Croatia plans switch to DVB-T2 in 2019
July 19, 2017
From Branislav Pekic in Rome
Croatia is planning to switch free-to-air terrestrial TV broadcasting from the DVB-T to the DVB-T2 standard in 2019.
According to the Croatian Agency for Postal and Electronic Communications (Hakom), the switch to the more efficient DVB-T2 system with H.265/HEVC video encoding is necessary to enable a more economical transmission of HDTV content on terrestrial networks and facilitate the development of new services.
The DVB-T2 system, with comparable reception conditions, offers greater flexibility and up to 50 per cent higher transfer capacity compared to the DVB-T system.
In view of the planned changes, Hakom has published a Recommendation on the minimum technical requirements DVB-T2 receivers need to satisfy to ensure high-quality digital TV services in Croatia that are available free-to-air.
This recommendation was developed in cooperation with the representatives of the Agency for Electronic Media, network operators and multiplex operators, public and private TV broadcasters and representatives of the academic community.
The announcement of the Recommendation is one of the pre-conditions for the introduction of a special logo on DVB-T2 receivers that will guarantee compliance with the broadcasting standard in Croatia.
The choice of the logo, as well as the prescribing of the receiver certification process for the Croatian market, is planned in 2018.