RAI launches digital TV
The Italian public TV broadcaster has chosen its 50th anniversary to launch its new experiment in digital terrestrial television. The new TV system was inaugurated in RAI's Milan studios by the telecommunications minister, Maurizio Gasparri, and RAI's director general, Flavio Cattaneo. The signal will be transmitted via two multiplex channels, namely two networks that can carry 5 channels each. The project should be finally up and running by the end of 2006. Under the law, RAI will have to make 40% of its second multiplex available to other broadcasters.
The difference between this new system and digital TV via satellite is that digital terrestrial uses the current transmitter system and it needs to be accessed using a decoder (or set-top-box). In the future, the project will also see the introduction of interactive services, giving the audience the chance to interact with content providers in real time, for example to buy products or access services made available by the Italian public administration.
(Translated from Italian)
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