By Ella Legg
MILDURA, VIC: Residents in the Mildura Sunraysia region in north-western Victoria will become the first in the country to rely entirely on digital TV broadcasting when the region’s analogue network is switched over to digital at 9am today.
The analogue TV broadcasting network is being switched off around Australia over the next couple of years. Increasingly, Australian households embracing the digital format that is already being adopted around the world.
Regional South Australia will be next to complete the switchover which is scheduled for mid December for Broken Hill, Riverland, Mt Gambier/ south-east South Australia and the Spencer Gulf.
The national switchover is due for completion in 2013.
Australians that have already switched to digital are enjoying more channels and more content, improved picture and sound quality, including widescreen pictures and digital audio, including radio broadcasts.
The ABC has introduced ABC2 and ABC3 which are only broadcast in digital. SBS offers SBS TWO in digital.
Seven, Nine and Ten networks have introduced high definition digital channels.
Network Ten launched a digital-only sports channel, named ONE, in March last year. The Nine Network introduced GO! – a digital-only channel – in August 2009.
The Seven Network launched free-to-air digital channel 7TWO in November 2009.