Town may get HD television

High-definition Freeview broadcasts could be coming to Masterton viewers as a sweetener for axing the analogue network.
Tim Stevenson, a Masterton-based aerial installation contractor, said viewers in the town would need a satellite set-top box to continue receiving a signal after the analogue system was switched off, unless the Bennett's Hill transmitter was upgraded to enable digital terrestrial television (DTT) coverage.
Prime Minister John Key said in June the switch would likely be made in 2015 - after the 2014 election.
There has been no indication whether the Government intends to offer financial assistance to help consumers, as has been done in Britain and the US when their analogue networks were cut.
An extension of DTT coverage from 75 to 87 per cent of New Zealand households - that would include Masterton - is expected to cost about $20 million.
Labour broadcasting spokesman Brendon Burns has predicted the Government may extend FreeviewHD coverage to include Masterton, Nelson, Whanganui, Rotorua, Invercargill, New Plymouth and Gisborne to make the switchover more agreeable for voters.
Mr Stevenson said there were a few viewers in Masterton who already received high-definition Freeview reception because of their "clear view" to the nearest digital transmitter tower in Palmerston North.
Otherwise, Mr Stevenson said, high-definition Freeview in the town could be an expensive dice roll.
"It's a big risk trying to get Freeview here without a satellite dish - you really need money to burn," Mr Stevenson said.
"Without a dish the signal is only available in patchy areas and for most it's just not worth the trouble and expense."
A government announcement "is due shortly" about just when the plug will be pulled on the analogue television broadcast network, according to Broadcasting Ministry spokesman Martyn Watterson.
- All televisions will still work after the "digital switchover" but in Masterton - without a transmitter upgrade at Bennett's Hill - older sets will need to be plugged into a digital receiver, such as a satellite Freeview or Sky set-top box. Most new televisions have in-built digital receivers.