Business World: Japanese standard endorsed for use in digital TV system

THE SCIENCE and Technology department has endorsed to Malacañang the adoption of the Japanese standard for digital television in a migration plan needed to finalize long-awaited implementing rules.

"If you look at the technical details and consider the country’s [economic] condition, what we need is a Japanese model," Louis Napoleon C. Casambre, executive director of the agency’s Information and Communications Technology Office (ICTO), said in a telephone interview last Monday.

EASIER TO USE

The migration plan submitted to the Office of the President "a few weeks ago" took into consideration ease of use as well, Mr. Casambre added.

"The Japanese is a more appropriate model. While the European model has higher modulation, it has more complicated modulation techniques," he said in weighing the differences between the Japanese Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting-Terrestrial (ISDB-T) standard against Europe’s Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) technology.

Malacañang ordered the ICTO last year to draft the migration plan to aid the government in deciding which standard to use in the country’s shift to digital TV, Mr. Casambre said.

IMPLEMENTING RULES NEXT

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), which had earlier been tasked to recommend the digital TV standard, last week said it was instead waiting for President Benigno Simeon S. C. Aquino III to approve the ICTO’s migration plan.

NTC Commissioner Gamaliel A. Cordoba told BusinessWorld the economic managers will then take part in the crafting of the implementing rules and regulations since the shift to the digital platform "will have a big economic impact."

"We are just waiting for the [ICTO] and economic managers’ advice as to when will be our next meeting," he added.

Mr. Cordoba went on to echo that the Japanese model would be cheaper to implement.

"The European [model] is good technologically wise," Mr. Cordoba said.
"The Japanese [model has] has less technological advantages but it is cheaper."

PREPARED

According to, Messrs. Casabre and Cordoba, the migration plan includes the pricing of equipment that TV networks need to roll out, channel planning, and how the transition to digital TV will be implemented per area in the country.

Sought for comment, senior executives of the country’s top broadcasters said they were prepared to shift to digital TV.

"Whether it is a Japanese or a European model, we are ready. That is why we have allotted P700 million for the equipment," Rolando P. Valdueza, ABS-CBN Corp.’s chief financial officer, said at the sidelines of the company’s financial briefing last week.

"Our network upgrade has been geared [towards the adoption] of the digital television," Gilberto R. Duavit, Jr., GMA Network, Inc. president and chief operating officer, said separately in a financial briefing last week.

The ICTO endorsement backs the Kapisanan ng mga Brokaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) and an NTC technical working group’s recommendation last year to adopt the Japanese model.

KBP had said that the Japanese model is cheaper. It noted DVB-T2 set-top boxes, which are required to enable analog TV sets to receive digital signals, cost 60% more than ISDB-T boxes.

However, the House of Representatives Committee on Information and Communication Technology in March last year asked a review of which standard to adopt, arguing the upgraded European standard (DVB-2) was not assessed in the review conducted in 2010.

Mr. Cordoba said that while the first-half target will not be met for the release of the implementing rules and regulations, the issuance of such rules "will not go beyond this year." - Cliff Harvey C. Venzon, dated 23 May 2012.

Source: Business World

ABS-CBN gives name to DTV Digibox called TV+, gives each studio audience a try

Last March 22, ABS-CBN via its morning show Umagang Kay Ganda launched its digital terrestrial TV set-top box called the TV+. The TV+ is the network’s official market name of their DTV Digibox, which will be commercially available as soon as the government, particularly the NTC, gives its go signal to formally commence the digital terrestrial television in the country.

We regret to have a record out of it, but thanks to our avid follower TheSandies through his Daily Motion, he shared with us among the DTV Pilipinas followers a short clip of Umagang Kay Ganda discussing the TV+.

On the video, TV show host Andrei Felix introduced Miguel Mercado, head of ABS-CBN Digital Terrestrial TV Marketing, to compare the differences between the analog and digital TV signals. Two TV sets were tuned to same feed from Studio 23, one receiving directly from the antenna (a rabbit-ear antenna, which is common indoor antenna mostly on the urban areas) and the other is receiving from the TV+ box connected to the TV. As for analog, some interferences were visibly seen, like the snowy images and moving lines, due to high interferences of TV signals degraded by billboards and tall buildings. But for digital TV, the feed from Studio 23 looks like a feed from a DVD video, without the snowy images and lines.

    

What defines the TV+ box is it has additional premium channels coming from the ABS-CBN digital TV channel, which was officially shown last year with our article (Read it here). The TV+ is bought for a one-time fee of approximately P 2,500. As of now, ABS-CBN is under test transmission of their DTV service.

    

The TV+ package includes the TV+ box itself, an RCA audio-video connector that will be connected to the TV set, a small indoor antenna that can be magnet-ed on top of the box, and a remote control. Definitely, this TV+ will be available in the retail stores soon, once ABS-CBN has given the signal by the governing body to sell those boxes to households. Currently, the TV+ can receive available digital TV channels free-to-air like ABS-CBN, Studio 23, GEM HD and PTV. Once other TV networks go digital, they can also be received through the TV+.

After the discussion, Felix surprised their studio audience from Brgy. Socorro who each gladly receive a TV+ box to try their own of having a clear and crisp TV signal available in the future.

(To understand more about ABS-CBN’s digital terrestrial TV service, read our previous article here)

Watch the video here:

Free DTV Digibox Giveaway by DZMM made this morning

ABS-CBN Digital TV Team via DZMM gave away a free DTV Digibox on the segment of "Failon Ngayon sa DZMM", more to come this week. It is part of the network's test broadcast for digital terrestrial television.

It was part of the program’s Mahiwagang Backpack. One was asked about the impeachment trial and then he got his own DTV Digibox from DZMM. The box was given will be the actual commercial product of ABS-CBN’s 5 years of extensive research for digital TV. It will be released once the NTC gives the go signal for them to market the Digibox commercially.

ABS-CBN Digital TV is broadcasting live on UHF TV-43 in Mega Manila, in simulcast with the ABS-CBN Channel 2, Studio 23, and 5 other free TV channels packed in the spectrum.

More info to come by the end of the week.

Business World: ASEAN affirms 2015 switch to digital broadcasts

A 2015 SWITCH to digital from analog broadcasting has been affirmed by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in line with the bloc’s economic integration schedule.

Ministers who met last week in Kuala Lumpur "endorsed the ‘Guidelines for ASEAN Digital Switch-Over’ which will serve as a shared blueprint to aid all Member States in their transition towards digital broadcasting," the organization said in a statement.

The Philippines, which has yet to decide on which digital standard to adopt, will host a technical working group meeting in the next three months, a Malacañang official said.

The meeting, said Sec. Hermino B. Coloma, Jr. of the Presidential Communications Operations Office, will "flesh out a more comprehensive communication plan for the ASEAN Economic Community."

The communication plan, which will touch digital television broadcasting and social media, aims to establish a strategy for increasing public awareness on efforts to unify the culturally diverse region.

Locally, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) is said to be planning a second quarter release of implementing rules and regulations (IRR) on the digital shift.

A final choice has not been made between Japan’s integrated services digital broadcast-terrestrial (ISDB-T) and Europe’s digital video broadcasting-terrestrial 2 (DVB-T2) standards. The NTC announced that it had picked ISDB-T but Malacañang subsequently ordered a review.

Mr. Coloma said, "The President [Benigno S. C. Aquino III] directed the NTC and the Information and Communications Technology Office under the DoST (Department of Science and Technology) to formulate a migration plan from analogue to digital regardless of what standard may be adopted".

"The member countries [of ASEAN] are free to adopt the standard that is in accordance to their requirements," Mr. Coloma claimed.

The ASEAN statement, however, noted that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) had described DVB-T2 as a "more advanced technology ... and acknowledge[d] the benefits of migrating directly to DVB-T2".

"The ministers also noted that the ADB will be developing common specifications for DVB-T2 receivers to enjoy economies of scale," it said. – EJD, dated 04 March 2012, 10:49 PM

Source: Business World

Malaya: NTC targets release of DTT migration rules in second half

THE National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) is set to issue by the second half of the year the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) governing the migration from analog to digital terrestrial television (DTT).

Gamaliel Cordoba, NTC commissioner, said the regulator would issue the IRR after it completes the migration plan and finalizes which standard is best suited for the country.

The NTC and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) are expected to complete the migration plan in early April.

The rules were supposed to have been issued in June last year, a year after the NTC released Memorandum Circular No. 02-06-2010 choosing Japan’s integrated services digital broadcast-terrestrial (ISDB-T) as the country’s sole standard for DTT.

But Malacañang ordered NTC to conduct another review of the European and Japanese standards to find out which of them is better technically and in terms of cost-effectiveness.

The NTC set up a technical working group composed of stakeholders in the television broadcast industry, including the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) to formulate the IRR for DTT.

Based on the technical working group’s quotation last year, the ISDB-T receiver ranges from $20.50 to $55 per unit, cheaper than the Europe’s digital video broadcasting-terrestrial 2 (DVB-T2), which costs $33.50 to $62.

More than the features of ISDB, the Philippines is seen to benefit from adopting the Japanese standard as Japan has promised to give financial and technical support to the country’s smooth transition to digital TV.

KBP, together with its major broadcast member-firms ABS-CBN Corp. and TV5, favor the Japanese standard because it operates using the affordable set-top boxes.

ABS-CBN and other KBP members Net 25, RPN, IBC 13, Channel 4 and SBN have all undertaken test broadcasts of ISDB-T.

ABS-CBN has soft-launched its digital TV services called DTV, which will help improve its signal and reception.

The network is estimated to spend P3 billion for migration to digital TV, of which it had spent P500 million for the transmitter, acquisitions and film rights.

GMA Network Inc., which is not a member of KBP, prefers Europe’s DVB-T2. The company said its equipment are digital ready so it can migrate any time the regulator gives its go-signal to start migration to digital.

GMA has allocated P600 million for digital TV.

Digital TV is a system of broadcasting and receiving digital sound and video signals that require a specially designed and more advanced TV set than the traditional analog box.

DTT allows a broadcast network to deliver multiple programs on a single channel using one transmitter, so consumers can watch the programs earlier aired at their own time.

The Philippines will be the first in Asia to adopt the Japanese standard for digital TV. Besides Japan, other countries that adopted ISDB-T were Brazil, Peru, Chile, Venzuela, Ecuador, Costa Rica and Paraguay.

The country plans to migrate from analog to digital TV by 2015. – by Myla Iglesias, dated 27 February 2012

Source: Malaya

Business World: Decision on digital TV standard seen by mid-2012

Our first news article for 2012 is simply talking that “history repeats itself”. Last year on the same month, we’ve gone into NTC’s decision on finalizing the country’s migration to digital terrestrial TV standard. And then the delay had happened.

Finally, the National Telecommunications Commission is now ready to concretize the details on the Philippines’ plan for the DTV migration. With the help of DOST, the agencies are furnishing every aspect of the migration plan. We therefore again expecting June of this year, hope it’ll work through. Read the article after the break.

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) may arrive at a final decision on which digital television standard to use in the second half of this year, as it has yet to finish a migration plan needed before choosing a standard.

This, as the digital TV migration plan is expected to be completed within the first half of the year, Gamaliel A. Cordoba, NTC commissioner, told BusinessWorld in a phone interview on Friday.

“After finishing the digital TV migration plan, we can move on to choosing the standard. [We’re] hoping we can decide [on a standard] in the second half,” Mr. Cordoba said.

Last August, an NTC technical working group recommended before the agency the adoption of the Japanese Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting-Terrestrial (ISDB-T) standard rather than the European Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) technology.

After the NTC decides on which digital TV standard to adopt and issues the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) for the technology, broadcasting firms can start rolling out the digital signals alongside analog signals.

This, however, will have to wait until the digital TV migration plan is finished.

“The Department of Science and Technology, assisted by by NTC, is formulating the migration plan from analog TV to digital,” Mr. Cordoba said.

“We hope [the migration plan] will be finished within the first half of the year,” he added.

Last November, the NTC decided to formulate a digital TV migration plan before deciding on which standard to use.

“Through the migration plan, we will be able to foresee issues that may come up in the implementation of the country’s shift to digital TV,” Mr. Cordoba said.

The plan will also include a timetable for the implementation of the shift to digital TV and a listing on how much the government, broadcasting firms, and the public are projected to spend, Mr. Cordoba said.

Government will be spending for the spectrum auction of TV signals, the broadcasting firms will spend for the needed infrastructure in rolling out digital TV signals, and the public will need to purchase set-top boxes or new TV sets, Mr. Cordoba previously said.

In 2010, the country aimed to complete the shift to digital TV by 2015, but the NTC in August last year said it may move the target to a later date as the implementation has been long delayed.

In June 2010, NTC, following unanimous industry support, chose Japan’s standard as the country’s digital TV platform over Europe’s DVB technology.

However, the House Committee on Information and Communication Technology, in March 2011, encouraged a review of which standard to adopt, since the upgraded European standard (DVB-2) was not assessed in last year’s review.

The NTC, then, conducted another review and in August 2011, a technical working group of the agency recommended the adoption of the Japan ISDB-T standard.

Aside from Japan, the ISDB-T has been widely adopted in South America.

Meanwhile, the DVB-2 technology has been adopted in Europe, states in South Africa, India, Singapore, and Sri Lanka among others. On the other hand, there are 119 countries that have adopted the first generation European standard, according to the DVB Project Web site. – Kathleen A. Martin, dated 23 January 2012, 12:05 AM

Source: Business World

Business World: Digital TV rules out next year

The regulatory body tackling the digital terrestrial TV rules states the Implementing Rules and Regulations roll-out on the first half of 2012. The National Telecommunications Commission is set to update the IRR adding the Migration Plan, a timetable of dates regarding the gradual DTT migration on urban and rural areas. Covering up also are the economic plans for the set top boxes and receivers that will be sold as DTT starts. Read the article after the jump.

THE NATIONAL Telecommunications Commission (NTC) may issue the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) on the country’s digital television standard within the first half of next year, an official said earlier this week.

This, as the NTC said it will need to add a “migration plan” in the IRR, which was planned to be issued last April.

“We might not finish it (the IRR) by year-end because we will be adding a migration plan from analog to digital TV,” Gamaliel A. Cordoba, NTC Commissioner, said in a telephone interview.

“It might [come out] within the first half [of next year],” he added.

The migration plan, he said, will provide the timetable of implementation of the digital TV standard.

“It will also contain how much the government, broadcasting firms and the public will need or are projected to spend,” Mr. Cordoba explained further.

Government will be spending for the spectrum auction of TV signals, broadcast firms will spend for infrastructure needed to roll out digital TV signals, while the public will need to purchase set-top boxes or new TV sets, Mr. Cordoba noted.

Moreover, the migration plan will delve into how transition to digital TV will be implemented per area in the country.

“We will consider whether to roll out [digital TV signals] in an urban area first...or to roll out in different areas at the same time,” Mr. Cordoba said.

An NTC technical working group in August had already recommended the adoption of the Japanese Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting-Terrestrial (ISDB-T) standard.

However, NTC has yet to render a final decision, Mr. Cordoba said.

In June last year, NTC, citing industry support, chose Japan’s standard as the country’s digital TV platform over the European Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) technology.

However, the House of Representatives Committee on Information and Communication Technology last March encouraged a review of which standard to adopt, arguing the upgraded European standard (DVB-2) was not assessed in last year’s review. – Kathleen A Martin, dated 18 November 2011.

Source: Business World

Malaya: NTC shelves digital TV IRR issuance

So much for the migration plan, the delay is somewhat beneficial to GMA Network, the only broadcaster who voted for European' DVB-T2 standard, according to its Chairman and CEO Atty. Felipe Gozon. Meanwhile, ABS-CBN’s Chief Finance Officer (CFO) Rolando Valdueza said that the network will have no problem switching their system to DVB-T2 whenever the government still opted for the European standard.

On a lighter note, the only thing awaited is the migration plan to be included in the Implementing Rules and Regulation. Read the whole article after the break.

The much-awaited issuance of the implementing rules and regulation (IRR) on Digital Terrestrial Television will most likely not happen this year.

Gamaliel Cordoba, commissioner of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), told Malaya Business Insight in a phone interview that the government had asked the NTC, along with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), to make a "migration plan" for the smooth shift from analog to digital TV.

Cordoba said that the migration plan must be included in the IRR.

"The migration plan will be included in the IRR," Cordoba said, adding that the issuance will probably happen by early next year.

The rules were originally scheduled for release in June this year, a year after NTC released Memorandum Circular No. 02-06-2010 which sets the standards for digital TV broadcast service.

NTC has chosen Japan’s Integrated Services Digital Broadcast-Terrestrial (ISDB-T) as the country’s sole standard for DTT, but the new administration asked the NTC to conduct another review.

The government wants the NTC to compare between European and Japanese standards and find out which is better for the country in terms of technical and cost effectiveness.

Although the country has chosen Japanese standards over the European, the government has yet to sign a formal agreement with Japan. .

The NTC has established a technical working group composed of stakeholders of the television broadcast industry, including the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP), for the formulation of the implementing rules and regulation for DTT.

KBP and its members were in favor of Japanese standard because of its affordable set-top boxes and the assistance that the Japanese government promised the Philippines.

Some TV networks have undertaken test broadcasts of digital broadcast using ISDB-T, namely ABS-CBN, Net 25, RPN, IBC 13, Channel 4 and SBN.

But GMA Network Inc., a KBP non-member, preferred Europe’s Digital Video Broadcasting-Terrestrial 2 (DVB-T2).

Despite the broadcast firms’ different views, the country’s top 3 broadcast stations (GMA, ABS-CBN and TV5) have been investing for the digitalization of their network.

ABS-CBN has estimated to spend P3 billion for migration to Digital TV, P500 million of which have already been spent for the transmitter, acquisitions and film rights, according to Rolando Valdueza, the company’s chief finance officer.

Among the three broadcast network, ABS-CBN through its cable network Sky Cable, introduced its DTV services last May, ahead of its competitors.

The DTV boxes are priced one-time at P2,500 with five free channels and better signal.

The network has conducted test broadcast for the DTT using ISDB-T in Mexico in Pampanga and the towns of San Miguel, San Ildefonso and San Rafael in Bulacan.

Valdueza said that although the company started to conduct a test using Japanese technology, if the government reversed its decision in favor of European standard, it "will have no major impact on the company."

He added that another three to six months delay in issuances of IRR is still "doable".

The delay, however, works in the favor of the GMA Network Inc.

Felipe Gozon, GMA chairman and CEO, said that the delay in the issuance of the IRR has no impact on his company.

"It is good for us. Our people here cannot yet afford [set-top box], you have to give them time, for them to accept the Digital transition were talking to millions of customers," Gozon said.

GMA has allocated P600 million for digital TV.

He stressed, however, that GMA’s equipment are digital ready.

The DTT allows the broadcast network to deliver multiple programs on single channel, using one transmitter, so consumers can watch the programs earlier aired at their own time.

This will also pave the way for the introduction of the mobile TV services, allowing users to watch the station’s TV program via phone.

The Philippines will be the first in Asia to adopt the Japanese standard for digital TV. – Myla Iglesias, dated 16 November 2011

Source: Malaya

The IECEP Exhibition 2011 Rundown

Last November 3 to 5, the Institute of Electronics Engineers of the Philippines (IECEP) conducted its annual conference, exposition and exhibition at the SMX Convention Center, SM Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City. The premiere organization of the country’s electronics engineers once again highlighted some of the best talks for the continuous efforts on profession’s education. Aside from that, alongside with the seminars, the IECEP showcased exhibitors from the top companies from the broadcast, telecommunications and networking systems, digital electronics and other related fields of electronics engineering.

For DTV Pilipinas, we joined the group of the Society of Broadcast Engineers and Technicians of the Philippines or SBETP under Engr. John Achilles Denna, the organization’s secretary. Aside from him, the former president and the man who brought ISDB-T here in the Philippines, Engr. James Santiago, is also present in the said event to represent his company, Village Island, one of the three companies who made the new PTV and Gem HD’s datacasts possible. Among those companies under the SBETP booth were the Integrated Services for Digital Television (ISDTV), the Philippines’ future digital terrestrial television tagging, Village Island, Eagle World Development (EWD), Access Co. Ltd., and Itochu Cable.

The whole booth of the SBETP features the ISDB-T, or the Integrated Services Digital Broadcast, the country’s digital terrestrial television standard adopted from Japan last 11 June 2010. The SBETP, along with the KBP, are known to be supportive of the ISDB-T since its arrival in 2008. Itochu Cable highlights some of the broadcast’s cabling systems like the channel distribution, automated video playout, multi-screen and cable internet. They also feature some of the ways in digital TV broadcasting.

From Access Co. Ltd. under Mr. Hideoki Carlos Ito and Mr. Susumu Sato, they showcased the company’s efforts on trialing data broadcast through Gem HD and PTV’s digital TV channels. With data broadcast, or simply datacast, a user can check out the latest data information real-time on TV while watching programs. These datacasts are broadcasted in simulcast with the video streams of a TV station.

They also do the efforts of simulating a digital TV broadcast transmission using their own transmitter system. While broadcasting, Mr. Sato calibrates the transmission’s streams and data broadcast while we’re checking their booth. Along with the transmission were featuring the Sharp Aquos Phone 923SH from Softbank (which will have us a review soon), and a PlayStation Portable (PSP) with 1seg TV tuner connected on the game console. Those devices shows the Access’ data broadcast streams on 1seg phones. Beneath the booth is a 32” Sharp Aquos Quattron TV connected to a full-seg set-top box from Eagle World Development (EWD), showing the full-seg SD stream broadcasted and the datacast on a television.

What wowed us was the Eagle World Development’s booth of the company’s CEO, Mr. Kenji. The company showcased some of the ISDB-T digital TV receivers they will be offering in the near future once the digital television has been commenced. Some of their receivers were set-top boxes, all capable of receiving high-definition (HD) television broadcast through HDMI, and also features datacast and Emergency Warning Broadcast System (EWBS), the most essential feature of the ISDB-T. Though the EWBS haven’t been demonstrated yet publicly, even inside the IECEP exhibition, we were told by Mr. Kenji that those boxes will surely be capable of receiving emergency warnings when a TV network will once tested the service. Sadly, only one set-top boxes were seen in the booth, but we expect to have them in the next IECEP exhibition. Two of them we want to see is the ISDB-T/DVB-S combo box and the set-top box with Wi-Fi dongle support, which can be used for return channels of datacast streams.

They have the prototype of the full-seg ISDB-T mobile TV tuner for vehicles. It has a dual TV tuner inside, though we forgot to ask how do those work since they only show the tuner itself without trials, capable of receiving high-definition (HD) television broadcast but it doesn’t have an HDMI port. What it has is a D-Tanshi connector, a popular television port in Japanese TV sets, which is also capable of carrying HD signals over its connection. Along with the D-connectors are the popular analog RCA I/O ports and two antenna ports. It also has a mini-BCAS or the Broadcast Conditional Access System card slot, which is used for encrypted television channels usually offered by pay-TV services, a USB slot used for firmware upgrade, and an infra-red connector for remote controls.

A portable TV is also present in the EWD’s booth. This device includes 1seg mobile TV shown in a 5” TFT LCD screen. It can handle popular music, photo and video files. It also has FM transmitter for car stereos and games for touchscreen but the prototype doesn’t have any. E-books are also readable by the tablet, but it only supports TXT file, which we expect it supports Adobe PDF files. What unique feature it has is the GPS navigation system. Badly, the GPS cannot be tracked inside the SMX since it is heavily-shielded. It contains MicroSD and SDHC slot, 3.5 mm. earphone jack, a 3.5 mm. video-out jack and a mini-USB port on the side.

Next in the package is a tiny square 1seg USB TV tuner connected on a netbook. It is quite smaller compared to a five-peso coin (as shown below). The tuner has a vertical coax whip antenna with a mini-F-type connector at the end of the line. It has remote control in the package, and a mini-disc as its software inclusion. The software is currently in evaluation version, but once it is marketed, the software included will be finally licensed as for EWD. The software can support timeshifting and recording 1seg programs on the computer, apart from EPG support.

Last but not the least, is the prototypes of the EWD 1seg phones which we featured months ago via ISDB-T Philippines Facebook page. It comes in black and fuchsia pink, and is quite similar to those from MyPhone, Cherry Mobile and Torque since its UI is almost the same to Shanzai’s. It has a tactile QWERTY keyboard, 2.2” QCIF-resolution LCD screen, a single VGA camera (which is contrary to what it is written on the poster) with LED flash, a loud speaker with built-in K-Digital audio amplifier insider (well, we don’t know what’s that either), and most of all, it features a quad-SIM capability on a quadband GSM network. It does support popular music and video files and far more is it has dual TV tuner inside, one for analog NTSC and one for digital 1seg ISDB-T.

On the UI, the ATV (analog TV) and DTV (digital TV) were separated from each other. We think it is better to make those reception combined in one application, but the phones are still prototypes, and may be subjected to change. Both the analog and digital TV tuner scanning were quite fast (but in fact, the real theory is analog should scan faster than digital since the latter requires signal decoding and synchronization). The sound is superb, though it breaks when it reaches its max level. But thanks to 3.5 mm. earphone jack, any type of headsets can be supported by the phone. The phone has a micro-USB port, which can be used for computer data transfer and power charging. It is tentatively and approximately cost around P 4,000 to P 5,000 in the market when officially available.

After we’ve seen those devices, we we’re able to talk to some of the people around the booth, especially with Mr. Kenji of EWD. We exchanged some ideas, and he’s very open to our suggestions. Particularly, we’re hoping for a full-seg USB TV tuner for PCs and laptops since most of the people now are into mobility. Apart from that, we’ve also suggested to have a 1seg phone dongle for any mobile phones that will support digital TV. Mr. Kenji said that EWD will also have a prototype of the full-seg USB TV tuner soon. Luckily, he gave the tiny 1seg TV tuner to Admin-3 after the exhibition as a present since we’ve supported the EWD’s drive in the exhibition that whole day.

Aside from that, we have also the chance to talk to Mr. Sato of Access Co. Ltd. about the datacast, and we reminded of Gem HD’s datacast over 1seg, since only PTV had changed totally its whole data broadcast from full-seg to 1seg. He said the concern will be fully polished soon since Gem HD’s side is open for an upgrade and the service is still in trial.

Cutting the whole story short, the whole IECEP exhibition was more fun than last year’s. The campaign for ISDB-T and the road to digital terrestrial television is being strengthened as early as today for us to being educated and informed in the future’s forthcoming. People passed by the booth were amazed of the technology and we even had a chance to explain how it works, and they believed to what DTV has to succeed. Next up will be the KBP Top Level Management that will be held at Clark, Pampanga on the next week and we expect another showcasing of receivers and transmission system for digital broadcast of the future.

For more images, please visit our DTV Pilipinas Facebook page.

PTV-4 data broadcast revamp; almost look like Gem HD’s

With the revamp of Gem HD’s data broadcast almost a month ago, People’s Television Network (formerly National Broadcasting Network) Channel 4 also got a revamp of their datacast in line with the current upgrades of the government television station since President Aquino’s State of the Nation Address.

Powered by Access, Village Island and Zoomya, PTV-4’s former data broadcast was presented in plain gray color, showing some of the network’s program IDs below the live TV stream. On the sidebar right of the live program, it shows, NBN’s logo, current date and time, headline news and weather updates.

Going revamped, today’s PTV datacast now stuns in dazzling red, with signboard and current date and time on top. Sidebar goes left, showing off the logos of those three companies who made PTV-4’s datacast more beautiful. Below is a feed from PTV’s Twitter account (@PTVph), which almost look familiar with Gem HD’s datacast, providing MMDA’s Twitter stream. News headlines are also below its live program feed, same from Gem. This is because Access was also the one who made the new look of Gem HD’s datacast.

The datacast feature is only one of the key features of the Japanese ISDB-T standard, the country's future official DTV standard.

Take a look of the photos courtesy of Ms. Cashmere Balisa of People’s Television Network.

A teaser to ABS-CBN Digital Television service; queries from DTV Pilipinas followers answered

A month ago, we were invited by the ABS-CBN DTT Department for their media conference to highlight the network’s test broadcast on selected households at Pampanga. We regret to join the mediacon since we’ve been busy those days but we’re able to catch up with the hype as the network sent us a PR on the same day. Sadly, it’s been better if we joined the club to witness how ABS-CBN trialled their DTT primer outside the Metro with the use of our gadgets and devices which are DTV-capable.

ABS-CBN didn’t gave up on inviting for us to behold what they’ve doing these days in carrying out tests while the government still hasn’t releasing yet the rules for DTT migration. Days after the mediacon, we’ve been invited for a lunch meeting with them, to discuss some matters.

For us, it’s been a pleasure to be invited and yet we’ve been very lucky with ABS-CBN within the first year run of DTV Pilipinas, since we’ve done an interview for ANC’s Future Perfect episode last April and then this. Getting packed up; we’ve compiled some of the queries from our followers on Facebook and Twitter to build some rapport.

Sadly, too much excitement hangs us up; we got 30 minutes late on the said meeting. Sorry and thanks to them, we were still warmly welcomed by two of the department’s men, Sir John and Sir JP. Sir John was the one who called us up and invite us for the mediacon; he’s very glad about how we take in-charge the DTV Pilipinas community, along with Sir JP. They are under Sir Miguel Mercado’s unit, the man behind the ABS-CBN DTV Marketing Management.

We were at the Restaurant 9501 at the ELJCC Bldg. for our lunch meeting. The food was great; though we almost think about how pricey they are. After the tasty food experience, they’ve showed us the mediacon’s presentation.

ABS-CBN has been testing their digital terrestrial television (DTT) service since August in the general Central Luzon Area. For the past 5 years of intensive research, ABS-CBN has come up to embrace the ISDB-T platform. The service is mostly prior to the receiver’s cost since trials were established within Class D-E households.

Integrated Services Digital Broadcast – Terrestrial, or ISDB-T, is Japan’s digital TV standard which is capable of transmitting up to 8 channels per frequency. With the advent of the new DTT standard – the European’s second generation Digital Video Broadcast – Terrestrial or DVB-T2 – ISDB-T still overpowers DVB-T2 when it comes to commerciality of the receiver. DVB-T2, on the other hand, is capable of beaming 14 channels per frequency, which is too much for the Philippines’ free TV landscape. Besides, roughly few networks are only capable of offering multiple programming to viewers. Receivers are priced at approximately P 2,500 for ISDB-T compared to an approximately P5, 000 for a DVB-T2 set top box.

Last August, the National Telecommunications Commission finally decided to go with ISDB-T, as well as recommended by the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas or KBP. Though the standard needs to be officially adopted and rules should be issued among broadcasters, ABS-CBN is very ready to deploy its DTT service especially throughout the areas where the signals are very weak.

Aside from those facts, some were too intimate to talk about now. After the short presentation, a short yet informative AVP was also showed to us. Then afterwards, we went on with a roundtable discussion of our queries.

DTVPH: Our first question is [from Bryan Carmona and Nico Castro] may specific date na po ba ang ABS-CBN for DTT?

ABS-CBN DTV is just waiting for the IRR from the government. Once that comes out, we’ll be ready to commercially launch.

DTVPH: Bakit hindi ginawa ng katulad sa GEM na kahit yung Channel 2 at Studio 23, may trial broadcast sa Metro?

ABS-CBN is already doing its test broadcast in Pampanga and Bulacan. We’ve also powered up our transmitter here in the Metro area covering certain portions of Q.C.

DTVPH: About naman po sa sub-channels. [From Mikki Eugenio] anong difference sa programming between those [digital] free TV channels sa cable channels.

There will be some channels which will be different from that of the cable channels and there will be channels that will remain the same. You’ll get to see and better appreciate these in more detail once we commercially launch our channels.

DTVPH: May nakita akong video sa YouTube na, former name niya ay SineBox. Bakit po naging CineMo?

The channel underwent extensive marketing research and this is the current name we have for the channel.

DTVPH: Does CineMo contain mixed contents, for example, Tagalog and English movies?

Yes, the channel will have mixed content but will be more dominant in Filipino movies.

DTVPH: There are a lot of fans who are eyeing for not only English, but for Asian movies.

This is something that we’re very much aware of and we are exploring how we’ll address this.

DTVPH: Will these channels [be running] 24/7?

Not all channels will be running for 24 hours. Some will run close to 20 hours a day.

DTVPH: Pwede rin po kasi yung salitan with ANC so there will be a balance mix [of news programming]

Right now, we’re sticking with our plan to solely air our news channel for ABS-CBN DTV. The inclusion of ANC is something that we can definitely explore in the future.

DTVPH: About again sa 24/7, for DZMM, we all want all-around news, from day and night. Kung may sign-on/sign-off siya...

Again, we’re following the programming schedule our selected news channel. We recognize however this demand from the market and this is something we can explore in the future.

DTVPH: For Yey, the programming will be mixed Japanese and Western. Pero nung nakita nila na parang maglalagay ng live action kids program, medyo nagkaroon ng concern ng konti. So paano po ang magiging programming ng Yey?

ABS-CBN DTV’s all-day animation channel is set to show cartoons which is the majority of the channel’s content. Yes, it will include some live action content but we will continue to address the needs kids market. More of the programming details will be revealed once we launch.

DTVPH: So how about asking [from Mikki Eugenio] bakit walang sports sub-channel? Will it be renegated to Studio 23?

ABS-CBN is already taking care of the Filipino people’s sports needs by showing these on Channel 2 and Studio 23. For example, we showed last season’s NBA Finals early this year on Channel 2. We felt that a sports channel is not needed at this point but this is an option we can explore in the future.

DTVPH: [From Nene Rb] Is the DTV Digibox now available?

As mentioned earlier, the box is not yet available for commercial release due to the pending IRR from the government. We have selected test broadcast communities however with households already using a test version of the box.

DTVPH: About naman po sa DTV Digibox [from Rom Marquez] ano daw po ang ibang features ng DTV Digibox?

The ABS-CBN DTV box has the capability to receive digital transmission and can be connected to any TV. This will give the consumer digital clear picture and sound plus 5 additional premium channels.

DTVPH: Nagiging misconception kasi for DTV Digibox is it will be like SkyCable's Digibox, parang will it have yung mga function na recording, ganun?

No, the ABS-CBN DTV box will not be capable of recording as it is a different box from that of Sky Cable’s.

DTVPH: The final cost of the box…

The commercial cost of the box is P2,500 with no monthly fee needed.

DTVPH: We've seen the report on TV Patrol and Bandila, we have observed that there is no HDMI port on the box; will ABS-CBN release an HD version of the box for consumers who have LCD TVs?

The current box cannot support HD. As for future versions, this is something we can definitely explore.

DTVPH: Pero generally, [from Karl Aguilar] does ABS-CBN have plans on going HD?

ABS-CBN going HD is definitely something we can explore doing in the future.

DTVPH: Iniisip po namin kung ire-renegade or ilalagay na lang ang ABS-CBN HD sa SkyCable.

This is something we can consider and explore in the future.

DTVPH: But it can decode HD signal right? For example GEM HD.

That’s right, the box can decode HD but the output of GEM TV is still SD. This is so because our box does not have an HDMI port.

DTVPH: Pag nag-release din po yung ibang network ng boxes nila, will it affect your market?

Yes, in effect if the other networks release their own box, depending on certain specs and offerings, these will most likely be in direct competition in our box.

DTVPH: In the United Kingdom and New Zealand they have this thing called Freeview, parang collaboration ito ng lahat ng channels. Bakit hindi po ganun ang gawin niyo?

The reason why the collaboration happened is the governments in these respective countries mandated that all channel providers will give their content to one box supplier. Here in the Philippines, it’s a different case.

DTVPH: So parang in the end, sa government, sa IRR pa rin manggagaling [yung rules]?

Yes, on top on what DTT system to use, the IRR will dictate all the rules for the digital migration of the country.

DTVPH: Kung magkakaroon din po ng Freeview na for example, si kabila, maglalabas din ng premium channels, and then meron din akong company na gusto ko, yung box, kukunin ko yung premium niyo, yung premium nila, para po sa isang box ko, sama-sama sila. Are you open for that? Then share the money [with the broadcasters]?

We doubt that that is going to be a possibility here in the Phlippines. If that is actually going to happen, then we can explore how ABS-CBN will deal with that situation.

DTVPH: Now we’re talking about the ISDB-T features, like GEM and NBN right now are focusing on datacasting, or the data broadcast. [From Red Mendoza], is ABS also going datacasting?

For the version of the box during commercial release, the answer is no. But that’s something we can definitely explore in the future.

DTVPH: Though some people suggest na ang gawin nila for example sa Teleradyo, for digital-TV version, will be fullscreen but the datacast will handle the graphics and info.

That’s a good suggestion. Again, it’s something we can explore in the future.

DTVPH: And then the Emergency Warning System [also from Red Mendoza]

We understand that the EWS is an essential component of the ISDB-T technology and this is something we are aiming to take full advantage of. We’ll be exposing details of this more once we launch commercially.

DTVPH: Paano po yung magiging siste ng broadcast ng ABS in the future pag na-fully launched na ang DTV; paano po yung mga regional stations [from Eddie Tadiaman and Jo Cano]?

The regional areas covered by ABS-CBN will also be able to use the box and the benefits of digital television.

DTVPH: Kasi iniisip po kasi nila is biglang ipalabas sa regional is yung national [programming]...

That is something that we will manage internally to ensure that the regional areas will still receive their local programs along ABS-CBN DTV’s new content.

DTVPH: Hindi po ba magkakaroon ng interference [between regional stations]?

We intend to give our viewers the best service so that’s something we will manage. We’ll be assuring our viewers that they will be getting the clear digital signal they paid for.

DTVPH: Very last sir, can we test the box in the future? [Laughs]

Yes, rest assured once we commercially launch, your team will be one of the first to receive a box from us.

DTVPH: When will ABS fix their 1seg (the mobile broadcast)?

While that’s not in my scope, I’ll make sure to relay the message to our team so they can remedy the situation.

DTVPH: About EPG (Electronic Program Guide), will it be available?

Yes, the EPG will be available on our product.

DTVPH: And then meron din po siya nung may reminder function, yung automatically lilipat? Sa SkyCable po kasi, sa lahat ng digital TV boxes, may schedule function na if you want to watch channels at [a certain time]...

Our EPG will have various features and these will all be revealed to you soon once we commercially launch.

DTVPH: Ok lang po ba sa inyo kung lahat ng TV channels ay maging unified for digital TV?

That would be the ideal scenario. It’s inevitable that the Philippines will shift to Digital Television. I think it would be better if all networks will work together to see that this dream finally become a reality.

Devant shows off ABS-CBN DTV in the Metro

Known LCD TV manufacturer Devant, which claims to be the 1st among other TV brands that has an integrated ISDB-T digital TV tuner, shows off the current DTV line-up on Mega Manila. Through its thorough channel scanning, we found out that ABS-CBN is now beaming digital signals throughout the Metro using UHF Channel 43. Among those being scanned were the main ABS-CBN, its UHF channel Studio 23, and those five premium channels Cine Mo!, Yey!, Knowledge Channel, DZMM Teleradyo and Myx 2.

In line with the channel scanning, ABS-CBN uses the local channel numbering (LCN), or what we call virtual channeling, of Channel 11. ABS-CBN, on Channel 11.16, Studio 23 on 11.17, and the five premium channels above located at 11.18, 11.21, 11.22, 11.23 and 11.24 respectively. But prior to those premium channels of the network, those were not being shown on the Devant LED LCD TV since those premium channels are only accessed through the DTV Digibox, the ABS-CBN’s set top box brand.

What we were amazed is that ABS-CBN makes use of Electronic Programme Guide (EPG), the first among current digital free TV broadcasters Gem HD and PTV. With EPG, the name of the show being aired can be retrieved through data broadcast, even those programs that will be aired for the rest of the day, and even those programs that will be broadcasted for next week. For Devant, only the current show being aired is only retrieved.

Previously, we had our follower Daryl Bincal, who shared us a photo that the Devant LED LCD TV now shows ABS-CBN on digital free TV, aside from Gem HD and PTV (former NBN).

And to prove his contribution, we went to Trinoma Mall at Quezon City and talked to the Devant customer representatives about this matter. They gladly discussed about it somehow and we’ve posted a video showing the channels being accessed by the said Devant LED LCD TV.

Fore more information, kindly visit our updated DTV Pilipinas Digital Free TV Channel Listing.

DTV Pilipinas’ Digital Free TV Channel Listing (as of 26 October 2011)

Japan MIC: Republic of Maldives adopted ISDB-T; second Asian country to do so

Its official! The Republic of Maldives wowed us as they officially adopt ISDB-T as the country’s DTV standard. Through the state-run Maldives Broadcasting Corporation or MNBC, Maldives decided to go ISDB-T in the afternoon of October 19, 2011 with signing of the Memorandum of Agreement between Japan and Maldives.

Geographically, Maldives is a small island in the Indian Ocean. In fact, ISDB-T is very appropriate to Maldives’ situation since the country is prone to disasters like tsunamis and earthquakes. ISDB-T has what we call the Emergency Warning System to broadcast emergency alarms through television signals over the air.

Below is the current status quo of the digital terrestrial television around the world. As of now, Maldives is the second Asian country to adopt ISDB-T, next to Philippines back 11 June 2010 – dated 19 October 2011.

Source: Japan Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications

DTV Pilipinas’ Digital Free TV Channel Listing (as of 20 October 2011)

Office of the President: Aquino commits to settle digital TV issue by early 2012

It was foretold that the Malacanang is ready to issue an executive order regarding the official adoption of the Japanese ISDB-T digital terrestrial TV standard before President Aquino flies to Japan. But since then, the office wasn’t too ready because of economic timing and second thoughts.

Now, President Aquino commits to settle the digital terrestrial TV standard by early next year. It will be a short delay, but we are still expecting for the good. Hope that the government settle this issue without introducing again anything. Back last month, the National Telecommunications Commission, the governing body set to adopt the official DTTV standard, finally choses ISDB-T over the European DVB-T2.

One thing that we also read in this article was the concern regarding the Philippines’ adoption of Betamax standard against the VHS. We mean, it is just like comparing onions to fruits. Betamax and VHS are recording standards; it may also be connected to TV broadcast but still, broadcast standards are way too different to compare with the first. Read the article after the break.

TOKYO, Japan: President Benigno Aquino III made an assurance that the Philippines will soon complete its technical evaluation of its digital television format in the first quarter of 2012.

During a roundtable discussion between President Aquino and Japanese leaders, Marubeni Corp., one of Japan’s major companies raised its concerns over the Digital TV issue in the Philippines, Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Sonny Coloma, Jr. said in a media briefing in Tokyo.

Coloma said that the President told Marubeni that the National Telecommunication Commission is still in the process of evaluating the issue given the rapid developments in communications technology.

Coloma said that when the issue was first raised last year, the dominant standard was the European standard. There was a Europe I standard and since then a Europe II standard has also come up and the President pointed out that the Philippines in the past adopted the betamax standard when the rest of the world had the VHS format, he said.

Settling the standard issues is the reason why the President wants a more deliberate technical evaluation process to ensure that there will be no disruption in the social or cultural aspect, Coloma explained.

“The President mentioned that watching television is a major activity among our people, even citing that during the political campaign, the schedule of rallies at night had to be synchronized with the schedule of the popular telenovelas,” Coloma said.

“He said we don’t want any disruption arising from technology mismatch and this is why he said that the process is still ongoing. He mentioned that the decision on the technical evaluation would be completed by the first quarter of 2012,” he added.

Top executives of Marubeni met the President Tuesday committing several big ticket projects in the country in partnership with major Philippine companies like San Miguel Corp. and Aboitiz Group of Companies. – dated 28 September 2011.

Source: Office of the President News Desk

Business World: Investments, stronger ties touted as Aquino ends trip

PRESIDENT Benigno S.C. Aquino III returned yesterday evening from a three-day working visit to Japan, which he claimed had resulted in over a billion dollars in new investments and a strengthened “strategic partnership”.

“In just three days, we took part in 36 meetings and other engagements where we were able to secure $1.4 billion in assured investments,” Mr. Aquino said upon his arrival.

The funds, he noted, would go to energy, manufacturing, and services, adding that investors were also told that the Philippine business environment was “more open, fairer and freer”.

The “strategic partnership,” meanwhile, covers areas such as bilateral trade, public-private partnerships (PPP) and even the South China sea dispute.

Following a meeting on Tuesday, Mr. Aquino and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda issued a statement that they wanted stronger ties aimed at fostering “robust trade, investments and development cooperation.”

Both leaders committed to the “smooth implementation and operation” of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement, in particular reviewing Article 161 on the promotion of the movement of natural persons.

Consultations will be continued, they said, “in order to further improve the current situation including the smooth dispatch and acceptance of Filipino candidates for qualified nurses and certified careworkers.”

Mr. Aquino pitched his government’s PPP program, to which Mr. Noda replied that a mission would be sent to Manila in March next year.

Japan also committed to support the improvement of the investment environment through the “active utilization of official development assistance”.

Messrs. Aquino and Noda also committed to “continuing dialogues with Japanese business groups, to further promote investment.” The “timely conclusion” of the Philippines’ adoption of the Japanese Terrestrial Digital TV Broadcasting standard was also pledged.

Finally, Japan supported the Philippine position that maritime disputes involving the South China Sea be resolved peacefully. Both leaders expressed hope “for the early formulation of a legally-binding Code of Conduct that is consistent with established international law.” – JPDP, dated 29 September 2011, 12:21 AM.

Source: Business World

Take a look at the new Gem HD's data broadcast.

Since last year, we haven't found out what happened to Gem HD's data broadcast, long for datacast. As with  Admin-3's update, the datacast system of the network was haven't been refurbished since after the 2010 elections. News weren't updated, weather bulletins were not correctly forecasted. And even some of the info of the past are still in broadcast.

But now, Gem HD, the first and only high definition channel on digital free TV as of this writing, showcased another look for its datacast, as it now features updated news and weather forecasts in cool blue motif. Aside from that, Gem HD also gave way to update the latest traffic information coming from the official MMDA's Twitter site. This gives us Filipinos more interactive way of having daily doses of news and information straight, not only to our household TV sets, but also for the future portable TV sets, gadgets and mobile phones.

Aside from Gem HD, the National Broadcasting Network do also have its datacast. Though Gem HD was the first to have, NBN's data broadcast system was installed only earlier this year. The datacast feature is only one of the key features of the Japanese ISDB-T standard, the country's future official DTV standard.

Photos taken courtesy of our fellow member at DTV Pilipinas' Facebook Page.

As Tropical Cyclone Pedring heads up into Luzon, Gem HD
streams out the latest weather forecast through its datacast.

The official MMDA Twitter stream, a one-of-a-kind
data broadcast feature.

With the data broadcast, you can read all over a
news item through your TV sets.

Aside from news and information, you can also view some
of the network's program information through images.

The Gem HD's new datacast panel.