The impulse of the terrestrial digital television (TDT) and the arrival of new channels is having a perverse effect in Spain: many neighbors' communities have seen the need to arrange the community antenna to see well the television, but they are content to syntonize the analogical signs and stop for further on the digital channels, which need decoder. It becomes possible to see this way the television better, including The Sixth one, across the everlasting analogical channels.

To the problem of the TDT for the absence of coverage and the need for a digital decoder when the antenna is adapted, it is necessary to add one more pitfall: the absence of popular contents in these channels.

Jesus Casado, representative of the TDT in Asimelec, the association of the importers of electronic teams, admits that, after the Christmas euphoria, from February there is lentificado the sale of TDT.

Asimelec calculates that at the end of 2005 there were in Spain 950.000 decoders. In the first trimester 400.000 have sold more, and in the second one 600.000 are foreseen making use of the pull of the soccer. At the end of year there will be a park of 2,5 million digital decoders, apart from the TV sets that integrate it and that might represent half a million more. That gets ready of decoder does not mean that it is used. The counsel TNS (Sofres), who measures the television hearing, calculates that in April only 1,8 % of the hearing was across the TDT. 84 % watched TV in the traditional channels, 8,5 % for cable, 3,8 % for Digitalis + and 1,3 % for analogical satellite.


Renewal of collective antennas

What it has increased is the renewal and adaptation of the collective antennas. From October until February there were realized approximately 1.200 facilities of community antennas, more of the double than in the rest of 2005. Now the rhythm has bent to approximately 800. Miguel Ángel García Argüelles, manager of Fenitel, the fitters' telecommunications federation in Spain, emphasizes that now the principal worry of the owners' communities is to have an antenna installation in conditions. "The target is to see well the television, not the adaptation precipitated to the TDT".

40 % of the buildings with more than five years of antiquity will need to modify the wiring, according to Fenitel. In 60 % remainder is sufficient in spite of modifying the head, which costs between 50 and 100 euros.

The principal problem is the complexity of the reception of the TDT and that needs qualified personnel. The TDT channels are expressed to the highest frequencies of the bogey, which sign weakens very quickly with the distance. If the received sign is very weak or the wiring of the building is very damaged it is difficult to see the TDT.

In 70 % of the population who has theoretically coverage of The Sixth one (chain that together with Channel + will televise the soccer World cup), the simplest thing for the collective antennas is to put an amplifier of channel corresponding to the emission of this chain in analogical. It costs less than 100 euros, because it is a question of adding an amplifier in the head of the collective antenna. Nothing is necessary to change the common installation and, in principle, it would be necessary to see the sign with a quality similar to other analogical channels. Also it is possible to ask to the chain there to come some of his authorized fitters and to do the free adaptation. Whenever there is coverage of The Sixth one in the corresponding building.

If also there is TDT coverage, it is possible to be useful to adapt the antenna to receive the channels in digitalis. Every neighbor will need then a digital decoder.


(The Country, 25/05/06)