By September 1st, following the guidelines set by the service contract between the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy and Rai for the period 2023-2028, Rai will activate a national Multiplex using the new DVB-T2 transmission standard, thereby initiating the technological transition towards next-generation digital terrestrial television, encoded with the HEVC system.

The selected Multiplex is Mux B (UHF 40 frequency). Rai will anticipate the deadline by a few days, and starting from August 28th, the channels Rai Storia (54 on the remote control), Rai Radio 2 Visual (202), and Rai Scuola (57) will be available exclusively in DVB-T2 in high definition. Rai 1 HD (501), Rai 2 HD (502), and Rai 3 HD (503) will also be broadcast with the new standard, in simulcast with the DVB-T version. Meanwhile, Rai 4 (21), Rai Premium (25), and Rai News 24 (48) will be broadcast in high definition in DVB-T2, and in standard definition in DVB-T. Therefore, the majority of Rai’s offerings will still be available with the old standard. No user intervention on the antenna or installation will be necessary, although older televisions and decoders may not be compatible with the new standard. To check compatibility, until August 28th, users can tune into channel 558 (RaiSport HD Test HEVC): if the TV receives the signal, it means it is compatible with DVB-T2. From August 28th onwards, channel 100 will display a screen to verify compatibility with UHD/HDR content that may be transmitted in the future on the DVB-T2 Mux. If televisions or decoders are not compatible, the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy’s website provides a list of suitable receivers for the new standard, as well as details of the “Bonus Decoder a casa” initiative (for those over 70 years old with a pension under 20,000 euros per year). In any case, starting from August 28th, all users will need to retune their televisions to continue watching the entire Rai offering. After retuning, Rai News 24 in HD will also be available on compatible TVs and decoders.