DTT

Abbreviation for Digital terrestrial television. With DTT, households with a traditional TV aerial can receive a number of public and private channels, both national and local, in digital quality. The digital procedure allows five or six channels to be sent per frequency, compared to a single channel for analogue broadcasting.

To receive digital channels, households need an adapter (a set top box) for their television (price around 80 to 100 Euros) and to adapt their TV aerials (around 60 Euros per household). Purchasing an integrated digital television also gives access to DTT. Some channels will be available free.

In the UK DTT was launched in 1998 with few free channels. The service experienced some financial difficulties, but by the end of 2012 digital switch over should be complete. Different countries are using different standards, the latest being MPEG-4.