Log In

Reset Password
BERMUDA | RSS PODCAST

BBC to switch off last analogue transmitter

Digital move: Bermuda Broadcasting Company is switching off its last remaining analogue transmitter

Moving with the times, Bermuda Broadcasting Company is bringing down the curtain on its analogue television signals.

The company, which owns the channels ZBM-CBS9 and ZFB-ABC7, has been moving towards an all-digital platform for many years.

This week it will switch off its last remaining analogue TV transmitter.

In a statement the company said it was doing so in order to “focus on bringing high-quality digital images to viewers. For most, the change will be imperceptible”.

Viewers with a digital TV can continue to watch the channels by tuning into digital channels 20.1 and 20.2.

Anyone with an older television set will either need to upgrade to a digital TV or purchase a digital receiver box from a local electronics store.

Analogue TV broadcasts have been phased out in many countries. The US switched to digital in 2009, and Britain made the change in stages between 2011 and 2012.

Until this week Bermuda was listed as one of only nine places in the world that was still to make a complete transition.

Digital signals generally have better quality and definition than analogue. There are also cost and environmental considerations to be weighed when it comes to powering analogue transmitters for a dwindling number of viewers without digital equipment.

For a number of years the Bermuda Broadcasting Company has been broadcasting over the airwaves on digital channels, which are also accessible on Wow and CableVision, while simultaneously continuing its analogue transmissions.

With the shutting down of the analogue service, viewers who have a problem tuning their TV to the digital channels are welcome to visit the Bermuda Broadcasting Company’s headquarters at Fort Hill, Prospect, where staff will assist with information on how to tune a digital TV or a reliever box.

Anyone with questions can also contact the company by phone on 295-2828.