<s>
Digital	B-Device
terrestrial	I-Device
television	I-Device
in	I-Device
Australia	I-Device
commenced	O
on	O
1	O
January	O
2001	O
in	O
Sydney	O
,	O
Melbourne	O
,	O
Brisbane	O
,	O
Adelaide	O
and	O
Perth	O
using	O
DVB-T	O
standards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
phase	O
out	O
of	O
analogue	O
PAL	B-Language
transmissions	O
began	O
on	O
30	O
June	O
2010	O
and	O
was	O
completed	O
by	O
10	O
December	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Digital	B-Application
terrestrial	I-Application
television	I-Application
brought	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
enhancements	O
over	O
the	O
previous	O
analogue	O
television	O
,	O
primarily	O
higher-quality	O
picture	O
and	O
sound	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
datacasting	O
and	O
multi-view	O
services	O
such	O
as	O
video	B-Device
program	I-Device
guides	I-Device
,	O
high	B-Device
definition	I-Device
,	O
and	O
now-and-next	O
program	O
information	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
additional	O
channels	O
,	O
datacasting	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
high	B-Device
definition	I-Device
services	O
,	O
available	O
to	O
digital	B-Application
terrestrial	I-Application
television	I-Application
viewers	O
in	O
Australia	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Planning	O
for	O
digital	B-Device
terrestrial	I-Device
television	I-Device
in	I-Device
Australia	I-Device
can	O
be	O
traced	O
back	O
to	O
1993	O
,	O
when	O
a	O
group	O
of	O
specialists	O
was	O
drawn	O
from	O
the	O
then-Australian	O
Broadcasting	O
Authority	O
,	O
Department	O
of	O
Transport	O
and	O
Communications	O
,	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
broadcasters	O
and	O
manufacturers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1995	O
the	O
group	O
released	O
a	O
report	O
,	O
Digital	B-Application
Terrestrial	I-Application
Broadcasting	O
in	O
Australia	O
,	O
containing	O
the	O
preliminary	O
conclusions	O
of	O
the	O
group	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
recommended	O
that	O
Australia	O
should	O
adopt	O
a	O
single	O
system	O
following	O
detailed	O
trials	O
of	O
potential	O
systems	O
,	O
that	O
it	O
should	O
be	O
implemented	O
with	O
high	B-Device
definition	I-Device
capabilities	O
from	O
the	O
outset	O
,	O
that	O
each	O
licensed	O
commercial	O
or	O
public	O
service	O
should	O
have	O
access	O
to	O
a	O
full	O
7MHz	O
channel	O
for	O
its	O
services	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
the	O
eventual	O
termination	O
of	O
analogue	O
PAL	B-Language
services	O
should	O
be	O
driven	O
by	O
market	O
factors	O
and	O
subject	O
to	O
regular	O
review	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
commencement	O
of	O
digital	B-Application
terrestrial	I-Application
broadcasts	O
was	O
to	O
target	O
before	O
Sydney	O
hosting	O
the	O
2000	O
Summer	O
Olympics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Australian	O
Broadcasting	O
Authority	O
's	O
response	O
,	O
titled	O
Digital	B-Application
Terrestrial	I-Application
Television	I-Application
Broadcasting	I-Application
,	O
recommended	O
that	O
the	O
Australian	O
Government	O
support	O
the	O
early	O
introduction	O
of	O
digital	O
broadcasting	O
as	O
a	O
free-to-air	O
service	O
with	O
the	O
loan	O
of	O
a	O
7MHz	O
channel	O
for	O
each	O
broadcaster	O
,	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
enable	O
high-definition	B-Device
television	I-Device
from	O
the	O
outset	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
,	O
the	O
Australian	O
Subscription	O
Television	O
and	O
Radio	O
Association	O
,	O
questioned	O
the	O
commercial	O
viability	O
of	O
HDTV	B-Device
,	O
was	O
opposed	O
to	O
the	O
idea	O
of	O
multi-channeling	O
,	O
and	O
argued	O
for	O
a	O
competitive	O
system	O
that	O
would	O
allow	O
the	O
entry	O
of	O
new	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Australian	O
Broadcasting	O
Corporation	O
stated	O
that	O
it	O
wished	O
to	O
run	O
up	O
to	O
four	O
multichannels	O
at	O
different	O
times	O
of	O
the	O
day	O
or	O
alternatively	O
offer	O
an	O
HDTV	B-Device
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Digital	B-Application
terrestrial	I-Application
television	I-Application
was	O
to	O
commence	O
on	O
1	O
May	O
2000	O
to	O
coincide	O
with	O
the	O
Olympics	O
,	O
however	O
it	O
was	O
later	O
postponed	O
to	O
the	O
celebration	O
of	O
Australia	O
's	O
centenary	O
of	O
federation	O
on	O
1	O
January	O
2001	O
in	O
metropolitan	O
areas	O
,	O
with	O
expansion	O
to	O
regional	O
areas	O
to	O
have	O
been	O
completed	O
by	O
the	O
start	O
of	O
2004	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
this	O
,	O
commercial	O
broadcasters	O
would	O
be	O
required	O
to	O
provide	O
minimum	O
levels	O
of	O
high-definition	B-Device
content	O
,	O
would	O
be	O
required	O
to	O
pay	O
fees	O
if	O
they	O
chose	O
to	O
provide	O
datacast	O
services	O
and	O
would	O
be	O
prohibited	O
from	O
using	O
their	O
spectrum	O
for	O
multichanneling	O
of	O
subscription	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
18	O
June	O
1998	O
,	O
the	O
Digital	B-Application
Terrestrial	I-Application
Television	I-Application
Broadcasting	I-Application
Selection	O
Panel	O
announced	O
the	O
choice	O
of	O
the	O
European	O
DVB-T	O
system	O
for	O
digital	B-Application
terrestrial	I-Application
television	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
September	O
2007	O
,	O
the	O
three	O
commercial	O
networks	O
announced	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
high-definition	B-Device
only	O
channels	O
later	O
that	O
year	O
,	O
becoming	O
the	O
first	O
new	O
commercial	O
television	O
channels	O
to	O
launch	O
in	O
metropolitan	O
areas	O
of	O
Australia	O
since	O
1988	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
majority	O
of	O
the	O
programming	O
on	O
the	O
high-definition	B-Device
channels	O
was	O
simulcast	O
from	O
the	O
parent	O
channel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
From	O
2009	O
,	O
commercial	O
broadcasters	O
were	O
allowed	O
to	O
transmit	O
an	O
alternate	O
standard	B-Device
definition	I-Device
channel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
channels	O
(	O
VK3RTV1	O
and	O
VK3RTV2	O
)	O
are	O
transmitted	O
in	O
standard	B-Device
definition	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
service	O
included	O
at	O
launch	O
an	O
electronic	B-Device
program	I-Device
guide	I-Device
,	O
ABC	O
News	O
,	O
Sport	O
and	O
Weather	O
datacast	O
service	O
,	O
the	O
Australian	O
Christian	O
Channel	O
,	O
shopping	O
channel	O
Expo	O
and	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
federal	O
parliament	O
audio	O
streams	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Three	O
metropolitan	O
networks	O
once	O
provided	O
video	B-Device
program	I-Device
guide	I-Device
datacast	O
channels	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
their	O
standard	O
and	O
high	B-Device
definition	I-Device
channels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
a	O
minimum	O
,	O
all	O
digital	O
television	O
broadcasters	O
in	O
Australia	O
provide	O
a	O
576i	O
standard-definition	B-Device
service	O
,	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
high	B-Device
definition	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
576p50	O
format	O
is	O
also	O
considered	O
an	O
HDTV	B-Device
format	O
,	O
as	O
it	O
has	O
higher	O
vertical	O
resolution	O
through	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
progressive	B-Device
scanning	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
Australia	O
started	O
DVB-T	O
in	O
2001	O
several	O
networks	O
broadcast	O
high-definition	B-Device
in	O
a	O
576p	O
format	O
as	O
this	O
could	O
give	O
better	O
quality	O
on	O
50Hz	O
scanning	O
CRT	O
TVs	O
and	O
was	O
not	O
as	O
demanding	O
on	O
MPEG-2-bit-rate	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
many	O
modern	O
television	O
sets	O
have	O
an	O
interlace	O
to	O
progressive	B-Device
scan	I-Device
conversion	O
there	O
is	O
little	O
difference	O
in	O
picture	O
quality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Currently	O
,	O
national	O
public	O
broadcasters	O
ABC	O
and	O
SBS	O
,	O
and	O
metropolitan	O
commercial	O
networks	O
Seven	O
,	O
Nine	O
and	O
10	O
have	O
1080i	O
high	B-Device
definition	I-Device
services	O
which	O
,	O
since	O
2015	O
,	O
simulcast	O
their	O
main	O
channel	O
from	O
standard	B-Device
definition	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Quotas	O
on	O
high	B-Device
definition	I-Device
content	O
–	O
a	O
minimum	O
of	O
1040	O
hours	O
per	O
year	O
–	O
were	O
imposed	O
by	O
the	O
Australian	O
government	O
in	O
July	O
2003	O
on	O
broadcasters	O
in	O
Sydney	O
,	O
Melbourne	O
,	O
Brisbane	O
,	O
Adelaide	O
and	O
Perth	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
same	O
requirement	O
was	O
extended	O
in	O
April	O
2005	O
to	O
stations	O
in	O
Darwin	O
,	O
regional	O
New	O
South	O
Wales	O
and	O
regional	O
Queensland	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
January	O
2006	O
in	O
Mildura.As	O
of	O
13	O
July	O
2007	O
commercial	O
television	O
networks	O
in	O
Australia	O
were	O
permitted	O
to	O
provide	O
a	O
separate	O
standard	B-Device
definition	I-Device
and	O
high	B-Device
definition	I-Device
channel.As	O
of	O
January	O
2009	O
,	O
they	O
were	O
permitted	O
2	O
standard	B-Device
definition	I-Device
channels	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
the	O
high	B-Device
definition	I-Device
channel	O
–	O
the	O
networks	O
planned	O
to	O
launch	O
these	O
via	O
Freeview	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
in	O
August	O
2015	O
,	O
the	O
government	O
finally	O
lifted	O
the	O
SD	O
Primary	O
Channel	O
mandate	O
,	O
allowing	O
broadcasters	O
to	O
simulcast	O
their	O
respective	O
main	O
channel	O
programmes	O
in	O
high	B-Device
definition	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Freeview	O
devices	O
had	O
to	O
meet	O
the	O
High	B-Device
Definition	I-Device
Digital	O
TV	O
Ready	O
standard	O
.	O
</s>
