Armenia prepares to start digital TV broadcasting

The Armenian parliament has passed amendments on the law on television
and radio in the final reading, clearing the way for a switch to
digital TV and radio broadcasting, Armenia News reports.

Switching to digital broadcasting is obligatory to join the EU. The
changeover will finish on July 20, 2013. Yerevan will have 18 TV
channels and 12 radio stations with digital broadcasting in Yerevan, 9
and 4 in the regions.

The government will provide aid for families that bought a TV set
before 2005 to buy digital TV tuners. Other people will pay 50-60
dollars for the signal decoding devices. The overall expense of
switching to digital broadcasting will reach $18-30 million.