Over 2 million Polish homes face losing their TV signal once the country completes the transition to the DVB-T2 standard next year.
According to Cyfrowa Polska, the Association of Importers and Producers of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (ZIPSEE Digital Poland), and National Media Institute (KIM), in the last five years the percentage of receivers sold with the DVB-T2 module has significantly increased. Indeed, in 2016, the standard was supported by more than half of the devices available on the market, and at the end of 2020, due to new regulations, almost all of them.
However, as Miroslaw Kalinowski, the director of KIM, pointed out: “These data are optimistic, but according to our research, more than 2 million households in the country are still exposed to a complete loss of terrestrial TV reception due to the lack of HEVC codec support by their receivers. He added that in this situation it is necessary to inform those viewers who are affected by the problem.
“Knowledge about the upcoming changes in the broadcasting standard is still low. Audiences may still not be aware of the problem with TV signal reception, which may affect their households next year. And in many cases, you will need to purchase a new receiver”.
Meanwhile, Michal Kanownik, the president of Cyfowa Polska, said: “We are aware that some Poles use receivers that currently enable them to receive digital terrestrial television, but may not be adapted to handle the new type of signal. We therefore urge viewers to carefully check their equipment and encourage responsible replacement of televisions in order to benefit from the possibilities of the upcoming standard. We should also be careful when shopping, so as not to risk the purchase of devices, eg. set-top boxes, which only allegedly meet the new requirements for supporting the DVB-T2 HEVC standard”.
A social information campaign is underway in the country to prepare Poles for the transition to the DVB-T2 HEVC standard and to remind recipients of digital terrestrial television to replace their TV sets with devices compatible with the format. According to Kanownik, the campaign requires a stronger and clear message with a large reach. “Consumers must receive a clear message that even flat screen devices purchased in recent years do not guarantee compliance with the new broadcast format”.
The change in the standard of digital terrestrial television additionally coincides with a crisis in the availability of electronic devices on the market. The electronics manufacturers and distributors industry are concerned that in the spring of next year there may be a shortage of receivers compatible with DVB-T2 and the HEVC codec in our country. The upcoming holiday season may turn out to be key in this aspect, and according to Kanownik “It is worthwhile for consumers to use it to replace devices with ones that support the new standard”.
