Analogue television broadcasts will be allowed to continue in apartment houses with a centralised digital decoder even after all Finnish television channels switch over to digital broadcasting.
The Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE will not take legal action against apartment houses or antenna networks using a centralised decoder, as long as all households are offered the possibility of receiving the original digital signal as well.
Centralised digital decoders will make it possible for households to receive digital broadcasts on analogue sets without separate digital decoders. However, such a signal will not include various digital services, such as a choice of subtitling.
YLE had previously threatened to take legal action against apartment houses and other owners of centralised digital decoders.
YLE Administrative Director Jussi Tunturi says that the move does not constitute a change of policy, in that central antennas must offer residents the possibility of receiving a digital signal. However, he notes that it had not previously been known that it is possible to transmit both analogue and digital signals in an antenna network at the same time.
"All must be offered the digital option. If an analogue alternative is offered in addition to it, I don’t think that we will make a court case out of it", Tunturi says.
Central digital decoders cost EUR 500-2,000 apiece. Digital decoders for individual television sets are available for between EUR 50-600.
Analogue television broadcasts will come to an end in Finland at the end of August this year.
Helsingin Sanomat
3.4.2007 - TODAY
Centralised digital decoders to be allowed in apartment houses
Centralised digital decoders to be allowed in apartment houses