From 20 October 2021 the first phase of the revolution is triggered which until 2023 will affect digital terrestrial with the transition to the new DVB-T2/HEVC technology. Nine Rai channels and six Mediaset channels will be broadcast only in tomorrow High Definition, which means that to see them you will need to re-tune the TV. However, not everyone will be able to find them because to do so it will be necessary for our TV to be able to receive the new type of signal. There are ways to verify this and if, after the test, we still fail to see anything, we will have two options: buy a decoder or take advantage of the bonuses made available by the government to change the TV. But let's go step by step.
TV: THE LIST OF CHANNELS AFFECTED BY THE SWITCH
The good news is that the change will not concern the "main channels": Rai1, Rai2, Rai3, RaiNews24 as well as Rete4, Canale5 and Italia1 will continue to be visible as always. For public service networks, the switch to high definition (Mpeg4) will concern: Rai 4, Rai 5, Rai Movie, Rai Yoyo, Rai Sport+ HD, Rai Storia, Rai Gulp, Rai Premium and Rai Scuola. As for Mediaset, however, the following will switch to the new Mpeg4 standard: TgCom24, Mediaset Italia 2, Boing Plus, Radio 105, R101 Tv and Virgin Radio Tv.
TV: THE SECOND SWITCH
Tomorrow's appointment, 20 October, corresponds only to an intermediate phase. The real change will instead take place in 2023, when there will be the definitive transition from the current DVB T1 standard to the new DVB-T2/HEVC technology, designed to encourage the development of 5G. A passage that will also involve the modification of the frequencies.
HOW TO TAKE THE TEST
Checking if our TV is able to support the new standard is very simple. First of all, the advice is to re-tune the channels. Once done, just go to 501 (Raiuno HD), 505 (Canale 5 HD) and 507 (LA7 HD). If the channels are visible it means that, at least until January 2023, we will have no problems watching movies, shows and TV series in HD. If, on the other hand, we fail to see anything, we will need to act quickly. As? Buying a decoder or a new television.
TV BONUS
Given the changes underway, but above all in view of the revolution that will arrive in 2023, the government has decided to lend a hand to families, launching two types of bonuses with which to "share the expense" for decoders or TVs. The first is the TV Decoder bonus. This is an incentive that can be requested until 31 December 2022 (subject to stock availability) by families with ISEEs of up to 20 euros. The bonus is paid in the form of a discount (up to 30 euros) on the price of the product purchased. It can be used both to buy a new TV and for a new satellite decoder.
The second is the TV scrapping bonus: it's a 20% discount up to a maximum of 100 € valid for the purchase of a new television. To have it, it will therefore be necessary to scrap the old TV (purchased before 2018) by taking it directly to the shop or by contacting an authorized waste disposal unit. How to request it? By downloading a form available on site of the Mise and presenting it to the dealer.
