The Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, Nikodimos Damianou, called for the restoration of the old Velister platform on televisions, after the chaos caused by the changes implemented from July 1.
Specifically, speaking on the show "Peaks", he revealed that he asked as a relief measure to restore the Velister platform for a transitional period of two months to give viewers time to tune in to the new platform.
The screens in homes went black after the change in Cypriot television
The first days of the digital transition from the old DVB-T standard to the newer DVB-T2 were marked with a host of problems. Several consumers proceeded with the necessary adjustments or installation of set-top boxes, however, they did not manage to tune in to the new frequencies.
Hellas Sat attributes most of the incidents to old antenna installations, problematic wiring and inappropriate decoders, while for its part the Deputy Ministry of Research and Innovation points out that the transition was necessary and that many consumers left the necessary actions for the last minute.
Where the problems are located
The CEO of Hellas Sat, Christodoulos Protopapas, spoke to Filenews, who claimed that this is a small percentage of households that are facing a problem with their antennas. "The Deputy Ministry gave a period of three months for the transition. Naturally, and it is not only in Cyprus that it happened, the problems arise when the operation of the previous system is terminated."
He stressed that the people were not proactive, so as to solve the problems early.
He added that we were obliged to implement the new DVB-T2 system as Cyprus, because it provides high definition image (high definition) to all televisions and also better use of the spectrum, so that there is more spectrum for mobile telephony. "Since more image is transferred through the cables, some problems are created in old installations. Also, in the case of installations with amplifiers on the antennas, a problem arises due to the fact that the Hellas Sat signal is strong."
In addition, he mentioned that there are cases where there is a problem with the cables, as the new system is sensitive to the old installations. "In most cases people put in their decoder, put on their antennas and set up their TV."
The steps to be taken
It is recalled that, in relation to the problems that occurred as a result of the transition of digital terrestrial television to the new DVB-T2 technology from the Hellas Sat network, the Department of Electronic Communications informed the public of the following:
-The transition to the new network requires a reconfiguration of television channels. If the TV set is of an older generation and does not support DVB-T2 technology, the citizen needs to get an external decoder.
-For the selection and supply of the appropriate decoder, citizens should contact the respective suppliers, who are responsible for properly informing and serving consumers regarding compatibility with DVB-T2 technology
-It has been found that some television receivers imported from Greece may require a change in the Regional Settings in another European region, as their software does not allow automatic tuning to the new frequencies.
-For all of the above, support is provided to citizens through the Hellas Sat call center, which operates daily until 21:00 at 22000737. Due to the increased number of calls, service delays may be observed. However, the provider has pledged to contact all citizens whose calls could not be served immediately.
In the hands of the technicians is the restoration of the Velister platform in order to address the problems that have occurred to thousands of consumers after the transition to the new DVB-T2 technology. The decision was taken by the Deputy Minister of Innovation to give time to the public to tune in to the new technology and to solve any problems that arise.
Speaking on the Third Program of RIK in the morning, the Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy Nikodimos Damianou said that it is expected to be technically confirmed that this is possible, to add that the indications are positive.
Mr. Damianou admitted that the magnitude of the problems that arose had not been assessed, mainly in houses with old or problematic reception facilities.
At the same time, he assured that the information and support of the citizens will continue, while he called on those who find phenomena of profiteering, to make complaints to the competent services.
The goal, if it is possible to restore the old Velister platform for two months, is to give people the necessary time to tune to the new frequencies and not to make a permanent reset of the Velister platform.
A representative of Hellas Sat told Filenews that since last Friday the company received the equipment of Velister, while since yesterday Wednesday the effort to retransmit from the transmitters of the old platform began.
The steps to be taken
It is recalled that, in relation to the problems that occurred as a result of the transition of digital terrestrial television to the new DVB-T2 technology from the Hellas Sat network, the Department of Electronic Communications informed the public of the following:
- The transition to the new network requires a reconfiguration of television channels. If the TV set is of an older generation and does not support DVB-T2 technology, the citizen needs to get an external decoder.
- For the selection and supply of the appropriate decoder, citizens should contact the respective suppliers, who are responsible for properly informing and serving consumers regarding compatibility with DVB-T2 technology
- It has been found that some television receivers imported from Greece may require a change in the Regional Settings in another European region, as their software does not allow automatic tuning to the new frequencies.
- For all of the above, support is provided to citizens through the Hellas Sat call center, which operates daily until 21:00 at 22000737. Due to the increased number of calls, service delays may be observed. However, the provider has pledged to contact all citizens whose calls could not be served immediately.
- In addition, several cases have been identified in which the problem is related to the reception installation or the internal wiring of the premises. Hellas Sat is committed to providing technical support for these issues as well.
