As from today, all TV sets sold in France are required to contain a built-in DTT tuner, in accordance with the ‘law of the television of the future,’ passed on March 5th, 2007. The measure has been taken to prepare viewers for the analogue switch-off in 2011, when no more analogue broadcasts will be available in the country. The DTT tuner should be capable of receiving MPEG-2 signals. In December of this year, all receivers with an HD screen are required to have a built-in MPEG-4 receiver. In France, the DTT service uses MPEG-2 for all free-to-air SD broadcasts and MPEG-4 for all pay-TV and HD channels.
About Robert Briel
Arnhem-based Robert covers the Benelux, France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland as well as IPTV, web TV, connected TV and OTT. Email Robert at rbriel@broadbandtvnews.com.