Starting from the month of January of the year 2020 some televisions will have to be changed due to a change of frequency of the video standard, which sees the passage from the Mpeg-2 codec to the Mpeg-4.
It follows that televisions that exclusively support the Mpeg-2 codec will no longer work and will necessarily have to be changed with a new model. According to the Mise, there are about 10 million devices currently in circulation in Italy with Mpeg-2 and which, therefore, are destined to retire with the advent of the new year. Fortunately, the transition will not be immediate on the whole Italian territory but will take place gradually, according to a plan that will end in 2024 and will affect the individual regions from time to time.
To know if your TV is compatible or not with the Mpeg-4 codec, just tune in to the channels after 501. If you see it, it means that the new standard is supported, but if you see an error you will have to replace the device in your possession. If you don’t like the idea of buying a new TV, you can work around this limitation by purchasing a device called “Zapper” which, once connected, can adapt the old TVs to the MPEG-4 frequencies.
The transition to the new standard is just one of the steps that will bring millions of Italians to change their TV set. The next revolution will be in 2022 when support will be introduced with Dvbt-2 and Hevc codecs, a standard supported only by televisions sold after 2017 and which cuts off most of the televisions currently in circulation.
