Cyprus’s private television channels switch from midnight to new frequencies, 35 and 48, broadcasting under the DVB-T2 standard.
Viewers who want to keep watching their channels must act before the switch takes effect.
What viewers need to do
- If a television supports DVB-T2, viewers simply need to retune their channels.
- If it does not, they will need to buy a DVB-T2 decoder or a new television.
Hellas Sat CEO Christodoulos Protopapas told philenews this marks the second digital transition rolled out across European countries. “Cyprus has fallen behind in this area,” he said, adding that other European countries made the change some time ago.
According to Protopapas, the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC) is set to begin installing DVB-T2 transmitters. He said the new protocol carries more information per channel, allowing space for more high-definition (HD) channels as well as 4K, or ultra-high-definition, broadcasts.
He advised viewers with televisions bought three to four years ago to check whether they will need a decoder, noting that this should already have been done since Velister, the current broadcaster, is to stop transmitting from the following day. Those who can afford it, he added, could instead buy a new television that supports both DVB-T2 and 4K.
Protopapas said the shift has already taken place in every other country, noting that Syria and other countries in the region adopted DVB-T2 some time ago, while the breakaway regime in the north made the change three to four years ago.
Asked why Cyprus has lagged behind, Protopapas said Velister was licensed by the government in 2010, by which point Europe was already nearing the end of the first stage of its own digital transition. He said the DVB-T2 protocol was introduced in 2009.
He added that the earlier DVB-T protocol had been in use for 15 years. Velister’s network was licensed somewhat late compared with other countries, where seven or eight networks had already been licensed beforehand, he said, noting that Velister’s original investment period ran for 15 years. A second licensing round followed, in which Hellas Sat took part, and the network now holds a licence for a further 15 years.
Protopapas clarified that viewers on subscription platforms are not affected by the change, though he said they will lose access to certain 4K channels in future.
He said the new system transmits more information per channel, making it somewhat more sensitive to poor household cabling, and that some viewers may need technical support. In the first three months of the transition, he said, the large majority of households did not encounter any problems.
The change applies only to viewers who receive free private channels via aerial. Subscription platforms, whether cable or satellite, and CyBC channels are not affected.
Further information and support is available from the Service Centre on 22 00 07 37.
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