The process of discontinuing analogue channels is old. It has been done gradually and progressively and covered more and more geographies. Currently, it is in an advanced state and has impacted several consumers.

According to ANACOM, the regulatory authority for postal and electronic communications in Portugal, in 2005, the European Commission proposed that, in 2012, analogue terrestrial television broadcasts within the European Union be closed, replacing them with digital broadcasts. The objective was to create conditions for providing more and better television services to consumers.

In this context, in Portugal, the implementation of the network began in 2008 and DTT - Digital Terrestrial Television - began to be available to part of the population in 2009. In 2012, the definitive transition to DTT and the four national television channels began to reach our homes via digital signal.

However, the process of discontinuing analogue channels is not over for national operators who promise, little by little, to completely end analogue terrestrial transmission.

But who will be affected by this change? And what challenges and opportunities does it bring to the final consumer? Know the answers.

Which consumers will be affected?

If your television is boxed or purchased after 2010, you should not be affected by this change. Most sets sold from the first decade of the century already include the necessary tuner to access the DTT signal and are compatible with the television packages in digital format that the operators make available.

Bulky CRTs and most plasma and LCD models released before 2010 are incompatible and will therefore become obsolete.

Is it possible to confirm the compatibility of a television with digital channels?

To find out if your television can tune in digital channels, you must go to the equipment's menu and select the option that allows you to tune in channels - “Channel tuning” or “Channel search”. If compatible, the tuning of the operator's new grid of digital channels should take place automatically. If not, it is very likely that there is no compatibility.

What to do if the television is not compatible with digital channels?

If your television does not have a digital decoder, you should buy one and see if it will be compatible with your current equipment. To do this, connect it between the antenna socket and the television. Once this connection has been secured, access channel tuning from the television menu without a box. If you identify the option “DVB-C channels” or “digital channels”, the device's compatibility with digital recording is checked.

Alternatively, you can choose to buy a new television or request the supply of a box from your operator.

What are the differences between analogue and digital television?

The main difference between analogue and digital television is the broadcast format. While analogue transmission takes place via continuous electromagnetic waves, digital transmission takes place via binary codes, also used in the digital language of computers, CDs, DVDs and mobile phones, which transform sounds, images, texts, graphics into bits.

What does the final consumer gain from this change?

The digital signal uses a more advanced image and sound transmission technology, which translates into a superior signal quality.

Furthermore, contrary to analogue transmission, in digital transmission, the signals can be compressed or compressed, decreasing the bandwidth used in the transmission.

Digitally, the image is also more immune to interference and noise, free of “drizzle” and “ghosts” common in analog TV.