Brazil. This August 28, nine cities of Ceará will begin the shutdown of the analog TV signal to make way for digital technology. Among them, Juazeiro do Norte, Sobral and Crato, which are among the five most populous municipalities in the state. With the change, Brazil now adds more than 71.5% of the population already has conditions to receive the signal of digital television.
This transition has been regulated and regulated by the Brazilian government with the help of the SBTVD Forum (Forum of the Brazilian Digital Terrestrial Television System) since 2007.
With the digitization of nine other cities in Ceará, the state now has almost 70% of the territory already adapted to digital technology. "When we look only at Ceará, we see what digitalization is rapidly evolving. In a broader vision of the country, it is possible to perceive that the Brazilian opted for digital technology and adapts quickly to changes," said José Marcelo, president of the SBTVD Forum. In total, 690 Brazilian cities have already gone through the change. Until the end of the year, the forecast is that all capitals will be 100% digital.
The change comes to guarantee the population more image quality and greater channel reach. In addition, the expectation is that resources such as LIBRAS and technologies such as EWBS (a system capable of identifying and generating emergency alerts through digital TV) will be available shortly. But the most important aspect of this transition is yet to come. "The arrival of digital television opens up a wide range of possibilities for the future of Brazilian television. " After completing the process of implementing digital TV, it will be possible to think about bringing new technologies to Brazil to further improve free-to-air TV, which are already used around the world, such as 4K", adds José Marcelo.
In order for the user to have a better experience when enjoying digital TV, the SBTVD Forum has developed standards that organize virtual channels with the same numbering as analog channels. In practice, this means that channel numbers will remain the same, avoiding confusion and providing the viewer with a better experience when watching free-to-air television.
