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Mildura switch off set for June 30

Mildura will flick to digital TV on 30th June 2010 as the big switch-off begins.

tvdeadMildura will switch off analogue TV on 30th June 2010.

When it flicks the switch it will become the first region in Australia to begin the rollout to a digital-only landscape, to be completed by the end of 2013.

Senator Stephen Conroy confirmed the date for the Mildura and the Sunraysia region today.

“Sunraysia is Australia’s leading digital television market and will be the first region to switch to digital-only broadcasts,” he said.

“Already 79 per cent of households in the Mildura and Sunraysia area have converted and are enjoying the benefits of digital television, such as improved picture and sound quality, new content and new channels.”

“Digital switchover is our biggest national format change since the swap to decimal currency and it will be an historic moment when Mildura switches to digital-only TV.”

Dates for capital cities are still a long way off: Brisbane and Perth on 30 June 2013 and in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney on 31 December 2013.

Other regions will be made as switchover progresses.

The date for the Mildura region has been left as late as possible to fit in with previous statements it would take place in the first half of 2010.

ONE HD was announced this week to launch in Mildura on December 1st.

The government has also appointed Digital Switchover Liaison Officer, Kellie Boyce, to work with community groups for the big switch. She can be reached through the Digital Ready Information Line: 1800 20 10 13.

Source: dbcde.gov.au

8 Responses

  1. The government should have spent some of the stimulus package on upgrading TV services, vouchers for people on low incomes and community groups to go digital. Money for boosters to get better signal strength and for towns to upgrade local reception.

  2. It’s not that simple to shut down the old signal in Sydney, Brisbane, Gold coast and Melbourne early, because in those cities there are large tall buildings where residents reside, and they have to cater for the residents in tall buidings which will only share one antenna or two, and that will cause reception problems unless there are special signal boosters or splitters in the whole building complexes, so there is a reason for the delay of the shutdown to 2013 in those big cities.

  3. OMG they have had long enough…the money spent in keeping Analogue TV goin ( Ispeak for Regional broadcasters here… could buy everyone a STB…so save the money and shut analogue off now…lets start a facebook page…hehehe

  4. Don’t you think they should rethink switching off Sydney and Melbourne on NYE in the midst of a swathe of public holidays?

    People have enough to stress about at that time of year. They should bring it forward a month so it doesn’t clash with the holidays.

  5. So by the time Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney switch off, it will be what, 12, 13 years after digital TV was introduced into Australia? Very poor effort, should have been done years ago.
    I’ve had digital for over 5 years. Originally I didnt know what the fuss was about, because it wasnt overly advertised regarding the benefits at the time (improved picture and sound quality). Now people have no reason no to update with the new channels available and more to come.

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