Residents of Almaty seeking to enhance their home entertainment experience can follow these steps to connect to Digital TV, ensuring improved image and sound quality.
In a significant step towards modernising its broadcasting sector, Kazakhstan has completed the transition to digital TV in Almaty, marking the end of analog broadcasting in the city and several regions, including Shymkent. This transition is part of a larger national plan to upgrade the country's television infrastructure, with the full transition across Kazakhstan expected to be completed by 2022.
The switch to digital broadcasting brings numerous benefits. It improves signal stability, ensuring clearer and more reliable television viewing. Moreover, digital broadcasting promises high-quality picture and sound, and access to numerous channels.
Since 2018, families receiving targeted social assistance in the Almaty region and the city of Almaty have been provided with digital terrestrial receivers, with around 5,000 families receiving these devices. City authorities have also provided receivers free of charge to socially vulnerable residents.
To receive digital TV, one must either have a TV that supports the DVB-T2 signal or buy a set-top box. If a TV does not support the DVB-T2 signal, a set-top box, costing 4,000 tenge, and an additional 1,500 for an antenna, is required.
The Koktоbe TV tower, the center ensuring that the television signal reaches every home evenly in the Almaty region, provides digital signal to 200 nearby settlements, covering 40% of the region's population. To achieve 100% digital TV coverage in Kazakhstan, an additional 827 stations need to be built.
The transition to digital broadcasting also brings about operational efficiencies. In the past, specialists had to go out and fix malfunctions in the analog era. However, in the era of digital broadcasting, problems can be solved automatically and remotely.
For those still using analog TV sets, it is essential to prepare for the transition. This can be done by acquiring a digital TV set-top box or upgrading to a digital TV capable of receiving digital broadcasts, as digital TV uses formats such as DVB-T or DVB-T2, unlike analog signals.
Staying informed about the official analog switch-off dates announced by Kazakhstan’s national communications authorities or broadcasters is also crucial. Consulting local service providers or government outreach programs that may offer assistance or subsidies for acquiring digital receivers or antennas is also advisable.
Testing digital reception before analog shutdown by tuning digital channels, if possible, is also recommended to ensure the new equipment is working correctly. For the most precise and updated timeline as well as official guidance, audiences in Kazakhstan should consult local broadcasting authorities or government communications agencies, which typically publish detailed transition plans, coverage maps, and analog switch-off schedules.
As of now, there are about 100 people left on the list to receive digital receivers free of charge in Almaty. With the successful completion of the digital TV transition in Almaty, Kazakhstan is well on its way to providing high-quality, reliable, and diverse television viewing experiences to its citizens.
[1] Wikipedia, Digital Television in Kazakhstan, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_television_in_Kazakhstan [4] Wikipedia, Digital Television in Central Asia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_television_in_Central_Asia
The transition to digital TV offers a lifestyle upgrade, providing clearer and more reliable viewing experiences, as well as access to numerous channels. To enjoy this enhanced lifestyle, individuals require either a TV compatible with the DVB-T2 signal or a set-top box.
With digital TV, technology plays a crucial role, bringing operational efficiencies as it allows for automatic and remote problem-solving, a departure from the manual troubleshooting necessary in the analog era.
