Tomorrow, December 3, Sydney joins most of the rest of Australia in switching to Digital-only television, marking the end of the analog TV era. With this switch, the Digital Switchover Taskforce estimates that some 8.7 million households will have made the switch to digital TV, which began over a decade ago.
For those who aren’t across the switchover or its reasons, there are a number of benefits to the new digital landscape, including:
- Improved viewing, with more channels, an electronic program guide, and high definition broadcasting.
- Overseas, digital-only usage is on the rise, meaning its easier for digital-only content to be broadcast here.
- Freeing up broadcast space, meaning there’s space for other services, including enhanced mobile phone and other services.
After Sydney, only Melbourne and areas of remote and central eastern Australia remain on analog television, with their switchover to complete next week on December 10.
If you’re needing help making the switch, or you have family members who mightn’t be so technically inclined, the government has also released the mySwitch app to help. Check it out:
[pb-app-box pname=’air.mySwitch’ name=’Android App mySwitch on Playboard’ theme=’discover’ lang=’en’]
