UK retailers boost for DVB-T sales

A report on the BBC website indicates that electrical retailers Currys, Dixons and PC World are to stop selling analogue TV sets and will stock only models with built-in digital receivers from now on. Such products are known as IDTVs, or Integrated Digital TVs. Already, they say, more than 90% of the sets they sell are "digital". This is sure to provide a boost to Freeview with purchasers of a new TV set having immediate access to more than 40 channels, with no further payment due (other than the TV license!).

Prices tumble in Oz

Word reaches us from Australia that discount supermarket chain ALDI is selling HD DVB-T receivers for less than AUS $100 (or about EUR 60) and SD receivers for AUS $35 (about EUR 21). MPEG-2 video coding is used for both SD and HD services in Australia, where 7MHz channel bandwidths are used.

The attached photo shows that the HD box outputs 576p, 576i, 720p and 1080i video, with a range of connections including HDMI and DVI.