Actually they are far ahead of us in analogue turn-off.
In Berlin analogue TV transmissions have been turned off completely and replaced with DTT.... the first location in the world where this has happened.
In
terrestrial
analogue turnoff they are.
In the UK, analogue terrestrial TV is the bread and butter lowest common denominator way of receiving TV which everyone has access to - it's not known as 'normal telly' for nothing.
But, it's too easy to forget that not every country is like that. Germany's analogue terrestrial infrastructure cannot begin to touch the completeness of ours. Huge swathes of the country cannot receive it. There are two incompatible systems in use depending on which part of the country you are in. And the result of all of this is that terrestrial is NOT the most common way of receiving TV in Germany - satellite is. The regional 'channel 3' stations are all there in analogue on satellite because enough people watch TV via satellite to justify it.
Removing analogue terrestrial from Berlin really didn't affect very many people. It was not actually a big deal, it was just rationalising something which not very many people use. Yes undoubtedly Germany is inevitably going to cease all analogue transmission, but they do realise that there is an appropriate timeframe to do it in, and they have every intention of making sure that analogue doesn't end before it's time.
Honestly, removing analogue terrestrial (and only terrestrial) from Berlin isn't half as big an issue as it's perceived to be here - it just wasn't that big a deal. And most people in Berlin still watch via analogue - just via satellite as they were doing before terrestrial transmission ceased.
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Slightly off topic, but does anyone know when CNN, CNBC Europe and Eurosport Intl are due for closure on Astra 19E analogue?
Eurosport Europe (soon to become Eurosport Germany apparently) has made it pretty clear on several occasions that it isn't going anywhere; they intend to be there until the bitter end. Don't worry about them disappearing, because it's not happening any time soon.
No idea about CNN and CNBC. But I'd say it's a pretty similar story - there is certainly no date for their closure yet.
The last word from SES was that they intended to continue analogue transmission on Astra 1 until sometime between 2010-2015. I'd expect all 3 channels to remain until very near the end - if not the end itself.
In
terrestrial
analogue turnoff they are.
Removing analogue terrestrial from Berlin really didn't affect very many people. It was not actually a big deal, it was just rationalising something which not very many people use.
Yeah, but it's still quite a boast for the germans though
Quote:
Yes undoubtedly Germany is inevitably going to cease all analogue transmission, but they do realise that there is an appropriate timeframe to do it in, and they have every intention of making sure that analogue doesn't end before it's time.
According to something I've read today the date they have set for total analogue turn-off is 2010. This new deal with Astra is part of the plan to turn off analogue, it secures capacity for German TV on satellite for the next 10 years
