Disable analog. What will happen to the TV?

In 2019, Russia should switch to digital broadcasting and abandon analogue television. This means that it will no longer be possible to catch a signal from the house antenna, and many will have to acquire additional devices in order to continue to watch terrestrial TV channels.

Perhaps you exclaim “Come on! Who is watching this box in 2019? ”, But you’re wrong. Television today has a multimillion audience and information from live channels is trusted by the vast majority of the country's inhabitants.
Although in a certain sense you are right - with the disconnection of the analogue for many things, nothing will change, in large cities the figure penetration reaches 90%. Someone does not have a TV at home at all; many have switched to watching the broadcast via the Internet or a smartphone.

The refusal of Russia from analog television in favor of a more modern digital format was provided for by the federal target program “Development of TV and Radio Broadcasting for 2009–2018” adopted in 2008. The pioneers have already become residents of Tver and the region - on December 3, 2018, a pilot project was launched to turn off the analog. The first stage of switching off the analog began today, February 11th.

According to the schedule published on the website of the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation, the whole country should switch to a figure this summer. The last stage is scheduled for June 3, 2019. By this time, it is desirable for Russians to have time to purchase digital set-top boxes or new television receivers that support the DVB-T2 digital broadcasting standard and MPEG-4 video format.

And if the majority of users of Habr most likely already acquired modern equipment, then now you, habrazhiteli, will have to explain to your grandmothers and grandfathers why they still have to throw their Horizon to the dump.

Since not everyone understands what analogue TV is, let's make it clear what kind of television can be at home. Four options - terrestrial, cable, IPTV / OTT and satellite:

1. terrestrial analog when you do not have a cable and you catch the signal using a house antenna
2. terrestrial digital, when in addition to a special antenna for receiving a signal you need to connect a set-top box, or the TV must have a built-in digital tuner
3. cable analog when you have a so-called “collective antenna” and a television cable is connected to the apartment and connected to a TV set (the most common option. You will not disconnect anything).
4. cable DVB-C - a digital signal goes over the same cable in encrypted or open form. If encrypted, then it is decrypted with a special TV set-top box or with a CAM module.
5. IPTV is a technology when the TV is connected to an IPTV set-top. Digital television technology in data networks using the IP protocol.
6. some still distinguish OTT as a separate technology, but it is rather a method of signal delivery, rather than technology. OTT (Over The Top) - is the provision of services via the Internet. As a rule, it is not the operator’s own network that is meant, but the case when the service is provided on a foreign network
7. satellite TV - to receive such a service, you must install a satellite dish and receiver. The quality of signal delivery often depends on weather conditions. In bad weather you can easily stay without watching your favorite channels.

Free on-air digital broadcasting today will provide access to 20 channels (multiplex) plus the 21st regional TV channel approved by the Federal Competition Commission (FKK) on broadcasting of Roskomnadzor for each region of the Russian Federation. Cable TV will provide you with as many channels as your cable operator’s capacity allows. As a rule, this is about 60 channels. But it all depends on the equipment and network capacity of each particular operator in your home.

Cable digital TV broadcasting requires additional equipment (set-top box), but has several advantages - more channels, high-quality picture, ability to watch HD channels, additional functions, such as EPG (Electronic Program Guide), the ability to connect additional premium channel packages, and others. to say that there is also a so-called open figure in the Russian Federation. Its advantages are in a large set of channels offered without coding and additional decoding equipment. But as a rule, cases of its provision are associated with piracy.

What happens and why

The federal program allowed the construction of tens of thousands of repeaters, which should bring digital television "to every home." But why not leave analog television? The fact is that in January the Government of the Russian Federation will stop financing the spread of the traditional analog signal. This will automatically turn off old TVs that do not have a special digital tuner.

The reasons for this are many. First, unlike analog, digital television does not require a wide range of terrestrial frequencies. This is very important because our country is large and even now many people in Russia, especially those who do not live in large cities, can receive only one or two TV channels, which are often broadcast with poor image and sound quality. The transition should provide full coverage of the official channels of almost the entire territory of the country.



In addition, the number of channels that will be shown for free will increase. Today it is two sets of round-the-clock digital television channels, the so-called "multiplexes".

The first set includes TV channels:
Channel One, Russia 1, Match TV, NTV, Channel Five, Russia K, Russia 24, Carousel, OTR, TV Center And three radio stations - Radio Russia, Mayak and Vesti FM.
The second set of channels was determined on the basis of the last federal competition:
REN-TV, Spas, STS, Home, TV-3, Friday, Star, World, TNT, Muz-TV.

This transition is also made because the quality of the digital signal is much higher than the analog one. This applies to both image and sound.

What to do with it?

Check out which TV is your parents and grandparents. If it is connected via an antenna, not via cable, either buy a new DVBT-2 standard that supports the digital broadcasting standard, or donate a set-top box. The second option is more convenient and cheaper, since this equipment can even be connected to an analog device. The prefix can be purchased both from providers and in hardware stores. Connection in this case will occur through the cable. Some consoles can be connected via Wi-fi.



But the cable is also not eternal and we, as an operator, rely on the Internet. If you have the ability to connect to your home Internet or modem, you can make a real upgrade to your old TV to the SMART TV level using a set-top box.
The device can not only receive television channels, but also perform a number of other functions. We now have on sale a modern console Wifire TV Media Box Q5. Our service is based on Android AOSP, can connect to any TV.

The prefix itself comes with the following characteristics:

• CPU: ARM Cortex-A53, 64bit, 4 cores up to 2.0 GHz
• GPU: Mali-450, 5 cores with a frequency of 750 MHz,
• Memory: RAM - 1Gb, FLASH - 8Gb
• Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11 b / g / n, 2.4 and 5 GHz frequency, 2 antennas in MIMO mode
• Remote Control: Bluetooth Low Energy
• Interfaces: HDMI, AV, Ethernet, 2xUSB, MicroSD Card, S / PDIF

The prefix works in two ranges 2.4, 5.0. GHz both via internet cable and Wi-Fi. The prefix supports all video formats, even UltraHD. Compact and fits easily behind a TV.

Thus, you have the opportunity to watch for free both the familiar set of TV channels of the first and second multiplexes, and to connect additional packages of TV channels of various subjects and to have access to movies and TV shows in high resolution.
This is not only TV, but also access to a huge library of content from online cinemas and more than 240 channels, but also the ability to use it as a media player - listen to music, view photos. The prefix is ​​not necessary to buy, you can take it in installments. And even if there is no fixed Internet at home or in the country, the console works from the mobile Internet.

Wifire TV is also presented as an application on Smart TV, smartphones and tablets through the application, while TV will be available on all devices on one personal account. That is, our TV can be watched even if there is no TV at home.

What will happen next with the television?

Now we are switching to a number, perhaps the time is not far off when we will also give up the cable.

Cable television can be modified by replacing TV channels, but it will not be developed anymore, since the frequency resource has been exhausted. People have to watch 20, a maximum of 60 TV channels in a small resolution. There are no multimedia opportunities for cable television, while digital allows you to increase the number of channels, improve the quality of broadcasting, introduce new formats, thereby responding to the needs of modern audiences.

We see this as great opportunities for operators (technology development) and benefits for people - they will be able to choose what to watch.

Television, like newspapers with magazines, will not die due to the fact that everyone now has the Internet. But change. Television is no longer tied to a place and time, it is accessible from a phone, a tablet, people themselves form their broadcasting network thanks to online services of serials and movies. We are confident that the future of Internet TV, which has no restrictions on the integration of new services, allows broadcasting television channels in high resolution, is not tied to the place and time.

In the meantime, we are stocking up with consoles so that our grandmothers are not left without a TV, and even better - we connect them to the Internet so that they always stay in touch with you.