In the near future, those who do not have a TV set fully compatible with the DVB-T2 standard will no longer be able to watch television, here is what to check to stay calm.
The year 2021 has arrived and it is the year of the switch off from the old digital terrestrial television standard to the new DVB-T2. It officially starts in September, with the first macro-areas of the Italian territory where the old signal will be turned off. We start from Emilia Romagna, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Lombardy, Piedmont, Autonomous Province of Trento, Autonomous Province of Bolzano, Veneto and Valle d'Aosta.
As viewers know well, if you do not have a TV set or a decoder compatible with the new standard at home from the time of the switch off there will be nothing to do: you will no longer see the channels broadcast with the new standard. Fortunately, there is time to check it and, if necessary, to buy a new TV or a new decoder, taking advantage of the Bonus TV 2021, just refinanced. But the real question is: how can we be sure that our TV is ok for DVB-T2 and will not give us any problems starting from September? Here's what to check to be sure.
Digital DVB-T2: the test channels
For several months now, test channels have been available, which do not broadcast anything but serve only to check whether one's TV set (i.e. TV with integrated digital terrestrial decoder or TV plus external decoder) is compatible with the new standard.
Using the normal TV remote control you can go to channel 100 or 200 and check what happens: if the words "Test HEVC Main10" appear on a white square on a blue background then the device is compatible. If you can't see anything then something is wrong.
DVB-T2: watch out for the stickers
Another way to check if your TV is compatible with the new second generation digital terrestrial TV is to check if there is the sticker with the logo of the DVB-T2 standard (not to be confused with the DVB-S2 standard)
But that's not all: besides changing standards, this year many channels will also change resolution. Or, better, they will abandon the old standard resolution in favor of HD. Having a standard resolution TV but compatible with DVB-T2, therefore, is not enough to enjoy the maximum quality offered by this video codec.
Let's check, therefore, even if there is a sticker indicating the screen resolution: from Full HD (1920×1080 pixels, also called 1080p) onwards the TV is ok.
DVB-T2: the whole chain must be compatible
The resolution issue is particularly thorny if we want to use an old TV connected to a new decoder to watch programs broadcast in DVB-T2.
Even if the decoder is new and fully compatible, but the TV is at SD or "HD-Ready" resolution (1280×720 or 1366×768) we will not be able to watch Full HD channels at full resolution.