switchover in Malta was pretty much seamless and trouble-free,” a spokesman for the authority told i-Tech.
A new digital terrestrial platform has been set up by PBS and is offering six local free-to-air (free of charge) stations, which are TVM, Education 22, Favourite Channel, One TV, Net TV, and Smash TV. These channels are transmitting in an unencrypted form over UHF channel 66 (834 MHz) using the DVB-T transmission standard and MPEG-2 coding technology.
Subscribers with Go’s or Melita’s TV services are not affected by the switchover.
Most enquiries received on the freephone number 153, set up specifically to answer any questions related to the switchover, were on the nature of the service rather than complaints, according to the MCA.
The call centre received over 300 calls from viewers enquiring on what they need to do to watch the Maltese TV channels in digital format. Around 65 per cent enquired on the purchase of the digital set-top box and the aerial.
There were some other calls, around seven per cent, related to reception, especially from those viewers who had a digital set-top box or digital television, but had not yet tuned their equipment to receive the digital Maltese channels.
“A number of viewers complained of bad reception and were directed to PBS Ltd which is responsible for the transmission. In these cases, the operator ascertained that the installation was checked by a technician to eliminate problems related to set-up,” explained the MCA spokesman. The consumer affairs unit at the MCA received 20 enquiries during the first two days following switchover. These enquiries related to the tuning of the TV sets to UHF channel 66 and the purchase of digital set top boxes and/or a TV with a digital tuner installed in it.
On the days of the switchover, between October 31 and November 1, the MCA provided the mobile contact details of one of its technicians, via its answering machine, for anyone calling with difficulties outside normal office hours. However the authority said no one called.
Digital terrestrial TV provides a better picture quality, better sound quality and carries an electronic programme guide with full details of the channels are broadcasting. Viewers need to have a simple digital set-top box or a TV set with in-built digital terrestrial (DVB-T) capabilities. These are widely available from Maltese electronics stores. The good old roof antenna can still be used.
This historic event for Maltese TV mirrors the switchovers being done across the EU, in order to rationalise on the use of radio frequencies which can be used for a host of other services, such as mobile communication.
Malta’s switchover was originally planned for the night of December 31 2010, then postponed to the end of January 2011, then the end of May, and finally done on October 31, after the necessary legislative changes and administrative work took longer than expected.
This switchover in Italy is most likely to affect Maltese viewers as the digital signal from Sicily is weaker than the analogue signal that Maltese TV viewers have been receiving for many years. It will not be as easy as before to watch popular Italian TV stations transmitting over digital terrestrial from Sicily.
www.dso.org.mt