Terpe
18th December 2014, 16:07
The Philippine government has set the stage for a long-overdue shift to digital television.
President Benigno Aquino last year announced that the country would use Japan's Integrated Services Digital Broadcast-Terrestrial, or ISDB-T, standard in its migration from analog TV. In another step forward, the National Telecommunications Commission on Dec. 17 published implementation rules, which take effect after 15 days.
"That means TV operators can start rolling out digital transmissions as early as Jan. 1, 2015," NTC Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba told the Nikkei Asian Review in a telephone interview.
A comprehensive migration plan, which will lay out a timetable for a complete shift to digital TV, will be released in the first half of next year, Cordoba added.
"I assume the analog shut-off will be in the next five years," he said. "By that time, all transmissions would have to be digital. Broadcasters would have to prepare."
Under the rules, authorized companies are required to simulcast their analog and digital services within a year after obtaining a permit. A broadcaster may lose its assigned frequency to another operator if it fails to do so, the regulator said.
The transition means Filipinos will have to shell out for digital TV converters, which cost around 1,000 pesos ($22), more than double the price of an analog antenna.
"In exchange, they will get better viewing quality, unlike the bad reception at present," Cordoba said.
Cordoba, citing a 2010 survey, said there were around 17 million TV sets in the Philippines, 3 million of which were subscribed to paid cable services.
The country's top broadcasters have been preparing for the big switch. ABS-CBN, the largest player, has spent at least 2 billion pesos on digital equipment.
The Philippines chose Japan's standard over European technology, following years of lobbying from both parties. The Southeast Asian nation joins Brazil and a number of other South and Central American countries that have adopted the Japanese standard.
Source algorithm
Source (http://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy/Economy/Philippines-looks-to-complete-broadcasting-transition-in-5-years )
President Benigno Aquino last year announced that the country would use Japan's Integrated Services Digital Broadcast-Terrestrial, or ISDB-T, standard in its migration from analog TV. In another step forward, the National Telecommunications Commission on Dec. 17 published implementation rules, which take effect after 15 days.
"That means TV operators can start rolling out digital transmissions as early as Jan. 1, 2015," NTC Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba told the Nikkei Asian Review in a telephone interview.
A comprehensive migration plan, which will lay out a timetable for a complete shift to digital TV, will be released in the first half of next year, Cordoba added.
"I assume the analog shut-off will be in the next five years," he said. "By that time, all transmissions would have to be digital. Broadcasters would have to prepare."
Under the rules, authorized companies are required to simulcast their analog and digital services within a year after obtaining a permit. A broadcaster may lose its assigned frequency to another operator if it fails to do so, the regulator said.
The transition means Filipinos will have to shell out for digital TV converters, which cost around 1,000 pesos ($22), more than double the price of an analog antenna.
"In exchange, they will get better viewing quality, unlike the bad reception at present," Cordoba said.
Cordoba, citing a 2010 survey, said there were around 17 million TV sets in the Philippines, 3 million of which were subscribed to paid cable services.
The country's top broadcasters have been preparing for the big switch. ABS-CBN, the largest player, has spent at least 2 billion pesos on digital equipment.
The Philippines chose Japan's standard over European technology, following years of lobbying from both parties. The Southeast Asian nation joins Brazil and a number of other South and Central American countries that have adopted the Japanese standard.
Source algorithm
Source (http://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy/Economy/Philippines-looks-to-complete-broadcasting-transition-in-5-years )