- Latest country to confirm timeline towards closure of its standard definition broadcasts via an aerial
The Nordic country has become the latest to confirm it’s ditching the first generation of digital terrestrial broadcasting next spring.
The transition to HD will take place in spring 2025, when the public radio and television broadcaster YLE will cease broadcasting in standard definition (SD) and switch to high definition (HD) quality. Commercial broadcasters haven’t yet published information about migrating their channels to higher resolution, but will also need to close their existing DVB-T service.
That’s because next spring, digital terrestrial television in Finland will switch to the newer DVB-T2 transmission technology, and the existing DVB-T standard will no longer be used. The newer technology provides better opportunities to use terrestrial frequencies, which means it will provide a wider HD offer than currently.
Terrestrial viewers in Finland can easily check to see if their TV is ready for the switch – if the channel line-up includes YLE TV1 HD on channel 21, the TV is compatible and will just need retuning next spring. Finland’s communications regulator has published further information about the switch on its website.
How does Finland compare with other European countries?
The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, France and Spain are among the countries that have also migrated services to HD on terrestrial TV.
France and Spain have also introduced 4K UHD broadcasts via an aerial. This allows viewers to access major national news, cultural and sporting events in ever better picture quality.
The UK has only migrated a small selection of channels to DVB-T2 and HD. Broadcasters here are keen to move viewers away from terrestrial broadcasting altogether, so it’s unlikely any further channels will switch to HD.