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What Italy’s digital TV switchover means for you

All Italian TV channels will be switched to HD by December 21st. Here's what that means and how to check if your TV set or decoder is compatible.

Published: 16 December 2022 12:23 CET
Updated: 20 December 2022 10:41 CET
Old TV set
All Italian TV channels will be switched to HD on December 21st and not all TV sets will support the new system. Photo by PJ Gal-Szabo via Unsplash

As Italy approaches the holiday season, Italian TV is set to undergo a major change and one that could make some residents reconsider their last-minute Christmas gifts. 

On Tuesday, December 20th, Italian TV will make the switch from the old coding system, known as MPEG-2, to the new-generation MPEG-4.

This means that, from Wednesday, December 21st, SD (standard definition) channels will no longer be available in Italy as they’ll be replaced by their HD (high definition) counterparts. 

So, for instance, the ‘SD version’ of channels like Rai1, Rai2 or Rai3 will soon be permanently switched off, with the HD format being the only available option for viewers. 

The same will be true for other popular channels, like Rete 4, Canale 5, Italia 1 and La7.

READ ALSO: Who needs to pay the Italian TV licence fee – and how to cancel it

Naturally, many residents are left wondering whether their current TV sets or decoders will be able to support the new HD channels. 

The good news here is that most new-generation TVs and decoders are already compatible with the MPEG-4 system and therefore with any given HD channel.

This means that most residents won’t have to do a single thing about the digital switchover aside from rescanning their TV channels on December 21st. 

TV remote

Most new-generation TVs and decoders are already compatible with HD. Photo by Chris DELMAS / AFP

So how can you be sure that your TV or decoder is actually compatible with the new system?

Briefly put, if any of the channels between 1 and 10 is currently available in HD, then that means that your TV or decoder already supports MPEG-4. 

If, on the other hand, you can currently only see channels from 500 onwards (and you’ve already rescanned the channels), you’ll have to buy a new TV or decoder in order to be able to view the new HD broadcasts. 

READ ALSO: Seven classic films to watch for an Italian Christmas

On this note, it’s worth pointing out that the December 21st switchover will only be the first step in a broader digital transition planned by the Italian government. 

Next year, Italian TV will switch to the DVB-T2 (Digital Video Broadcasting – Second Generation Terrestrial) system. 

Though we still have some way to go to this second switchover – the date hasn’t been announced yet – you can check whether your TVs or decoders will be able to support the new system. 

If your appliance handbook states that your TV or decoder is equipped with a ‘DVB-T2 tuner’, then they will support DVB-T2 transmissions. 

You can also tune in to either channel 100 or channel 200. If a blue card reading ‘Test HEVC Main 10’ appears on your screen on either channel, then your TV or decoder is compatible with DVB-T2.

For further information or guidance, you can contact the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy’s support centre, which is open Monday to Friday, from 9am to 6pm at 06 87 800 262.

Alternatively, you can send a Whatsapp text message to 340 1206348.

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LIVING IN ITALY

Why isn’t Pentecost Monday a public holiday in Italy?

Italy is known for being a particularly religious country, so why isn't Pentecost Monday a public holiday here?

Published: 17 May 2024 14:21 CEST
Why isn’t Pentecost Monday a public holiday in Italy?

May 20th will mark Pentecost Monday (or Lunedì di Pentecoste in Italian) – an important observance in the Christian calendar which commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus’s disciples.

Pentecost Monday is a movable feast (or festa mobile) in the Christian liturgical calendar, meaning that its date changes each year depending on when Easter is celebrated: Pentecost – which marks the exact day the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples – falls on the seventh Sunday after Easter, with Pentecost Monday following right after.

But while Pentecost Monday (also known as Whit Monday elsewhere) is a public holiday and therefore a non-working day in a number of European countries, including Austria, Germany, France, Spain and Switzerland, Italy – a country known for being overwhelmingly Catholic – doesn’t consider the date a festa nazionale.

But why is that so?

Pentecost Monday was long a public holiday in Italy. In fact, the Tuesday following Pentecost Sunday was also a national holiday up until the late 18th century. 

But in 1977 the Italian government then led by Giulio Andreotti removed Pentecost Monday along with four other Catholic-related feasts (these included St Joseph’s Day on March 19th and the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul on June 29th) from its list of public holidays. 

The official reason behind the change was to speed up public administration work and increase businesses’ productivity as the Italian calendar had featured nearly 20 different national holidays up to that point.

It could be argued however that a nationwide shift towards secularism in the second half of the 20th century also played a non-negligible role in the change.

That said, a number of political parties and Catholic associations have asked for the holiday to be restored over the years, with a proposal backed by the League party and centre-left Democrazia Solidale making it all the way to parliament in 2016 but being ultimately scrapped. 

Pentecost Monday isn’t the only important date on the Christian calendar not marked with a public holiday in Italy. 

READ ALSO: How to make the most of Italy’s public holidays in 2024

Good Friday may be a holiday elsewhere in Europe, but not in Italy, where it’s seen as a day of mourning. Ascension Day, which marks the day Jesus ascended into heaven and falls on the sixth Thursday after Easter every year, is also not a public holiday in the country.

Curiously, while Pentecost Monday is not a public holiday on the Italian calendar, there is one area of the country where the observance does grant residents a day off: South Tyrol (or Alto Adige), in northern Italy.

South Tyrol, which includes the city of Bolzano, is an autonomous Italian province, meaning that local authorities have the freedom to decide on a number of economic, political and civil matters, including the local holiday calendar. 

If you’re one of South Tyrol’s 530,000 residents, you will enjoy a three-day weekend this week.

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