ITC And BBC To Boost Digital Signal
The ITC and the BBC are conducting a trial to determine the extent to which the power of the digital TV signal can be increased before the quality of the existing analogue signal is affected.
The ITC claims that the trial, which is intended to enable broadcasters to determine the maximum power at which digital services can operate, is “important for the future planning of the digital switchover.”
As part of the ten-week trial, which begins at the end of January, the ITC and the BBC will temporarily increase the power at which digital services are transmitted. The impact of the power increase will be monitored and engineers will work with broadcasters, television dealers and aerial installers to assess the effects on analogue services.
The Government launched its Digital Action Plan last October to increase the quality, reliability and geographical coverage of digital TV in an attempt to make the switchover possible by the 2006-2010 deadline (see Government Launches Digital TV Action Plan). However, plans to switch off the analogue signal on target suffered a further setback yesterday when the Government admitted that the deadline for the digital switchover could be delayed until at least 2010 due to the lack of consumer interest in digital TV (see Delay For The Digital Deadline).
BBC: 020 8743 8000 www.bbc.co.uk ITC: 020 7306 7743 www.itc.co.uk
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