Austria to make transition to DVB-T2

Austrian transmitter network operator ORS wants to fully convert the country’s digital terrestrial transmission network (DTT) to the DVB-T2 standard.

The predecessor standard DVB-T will be switched off in 2017 at the latest, ORS spokesman Michael Weber told Austrian newspaper Der Standard. The transition will commence at the end of 2014 with multiplex C which carries public channels ORF Sport+ and ORF III as well as commercial channels Puls 4 and Servus TV.

DVB-T2 enables more channels, better picture quality and HDTV offerings on terrestrial airwaves, but viewers need new reception devices. Austrian DTT platform simpliTV whichlaunched on April 15, 2013 has been using DVB-T2 for its offering from the beginning.