Digital TV is meant to provide a vastly improved viewing experience, but - although the picture is substantially better than analogue - the powers that be could have done much more with their offerings.
Digital television was meant to happen this month, but a court bid by etv to stop Sentech from implementing conditional access has stalled turn-on. All the stakeholders are now waiting for a judgement before flicking the switch.
However, Sentech has covered around two-thirds of SA with digital signal, using the DVB-T2 standard, and most of Gauteng can receive the upgraded broadcast. As switch-on was meant to happen soon, what is currently being trialled is likely to be the limited offering, come the magical D day.
Thanks to Altech UEC, which sent ITWeb a set-top box to review, I had a sneak preview into what digital TV will be like when we finally get to watch it. I was not that impressed.
The picture is vastly better, although this will depend on the television, but the offerings are rather slim. The decoder was hooked up to a small projector through a composite cable, although there are also RF outputs, as well as an HDMI port. Sound was sent to a mini HiFi.
However, there are only 19 channels, which is pretty poor considering that digital TV frees up space for many more standard definition offerings. Most of those were off the air. The additional channels include Soweto and Lesotho TV, Mstar, Mzanzi and a Home Channel.
The settings are also a vast improvement for anyone who has had to be content with not owning a DStv decoder: parental control, language and television settings such as aspect ratio are available.
The installation was not perfect, as the aerial coaxial cable had been spliced in the roof, but to overcome that, Altech UEC also provided a small analogue aerial that can be hidden away at the back of a TV cabinet.
Despite the now perfect setup, digital television does not like thunder or stormy weather. Each time there was an electric storm, the picture would break up into digital blocks, and then the signal would disappear altogether.
The electronic programme guide, although basic, is a vast improvement on what information is currently offered, as it provides the name and time of the show, as well as language options, and the next programme.
Installing the decoder is simple; plug in the aerial and the outputs to the television, and the power cable, and set it to auto scan for channels, which can take up to five minutes. Every time the box is unplugged from the wall, it needs to go through this process.
The most complicated part will be if a new aerial is needed, or if cabling needs to be replaced so that the link is perfect.
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