Get ready for digital TV
- — 01 April, 2009 12:18
Senator Stephen Conroy, the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, has launched a new campaign with the aim of getting Australia ready for digital television.
The campaign, which includes television, online and radio advertisements as well as comprehensive equipment labelling and training for retail staff, will run from April and espouse the benefits of digital television compared to analog TV.
"Digital TV means new content, better sound and vision, and additional features for television viewers", Conroy said. "From this week a campaign will begin to help Australia get ready for digital. There is no reason for people to wait to experience the benefits."
The Senator said that education of consumers was the campaign’s main aim: "For most people getting ready for digital will be a simple and inexpensive task but it is important that all Australians are well informed to make the switch. The digital television switchover is our biggest national format change since the swap to decimal currency and it is important that Australia get ready."
Both analog and digital television signals will be broadcast simultaneously until 31 December, 2013 — when the analog signal will be discontinued, after over 55 years of operation. The first official analog broadcast took place on 16 September 1956, when Bruce Gyngell spoke the words “Good evening, and welcome to television” on TCN-9 Sydney — better known as Channel 9.
For more information on the digital television switchover, visit the government’s Digital Ready Web site.
