News 5 InterAksyon: KBP favors Japan platform for digital TV

MANILA, Philippines -- The latest European platform for Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) is superior to Japan’s technology, but regulators should give priority to affordability when making the much-awaited decision of which standard the country should adopt, the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas (KBP) has said. 

The technical advantages offered by Europe’s DVB-T2 system are, after all, “irrelevant to the most important stakeholder in the project, the Filipino consumer,” who is “is entitled to clearer and better quality TV experience through an affordable migration to DTT,” said the self-regulatory broadcast body’s position paper, submitted to the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) last week. 

A technical review of the European platform had held up the release by NTC of its implementing rules and regulations for migrating to DTT, since a final decision on which DTT standard will be adopted by the country is part of the process. 

The KBP and the state channel National Broadcasting Network have recommended Japan’s ISDB-T over Europe’s DVB-T2, stressing that consumers would have to pay more for the set top boxes if the DVB-T2 were adopted. 

“The set top-top box for DVB-T2 (MPEG 4) is substantially higher than ISDB-T (MPEG 4) with a price difference of almost US$20,” said the KBP. Indefinitely waiting for the DVB-T2 system to become affordable to consumers will be disadvantageous to all, it added. 

Besides the high rollout cost, broadcasters are also concerned about when the SO (analogue shut off) will take place, said KBP. 

To ensure that the public gets free TV service during the transition from analogue to digital TV, broadcasters are compelled to operate both analogue and digital networks. 

Broadcasters, according to KBP, will benefit from an earlier ASO because that wipes out the operating cost of its analogue transmitter. “This brings back the need for lower set top boxes. Experience of countries that migrated to DTT clearly established the direct correlation between the cost of STB and the rate of take-up and ultimately the ASO. With a lower cost of the STB, the higher the take-up rate and consequently, the earlier the ASO,” explained the KBP. 

The number of manufacturers is also tied to the concern over the cost of the boxes. There is only one manufacturer of DVB-T2 set top boxes but several for ISDB-T, according to KBP. 

The Philippines, meanwhile, will also benefit from opting for the Japanese standard because of the assistance committed by Japan, said KBP. 

Such assistance includes: the development, free of charge, of a frequency plan for the Philippine government by the Japanese government; the government-to-government support in terms of loans in order to give state-run stations the funds to develop and deliver digital broadcasting; and low-interest loans for Philippine broadcasters implementing their individual DTT plans with ISDB-T.

The KBP urged the regulators to consider well “the commitments and support of the ISDB-T stakeholders, especially the Japanese government, to the NTC for the seamless transition to DTT.” Such aid saves the government a lot of resources in terms of “the NTC funds that would otherwise be spent for technical assistance and support from third party suppliers,” said the KBP.

No similar commitments were offered by the stakeholders of the DVB-T2 system.

“These three abovementioned points are vital services that will make the take-up of ISDB-T go faster. This will in turn make better business sense for broadcasters as it will lessen the return on investment time once the take-up rate is hastened and ASO is attained,” added KBP. - Llewelyn Sanchez, dated 08 August 2011, 05:31 AM

Source: News 5 InterAksyon

Philippine Star: KBP urges NTC to adopt Japan technology for digital TV in Phl

Another article-related with the KBP urging the National Telecommunications Commission to further adopt officially the Japanese standard for digital terrestrial television has been released, and with this one, it claimed that GMA Network, the only broadcast firm who attest with the Japanese and opted for a European DTV standard, is now giving up its choice and making NTC to be thorough on choosing the best among the two before leaving the official mark. Read the post after the break.

MANILA, Philippines - The broadcasting industry has recommended to the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) the adoption of the Japanese ISDB-T as the digital terrestrial television (DTT) standard for the Philippines. 

In a position paper submitted to the NTC-DTT technical working group III, the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) said that any technical advantage offered by the European standard DVB-T2 at this point is outweighed by the benefits to be gained by adopting ISDB-T, with the substantially lower cost of its set-up box resulting in faster take-up by the consumer, and thus, an earlier analog switch-off. 

KBP groups all broadcasting networks in the country, including ABS-CBN and TV 5, but excluding NBN and GMA7. 

But even government-owned National Broadcasting Network (NBN) is pushing for ISDB-T. GMA, on the other hand, has stopped pushing for the European standard and instead wants the NTC to just be very thorough before making a final choice. 

The set-top box is the device that enables the reception of a DTT service-signal by an analog TV set. 

“Although DVB-T2 system is technically superior, these advantages have been shown to be irrelevant to the most important stakeholder in the project - the Filipino consumer. The consumer is entitled to clearer and better quality TV experience through an affordable migration to DTT. Consequently, stakeholders will realize the benefits of the digital dividend earlier with ISDB-T as the DTT standard for the Philippines,” KBP said. 

GMA Network has recommended to the NTC that in order to come up with a comprehensive and credible review, comparative technical and commercial assessments of both standards must be carried out. 

It said actual signal trial of ISDB-T and DVB-T2 must be carried out to verify claims of DVB-T2 over ISDB-T under Philippine conditions. GMA said the commercial evaluation must be expanded to include all relevant cost components of DTT implementation, particularly set-top box (STB) cost and other attendant costs, infrastructure capitalization, operating expenses. 

GMA said that in conducting the review, the following criteria should be considered: capacity/transport efficiency, signal robustness/integrity, system flexibility, interoperability with program distribution network, emergency warning system, STB market price, capitalization, and operating expenses. 

For its part, NBN in a separate position paper pushed for the ISDB-T Japanese standard, being a flexible technology that willl be able to meet the present requirements and future demands. 

NBN said that ISDB-T has rich features. “It supports the emergency applications, multi-media home platform and data broadcasting. The selected DTT standard should support this function... ISDB-T also allows for handheld devices such as cellphones to receive DTT signal with no extra cost; is superior in terms of transmission capability, interactivity, accessibility and possibilities for middleware development (data casting of news items, weather updates, traffic situations, stock market, can be integrated seamlessly with video transmission),” it said. 

It added that ISDB-T signal is more robust against impulse noise, and that its set-top boxes are more affordable. “Also, the adoption of ISDB-T will open the opportunity for the small players to avail of financial assistance that the Japanese government is offering in terms of soft loan with very low interest plus technical assistance,” it said. - Mary Ann Ll. Reyes, dated 3 August 2011,  12:00 AM

Source: Philippine Star 

Inquirer: Gozon: GMA 7 can go digital anytime

Atty. Felipe Gozon and Mr. Gilberto R. Duavit, both GMA Network executives, stated each and every point on GMA Network's migration to digital terrestrial television is possible within any time of the day. But still insisted on opting European DTV standard DVB-T2 as their choice.

According to them, we should have to consider the market profile. But to think DVB-T2 has more expensive converter boxes to date, compared to the Japanese ISDB-T boxes, the switch to digital television could be more rough than we expect when we go the expensive one. Technically speaking, DVB-T2 has the capabilities to go 12-14 channels in one 6-MHz frequency, but ISDB-T's offering, which is capable of 8 channels per frequency, is good enough to a broadcast network that will offer multichannel contents. Read the article after the break,.

Felipe L. Gozon, chairman and chief executive officer of GMA 7, wants to make it crystal clear: “We are ready to go digital. We can do it anytime.” 

But before the Kapuso network can make the big leap, the government has to finalize which standard the local broadcast industry would follow: European or Japanese. 

(ABS-CBN, chief rival of GMA 7, has adopted the Japanese standard, the choice of the Kapisanan ng mga Broadkaster ng Pilipinas, and as earlier decided by the National Telecommunications Commission.) 

The decision is currently under review, Gozon said. According to studies conducted by GMA 7, he noted, “the European standard seems better.” 

‘Vastly superior’ 

Gilberto R. Duavit Jr., network president and chief operating officer, explained that the European standard is “vastly superior, technically… particularly in terms of number of channels it can offer.” 

Whereas the Japanese standard can accommodate eight channels per frequency, Duavit said, the European standard can offer 12 to 14. 

Although European converter boxes can be more expensive than its Japanese equivalent, Duavit predicted that the price of the former would eventually fall (by the end of the year) as a result of increasing demand. 

“India adopted the European standard,” Duavit related. “The more evolved TV markets have made the same choice.” 

Gozon is gung-ho about going digital because it can open up the industry to other methods of signal delivery, apart from the traditional TV set. 

Sustainability 

“GMA 7 will become multiplatform. Kapuso shows will be seen on mobile phones, on PCs and laptops,” Gozon said. 

However, he added, the more crucial question is sustainability. “Can the local market support the switch to digital technology?” 

Duavit agreed: “We have to consider the market profile.” 

At present, 90 percent of televiewers are from the C, D and E sectors; only a minority belongs to the A-B crowd, which is the prospective target of digital technology. 

Duavit asserted that producing shows with digital technology could be costly. 

“High-definition and digital technology require special lights and makeup. It would entail extended taping schedules because setting up the lights on the set would take longer,” Duavit also pointed out. 

Duavit said the current TV fare of soap operas and talk shows doesn’t require high-definition technology. 

Still, Gozon said, the Kapuso team could meet the challenge of providing content to the additional channels that would inevitably come with the digital switch. - Bayani San Diego, dated  1 August 2011, 09:14 PM

Source: Inquirer