Free TV and Broadcast Australia have just announced trials of the next generation for broadcast technology.

Networks including SBS and ABC will also be part of the venture that will commence in Sydney.

The centrepiece of the tests will be spanking new DVB-T2 technologies and new compression algorithms that could give Australian viewers 4K TV reception.

The DVB-T2 standard is being mooted as a potential replacement for the current DVB-T standard.

If and when it's adopted, DVB-T2 will be able to transmit video with four times the picture quality than the high definition standard now in use.

Broadcast Australia CEO Peter Lambourne believes the current TV standard is poised to make the leap to the new standard.

He said:

Terrestrial free to air television delivers its service to 99 per cent of the population and over 20 million Australians tune into television every week. This trial is an important part of ensuring that when the time is right, the terrestrial television platform is ready for the next stage of its evolution and that it can deliver the best possible viewing experience.

Broadcast Australia is holding limited trials of DVB-T2 at its site in Chatswood.

But much wider trials will begin soon across three transmission sites in Sydney from April to June this year.

Information about these trials will be published on the Broadcast Australia website.

With the price of 4K TVs plummeting, Australian consumers are snapping up the sets. Sales are only expected to boom over the next five years.

The large base of 4K enabled TVs makes DVB-T2 an ideal format for Australia’s TV transmission. A point not lost on Free TV CEO Bridget Fair who said:

While our current platform has many years of life in it, this trial is about planning for our long-term future.

Ask any 4K TV owner about DVB-T2, and you’ll be told to bring on the new technology as quickly as possible.

Further reading: TV Broadcast Discussion

Originally published as 4K Free TV Broadcast Trails Start in Sydney