A nationwide plan
During this seventh launch phase, TDF started up thirty-eight transmitters, including the emblematic TDF broadcast sites of Bayonne-La Rhune (64), Le Havre-Harfleur (76), Chartres-Montlandon (28), Hyères-Cap-Bénat (83), Argenton-sur-Creuse-Malicornay (36), Menton-Cap Martin (06), Gap-Mont Colombis (05) and Guéret-Saint-Léger (23).
The last transmitters will go into service in July 2024, ultimately covering three quarters of the population of mainland France and the French overseas territories (Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, Reunion, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna, Mayotte and Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon).
A major development for DTT
Viewers located in these areas, and equipped with compatible TV sets, can now receive, in Ultra High Definition, the programs of France 2 (on channel 52 in mainland France and channel 22 in the French overseas territories) and France 3 (from July 10 to September 10 on channel 53 in mainland France and channel 23 in the French overseas territories).
UHD technology (also known as 4K) offers viewers an image definition four times greater than High Definition, as well as an improved contrast ratio (HDR), a wider color range, a higher frame rate and more immersive sound. For this broadcast, TDF uses broadcast and compression standards that are more efficient than current DTT standards (DVB-T2 and HEVC).
TDF, technological pioneer of the DTT platform
Free, anonymous, freely accessible and of the highest quality, the DTT platform is a major TV reception mode in France, with coverage of 97% of the population.
It's also a greener, more energy-efficient way of receiving television than over the Internet.
For many years, TDF has been working alongside TV channels, equipment manufacturers and other industry players to reinvent DTT broadcasting and enable it to incorporate the latest image, sound and interactivity technologies. UHD is one of the key elements of this evolution.
Ahead of this eagerly-awaited launch, TDF has been carrying out numerous UHD broadcast tests since 2018 to experiment with and demonstrate the performance of new broadcast formats and technologies (UHD definition, more immersive sound, improved contrast ratio, etc.), both in mainland France and overseas.
To receive DTT in UHD
To benefit from this broadcast, users with compatible TV sets will need to carry out an automatic or manual channel search on their TV.
The ma TNT website, published by TDF (https://www.matnt.tdf.fr), enables users to check precisely whether their area is covered by UHD, and to identify the frequencies used for this broadcast, which complements the 31 channels broadcast on TNT.
Karim El Naggar, Managing Director Audiovisual and Networks of the TDF Group, states:
"After several months of intensive work, we are now at the end of the rollout of Ultra High Definition on our DTT transmitters, with our customer and partner France Télévisions. With this seventh phase, more than 6 million additional viewers can now enjoy UHD quality, and I'm delighted. DTT is a way of broadcasting television that's free for viewers, more ecological and accessible to everyone, everywhere in France. It's also a technology for the future, to which TDF has been actively contributing for several years. With UHD, we're taking a new step forward, working with the channels to meet the expectations of French viewers and the new uses and consumption patterns of television".