Ireland starts trial DTT service

Communications Minister Eamon Ryan announced on Friday the 29th October that the RTE Digital Terrestrial Television service had launched and was now available to 90% of the Irish population.
The DTT service is being broadcast from 24 sites around the country on a trial basis.
The announcement means that TV viewers will have 2 years to upgrade to digital in advance of the switch off of the analogue terrestrial television network operated by RTÉNL. This analogue switch off will take place at the end of 2012 in Ireland.
The channels on the trial service will initially include RTÉ ONE, RTÉ Two, TV3 and TG4. More channels and radio services will be added to the channel line up as part of a national launch of the RTE operated Free-To-Air DTT service – SAORVIEW – which will take place next year. SAORVIEW will be Ireland’s first free-to-air national digital television service.
Minister Ryan said, “Digital Television will improve the television experience for the viewer, with more channels, high-definition pictures, higher-quality sound, on-screen menus and digital teletext.
In preparation for the full launch of SAORVIEW in the spring of next year, RTÉNL will prepare the technical infrastructure and achieve full coverage for the population of Ireland.
For further information on SAORVIEW go to: www.rte.ie/saorview
Source: Department of Communication Energy and Natural Resources
Item added: 1st November 2010