Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Manila Standard Today: Japanese firms lobbying for digital TV technology

The Japanese government is offering to manufacture set top boxes for the country’s transition to digital TV, an official of the National Telecommunications Commission said Monday.
NTC Deputy Commissioner Douglas Michael Mallillin told reporters that the proponents of integrated services digital broadcasting technology were intensely lobbying the government to outbid European’s digital video broadcast technology.
He said the Japanese government had already lowered the cost of set top boxes from around $40 to $11.
DVB-T proponents, meanwhile, offered set top boxes that cost between $13 and $14.
Mallillin added that “the Japanese have made a commitment that if the Japanese standard is to be awarded, they will set up a factory here in the Philippines.”
He said set top boxes to be produced in the Philippines at a cost of around P500 for over 14 million households nationwide would result in more jobs to Filipinos.
Mallillin said “if the Japanese firms up their offer and the broadcasting firms said this is what they want,” then the government will give its nod to adopt Japan’s ISDB-T. - Jeremiah F. de Guzman, dated 24 March 2010.
Source: Manila Standard Today

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