On the night of 27 to 28 March, Emitel executed a change in the frequencies and standard of broadcasting of digital terrestrial television channels MUX1, MUX2 and MUX4. The changes affected the regions of the Sudetes and Lower Silesia and the Lubuskie Voivodeship.
The operation came as the first of four stages of the 700MHz band refarming, the process meant to free up the frequency band for the needs of 5G mobile telephony. The change of the broadcasting frequencies and standard concerned the broadcasting of the MUX-1, MUX-2, MUX-3 and MUX-4 multiplexes. No change affected broadcasting of MUX3 channels as these can be transmitted in the DVB-T standard until the end of 2023 pursuant to a decision of the Office of Electronic Communications (https://www.uke.gov.pl/akt/mux-3-bedzie-mogl-nadawac-w-standardzie-dvb-t-do-konca-2023-r-,419.html ).
The change did not affect the broadcasting parameters of the MUX8 multiplex, which is transmitted in the VHF band and is not subject to the refarming process.
The viewers affected by the changes in broadcasting from DVB-T to DVB-T2 do not need to make any adjustments in the settings of their receiver antennas.
Following the changes, most TV sets and decoders (the so-called Set-Top-Boxes, or STBs) should update their channel lists automatically. Some receiver models may require re-tuning with the remote control. Viewers who have older TV sets which are incompatible with the DVB-T2/HEVC standard will have to either purchase an STB or replace their TV sets to be able to receive Digital terrestrial Television.
Emitel announces all the effected changes on its website at https://www.emitel.pl/refarming/. The information includes respective locations, planned change dates and channel numbers.
Late at night yesterday we executed changes as part of the first stage of the refarming process. All tasks were completed successfully. The change in the broadcasting frequencies is not expected to give viewers any major problems. Since the directions of broadcasting from Emitel facilities have not changed, there is no need to reset or replace receiver antennas. Most TV sets will update their channel lists automatically. Only a small number of TV sets will have to be retuned manually, said Jerzy Godek, Board Member at Emitel S.A.
The so-called “700 MHz band refarming” is an operation which involves shifting terrestrial television multiplexes from the 694–790 MHz frequency band to the lower 470–694 MHz band. This is caused by the requirement for European Union Member States to free up the 700 MHz band for the needs of mobile operators (5G services). The changes are compliant with the Ordinance of the President of the Office of Electronic Communications of 17 January 2020 on the frequency utilisation plan for the 470-790 MHz band.
The change to the DVB-T2/HEVC broadcasting standard taking place as part of the refarming means:
✓ Better image quality – HD resolution
✓ Possibility to broadcast UHD / 4k channels
✓ Better sound quality
✓ Wider range of amenities – sound personalisation
✓ Additional services – HbbTV hybrid television
Information on the changes is available on Emitel’s website. Updated parameters of transmitter stations can be found at: www.emitel.pl/strefa-klienta/odbior-rtv/sprawdz-parametry-emisji/ and in the EmiMaps app: www.emitel.pl/strefa-klienta/odbior-rtv/aplikacja-emimaps/