As part of the implementation of digital terrestrial television (DTT) in Cuba, two high definition channels were enabled on Thursday. In addition, in the last three months, 63 new transmitters were installed throughout the country to expand the coverage of that signal, informed Justo Moreno, president of Radiocuba.

On the new channels, named HD3 and HD4, viewers will be able to watch a test programming that should be broadcast occasionally starting on Thursday's night.

A note from the Cuban Institute of Radio and Television (ICRT), which was published on Thursday, details that both channels “are undergoing technical tests to make relevant broadcast adjustments nationally. Once this adjusting stage concludes, the directing board of the TVC (Cuban Television) will define the programming of those channels and timely inform our viewers about it”.

According to what the director of Radiocuba told Cubadebate, the increase in the amount of channels was possible thanks to the installation of a new “headend of line”, which allows us to create new technical possibilities for the expansion of signals.

“We only had one decoder with two inputs occupied by channels HD1 and HD2, but that did not mean that the transmitter's bandwidth was full. Now, by means of this new device, we introduced 4 HD channels that occupy the 18 megabits available on the frequency”, he explained.

According to the consulted specialists, the standard that was established in Cuba allows for up to eight channels to be transmitted in standard definition (SD) or four in high definition (HD).

In an interview with Cubadebate, Moreno said that the installation of the new broadcast devices was accomplished thanks to a Chinese donation that allows for a progressive growth of DTT coverage.

“In spite of the conditions that the country is facing because of COVID-19, the work of our company has not stopped and we have managed to quickly install 63 new transmitter throughout the nation. That equipment, in standard and in high definition, have benefitted 58 new locations that did not enjoy those services or had others with lower quality”, stated the President of Radiocuba.

Carlos Arencibia García, technical director of Radiocuba, explained that thanks to that new investment, digital terrestrial television coverage reaches 76.2% of the potential population, while the high definition signal covers more than 45%.

“We have boosted provincial capital cities and other places with high population density rates. Therefore, we have reached places like Manzanillo, Las Tunas, Nuevitas, Güines and other zones of the western highlands”, he specified.

Another task that was carried out as part of the modernization process was the renovation of 16 monitoring centers, which will allow for a better evaluation of the quality of the signal in every territory, remarked Juan Carlos Sistachs, Network Operations director.

Among Radiocuba's next goals is increasing the power in the province of Cienfuegos, and decreasing silence zones in Holguin, Granma and other areas from the Sierra Maestra.

The implementation of digital television in the country also solves the technological obsolescence of equipment, ensures greater power efficiency and, by turning analog systems off, makes it possible to release frequencies for future digital transmissions and the necessary development of other fronts like 4G telephony.

This important program has been affected by the lack of receivers and other essential elements for the reception of the signal.

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