Ready to watch DTT in UHD? Here’s how to check if your television is ready

• The new National Technical Plan for Digital Terrestrial Television, approved in March 2025, has enabled Spain to take the definitive leap towards Ultra High Definition broadcasts, offering a clearer, smoother and more realistic audiovisual experience for all viewers.
• Gsertel’s professional monitoring equipment allows the technical parameters that guarantee the quality of Ultra High Definition broadcasts to be measured and controlled.
• The eleventh edition of the 4K HDR Summit will take place from 11 to 14 November, with two face-to-face days (Tuesday 11 and Wednesday 12) at the Cartuja Auditorium –managed by Yventu– at Sevilla TechPark and another two virtual days.

Ultra High Definition Digital Terrestrial Television is here. With the entry into force of the new National Technical Plan for DTT in March 2025, Spain has taken the definitive leap towards UHD broadcasts, a development that promises a clearer, smoother and more realistic audiovisual experience for all viewers. But this change also raises a practical question for millions of households: is my television ready to receive the new signal?

Seville will bring together operators, manufacturers, engineering and technical solutions companies, telecommunications, infrastructure, broadcasters and international television stations during the eleventh edition of the 4K HDR Summit. It will take place from 11 to 14 November with two face-to-face days (Tuesday 11 and Wednesday 12) at the Cartuja Auditorium –managed by Yventu– at Sevilla TechPark and another two virtual days (Thursday 13th and Friday 14th) at this summit “where technology and content have time to talk”, in which more than 70 experts in 4K and UHD from 22 countries will participate.

Solutions for optimal UHD reception

In this context, the Spanish company Gsertel, part of the Televes Group, plays an essential role in this process. Its professional DVB-T2/HEVC monitoring equipment allows the technical parameters that guarantee the quality of Ultra High Definition broadcasts to be measured and controlled. Manuel Ángel Álvarez, Technical Sales Area Manager LATAM & EUROPE at Gsertel, will present the company’s solutions for measuring and monitoring UHD broadcast signals, highlighting the use of drive tests with its Hexylon portable analyser.

Image of the Hexylon portable analyser on display in the Gsertel exhibition area during the tenth edition of the 4K HDR Summit held in 2024.

“These tests allow us to measure real signal parameters, identify areas without coverage and optimise the quality of 4K transmission,” says the Gsertel representative, who stresses “the importance of offering reliable and continuous services“. By measuring different variables, Gsertel’s systems ensure that the signal reaching Spanish homes is clean, stable and complies with international standards. This technical work is key to ensuring that, when citizens retune their televisions, reception is optimal and uninterrupted.

Tips for finding out if your television is ready for UHD

The transition to Ultra High Definition DTT also requires a small check at home for users. Since March 2025, all new televisions sold in Spain are required to incorporate the DVB-T2 and HEVC standards, as these are the systems that allow UHD broadcasts to be received correctly. But not having a brand new television does not mean you cannot enjoy television with the highest image quality. If you have an older television, simply check the manual or technical menu to see if the standards are present. If they are not, you will only need to purchase a compatible external decoder to continue enjoying free-to-air Ultra High Definition DTT.

To facilitate the transition, households are advised to follow a brief checklist that ranges from checking compatibility in models prior to 2025 to purchasing an external decoder and then retuning channels during the initial phase of the changeover. Later, when the DVB-T2 standard becomes universal, it will be necessary to check compatibility again to ensure optimal reception.

Gsertel exhibition area during the tenth edition of the 4K HDR Summit held in 2024.

With this modernisation, Spain joins the ranks of European countries that are firmly committed to new-generation free-to-air television with sharper images, more accurate colours and improved sound. In February 2024, TVE’s La 1 became the first DTT channel in the world to begin regular broadcasts in UHD, making Spain a global leader in broadcasting with this technology. The announcement of a top-quality, free-to-air television experience at the 4K HDR Summit 2023 by Víctor Sánchez, Director of Media and Operations at TVE, together with the then Director of Audiovisual Policies, Ángel García Castillejo, paved the way for the television of the future, not only at national level, but also at European and global level.

The 4K HDR Summit 2025 is organised by Medina Media Events and supported by RTVE, Appear, Ateme, RTVA, Elecard, AJA, Axion, Aicox with Small Pixels, Google, UWA, Lawo, SES, Synamedia, Rohde & Schwarz, Eutelsat, Gsertel, Techex, Cisco, Vestel, Toshiba, JVC, Daewoo, Canon, Cellnex, Hispasat, Alfalite, Netgear, Mome, Datos Media, Telestream, Sapec, AEQ and Avixa, among others.

All conferences will be available for viewing on demand through ‘The Observatory’, Medina Media Events’ digital platform, where each conference can be viewed throughout the year, 24 hours a day, free of charge.