KEY POINTS:
It's going to be a big year for digital broadcasting - starting next month, when Freeview begins terrestrial transmission of its dozen or so digital TV channels.
You could say the excitement kicks off sooner than that, on March 30, with the switching on of TVNZ 7 - the state broadcaster's second digital-only channel (TVNZ 6 went live about six months ago).
That means Freeview's fare will be TV One, TV2, TV3, C4, TVNZ Sport Extra, TVNZ 6, TVNZ 7, Maori Television, Stratos, Parliament TV, Cue and Radio New Zealand's National and Concert programmes.
And there's more. Last week, the Radio Broadcasters Association, representing commercial stations, agreed to join a digital radio trial in Auckland of DAB+, one of numerous options for moving radio out of the analogue era.
At the centre of all of this excitement is Kordia, the state-owned enterprise whose origins go back 60 years to when it built the national radio and television transmission network.
Kordia has spent about $35 million on digital terrestrial television (DTT) equipment to enable 70 per cent of the population to watch Freeview's offerings using a UHF aerial. According to Freeview boss Steve Browning, 80,000 households are already watching Freeview via satellite, a service launched a year ago.
Both digital transmission methods deliver a better picture than analogue TV, but the terrestrial service will be better again than satellite. DTT can carry high-definition (HD) signals and some, but not all, of Freeview's channels will take advantage of that capability.
It's not entirely clear which will be HD but, according to Steven Ellis, technical director of set-top box-maker OpenMedia, TV One, TV2 and TV3 will be.
Geoff Hunt, head of Kordia, has been watching test DTT transmissions from his Mairangi Bay home and says the picture quality is much better than analogue.
One of the test channels was broadcasting high-definition content, whose quality Hunt describes as "startling".
"It was a bit like the first time I heard FM being broadcast in stereo - can radio be this good?"
The wonder of digital broadcasting is that it can squeeze many more channels, of better quality, into the same amount of spectrum as analogue. But you might be sceptical about whether it's worth making the shift, with much the same content on offer. Ultimately, we won't have a choice.
The Government intends switching off TVNZ's analogue signals by 2016 - or earlier, if digital catches on quickly. And there will be some new content.
At a public briefing on TVNZ 7 last week, the state broadcaster's head of digital, Eric Kearley, said part of the rationale for the new channel was to encourage viewers to wean themselves off analogue. TVNZ 7, like 6, is ad-free. It will have two new local shows, Media7 and Back Benches.
He didn't seem concerned that a possible change of government this year could cut off the channels' funding.
As the name implies, Freeview doesn't charge a subscription. But whether they get it by satellite or UHF, viewers need a set-top box.
These are different for the two methods of signal delivery and cost about $200. They support another of digital's key features - an electronic programme guide.
Combined with a hard disk recorder like OpenMedia's myPVR, which works with Sky and Freeview's satellite services, and with a DTT version coming, the electronic programme guide makes recording digital content a piece of cake.
If you get good Prime reception, you should also receive Freeview loud and clear. But OpenMedia's Ellis says digital TV is less forgiving of aerial cable quality than analogue - so if your reception is poor, that's the first thing to check.
If you're thinking of upgrading your TV for the sake of digital, there's a baffling range in the shops.
Ellis says 1080i is as good as you need for HD TV; 1080p is only called for when watching Blu-ray disks.
Perhaps the best way to buy is to decide how much you want to spend, then choose the TV that gives you the most pleasing DTT picture.
There's no need to go shopping for a digital radio just yet, since the industry hasn't fixed on a broadcasting standard. More than ever, that standard looks as though it will be DAB+, with the RBA's decision last week to join a trial being run by Kordia.
Kordia is pushing DAB+ partly because the Australian Government has mandated its adoption. If New Zealand opts for the same standard, economies of scale should mean cheaper receivers than otherwise.
So while digital radio testing is gathering pace, a live service is unlikely this year. Not so DTT. Freeview's board meets today to fix on a launch date and Browning promises to go public with it on Monday. *
Anthony Doesburg is an Auckland-based technology journalist.
