At the end of 2022, a real revolution touched the homes of all Italian families, with the switch from MPEG-2 (SD) to MPEG-4 (HD), which effectively brought all channels to high definition. 2023 will instead mark the definitive transition to new digital terrestrial (DVB-T2)compatible with the distribution of content in 4Kwhich has now become the standard resolution over the last few years (and in the not too distant future it will also offer support for content in 8K).
These latest changes require specific action on our part: relaunch tuning tv channelsboth for watching new channels in HD and when it’s time to welcome the DVB-T2 standard.
In this guide we will only deal with that, i.e. to explain how to tune tv channels. At the end you will be able to watch the TV programs in high definition, you can also use the instructions below again when you need to re-tune the channels with the advent of new digital terrestrial in 2023.
How to check if your TV is compatible with DVB-T2
Even before tuning into the TV channels, make sure your TV is compatible with the new digital terrestrial (DVB-T2). Indeed, in the absence of support for DVB-T2, any adjustment of the channels, whether automatic or manual, is totally useless when the transition to the new digital terrestrial standard will be final in 2023. To check the compatibility of the TV with DVB-T2, there are three solutions:
- make sure the DVB-T2 sticker is present in the TV box;
- find confirmation of support for new digital terrestrial in the manual pages of the TV
- check the manufacturer’s official website through the TV model and serial number (Serial Number), you can find these two pieces of information on the back of the TV.
If the result of the control is negative, two choices are available to you: the first, less expensive, provides for the purchase of a DVB-T2 decoder; the second, more expensive, leads to the purchase of a Smart TV compatible with the new digital terrestrial.
In a separate study, also on our blog, you will find the always updated list of the best set-top boxes for receiving digital terrestrial DVB-T2.
In this other, however, you can check out the list of the best TVs.
How to Tune TV Channels Automatically
There automatic TV channel tuning it is enough to find new HD TV channels in 99% of cases. Moreover, it is also the easiest and most affordable operation for everyone.
Here’s how:
- Turn on the TV and tune to any channel.
- Press the button “Menu” on the remote control (in some remote controls instead of the inscription “Menu” has a gear icon like the one in your smartphone settings).
- With the up arrow, down arrow, right arrow, left arrow keys, go to “Transmission” (or on the tab where the antenna symbol appears) and press the “All right” on the remote control (or “Enter“, depends on the model used).
- Again with the directional keys on the remote moved to the item “Automatic adjustment” and press the button “All right“.
- Press again “Automatic adjustment“.
- Select “Begin” to start searching for TV channels by automatic tuning.
- In the new window that opens, confirm that you want to search for digital channels via antenna by performing automatic sorting, then press “Research“.
- After a few moments, automatic TV channel tuning starts. The procedure takes a few minutes and you can check the search progress in real time with the search progress bar.
- After setting, you may need to confirm changes for some dual channels. The most common case concerns the Rai 3, with the choice of the TGR of its own region.
- Once done, click “Close” to exit the menu and verify that the new TV channel tuning was successful.
Note: whenever you find written to press a certain function, it is understood that the selection must be made using the “All right” (Or “Enter“) on the remote control.
How to manually tune TV channels
If some TV channels are missing after auto search is finished, you can proceed to manual adjustment. This allows you to perform a specific search based on a given frequency. To know the exact frequency on which to start the manual tuning, you can refer to the site dtti.it, an independent web portal that hosts all digital terrestrial frequencies by region and city. Once you have entered the desired frequency, you can finally start tuning the channels.
Here’s how to do it in detail:
- Turn on the TV and tune to any channel.
- Press the button “Menu” on the remote control (in some remote controls instead of the inscription “Menu” the gear icon appears, like the one in the smartphone settings).
- To go up “Transmission” (or the menu item displayed with the antenna icon) using the directional arrows and press the “All right” (Or “Enter“) on the remote control to access it.
- Scroll down until you find”Channel settings” and press the ” key againAll right” (Or “Enter“) on the remote control.
- Select “Manual adjustment” (Or “Manual adjustment” Or “Manual search“).
- Choose the option “Tuning digital channels“.
- Scroll through the list of frequencies until you find the one you are interested in, then press the “All right” on the remote control to start manual tuning.
- Searching for TV channels is faster this time, as it only affects a particular frequency in which no more than 5-10 channels are available.
Important: For our guide, we used a recent Samsung Smart TV running the Tizen operating system. Some items above may be different depending on your TV model and brand.
And with that, our guide on how to tune in to TV channels in 2023 with the new digital terrestrial ends here. If you still have difficulty finding the new high definition channels, we advise you to consider purchasing a decoder compatible with the DVB-T2 standard. In this regard, we renew the invitation to take a look at our study on the best set-top boxes for the new digital terrestrial.
Before leaving, we also invite you to read our most popular guides on the subject:
