Television in France was introduced in 1931, making the country one of the first countries in the world to broadcast television programmes.
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Télévision Numérique Terrestre is the national digital terrestrial service for France. It formally arrived on 31 March 2005 after a short testing period. Like Freeview in the United Kingdom it will support many new channels as well as the current terrestrial television stations. Also, like the rest of the Europe, France is using DVB-T as a transmission technology.
By 2012, at least 95% of the French metropolitan population is expected to be covered by digital terrestrial television services.
5 HD channels (4 free and one pay) were launched in October 2008 using also the H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC format.
Pay TV channels were launched in September 2005 using the MPEG4 format, unlike most of Europe which currently uses MPEG2.
Pay per view terrestrial channels use H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC. Analogue switch off is expected to be finished by 30 November 2011.[1]
TNT is the first service to implement Dolby Digital Plus as an audio codec on its High-Definition channels. Viewers have to buy a TV set (or set-top box) that supports both MPEG4 H.264 and DD+ to enjoy HD channels.[2]
By 2008, 34% of the French population was using analog TV as an only reception mode. [3]. The next year, the city of Coulommiers switched to digital-only TV, serving as a test city for TDF. By the end of 2009, analog TV was shut off in the Nord-Cotentin, and TDF reported no major reception problems. Citizens in TNT test-zones were informed that analog TV would shut down by early 2009, and consequently they adapted their installation.
For the rest of the country, the shut-off is planned by regions, more precisely France3 regions. It means that every transmitters broadcasting "France3 Méditerranée Provence-Alpes" will go digital at the same date, another date for those which broadcast "France3 Bourgogne Franche-Comté". Analog shut-off was planned in 2010 for the North of the France, and 2011 for the south.
Three months before a transmitter shuts analog down, it must transmit the TNT multiplexes so that the viewers can adapt their installation on time. Also, a message is displayed as marquee on analog channels warning the viewer that he will no longer receive TV if he doesn't switch to digital. To help people installing their TNT reception equipment, the French government created "France Télé Numérique".[4] It makes didactic videos, TV ads, and goes through the local markets, to meet people and solve their problems regarding DTT reception.
Old people, or with restricted financial conditions, receive help from the French state, so that they can switch to DTT easily.
The most common adapters sold in the market only decode MPEG2 and have only one SCART output socket. Old TV sets (before 1980) need a UHF modulator between the TV and the set-top box, as they have no SCART socket. Unlike VCRs, DVB-T set-top boxes rarely include such a modulator, and a SCART to RCA adaptor is often needed to feed the modulator with the signal. The solution recommended by France Télé Numérique is just to buy a new TV set instead of using a modulator.
TNT channels are also available for reception by satellite, broadcast from the Astra satellites at 19.2° east as TNT SAT and from Atlantic Bird 3 as FRANSAT. Some of the channels are encrypted but there is no subscription charge, and both the set-top box and viewing card (valid for four years) that are required are available from hypermarkets. The public channels France 2, France3, France 5, France Ô, LCP and the Franco-German channel arte are free-to-air on Atlantic Bird 3.[5][6]
During the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the channels France 2 and France3 were encrypted to prevent watching the matches elsewhere than in France.
Most ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) providers in France now offer digital television packages through triple play boxes. However, some subscribers have too much attenuation distortion on their lines to benefit from the service, and France does not yet have 100% DSL coverage.
French cable providers Noos SA and UPC France SA and Numericable merged to become the largest cable operator in France. They provide digital television (using multiple brands) through their set top boxes.
Digital satellite television has existed in France since 1997. HDTV transmissions began in April 2006, when CanalSat launched its first HD channel (Canal+ HD). TPS and CanalSat have merged in 2007, leaving Nouveau Canalsat and Bis Télévisions as the two main competitors for the satellite television market in the country.
French main TV channels are:
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