CSA confirms HD roll-out on DTT

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CSA confirms HD roll-out on DTT
September 13, 2012 10.07 Europe/London By Robert Briel

The French media authority CSA has now confirmed the roll-out of multiplex R5, which carries three HD channels.

The multiplex houses three channels, TF1 HD, France 2 HD and M6 HD and the plan is to extend coverage of the multiplex to 97% of the population by 2015.

In order to achieve this, a total of 1,627 transmitters will be needed. At the moment, there are 79 sites active, with a further 165 transmitters to be added between September and November 2012.

The first batch of 38 transmitters will come on air in Bretagne on September 18, to be followed by 55 in Alsace, Bourgogne, Champagne-Ardenne, Franche-Comté and Lorraine.

On November 13 another 72 transmitters will fire up in Centre, Pays de la Loire and Poitou-Charentes. By that time the three HD channels will reach a potential 96% of the French population.

An additional 416 transmitters will be taken into service at the same time as the six new HD channels (HD1, L’Équipe HD, 6 Ter, TVous La Télédiversité, RMC Découverte and Chérie HD), will come on the air – in the period between December 12, 2012 and 2015.

 

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Transmitter boost for French DTT HD
By Colin Mann
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French broadcasting regulator the Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel is taking steps to increase coverage targets of HD channels carried by the multiplex R5 (TF1 HD, France 2 HD, M6 HD). These three channels will reach, by 2015, the same coverage as other free DTT services – about 97 per cent of the population, with 1,627 sites).

Deployment takes place in the coming weeks. The three channels will bring 165 transmitters into service from September to November, after switching on 79 transmitters since January 31:

18 September 2012 – 38 new transmitters in Bretagne;
16 October 2012 – 55 new transmitters in Alsace, Burgundy, Champagne-Ardenne, Franche-Comté and Lorraine;
13 November 2012 – 72 new transmitters in Centre, Pays de la Loire, Poitou-Charentes.

The initiative will increase coverage of the three channels from 94 per cent of the metropolitan population to 96 per cent in November 2012.

The 416 remaining sites will be commissioned at the same time as the six new HD channels (HD1, L’Équipe HD, 6 Ter, TVous La Télédiversité, RMC Découverte et Chérie HD), between 12 December 2012 and 2015.

To be able to watch these three channels in HD, terrestrial antenna aerial viewers will need search for and store them, as they did when switching to ‘all digital’. This is done in minutes with the remote adapter or TV if it is compatible with DTT HD.