MANILA, Philippines — The shift from analog to digital television will give Filipinos a better viewing experience with clearer images and sounds plus more choices on local channels, according to Television Committee of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas (KBP) Chairman Atom Henares.
The move will also invigorate the broadcast industry to invest in new equipment to enable digital TV services and deliver more programs on different channels.
Free-TV or non-cable households comprise 90 percent of the total 17 million TV households in the country. With the new technology, each existing TV frequency in the country will be able to air up to eight free-TV channels each. This means the country could have 176 total channels from its existing 22 TV frequencies.
Analog TV was introduced in the country way back in 1953 but it was characterized by limited channel reception as well as poor quality of images and sounds.
In mid-2010, after four years of deliberating on which digital terrestrial TV (DTT) standard to adopt, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) decided that the Philippines will use the Japanese Integrated Services Digital Broadcast (ISDB).
Regulators target to come up with the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) on its nationwide adoption next month.
“It took a long time. Now, only a finalized IRR keeps us away from the technology that will revolutionize the way we broadcast,” Henares commented.
“Industry players have already invested in the new technology after the NTC circular last year. But we need the ground rules before we can convert to digital broadcast,” he said. - EVA, dated 28 May 2011, 01:36 PM.
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