New and Notes from BroadcastAsia 2008 : 17 June 2008

ASEAN makes progress towards digital switchover

There’s no stopping ASEAN’s shift towards digital terrestrial television. Come 2009, member countries will discuss how they should transit to digital broadcasting in a meeting by the ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information.

This update was given by Dr Tan Chin Nam, Chairman of the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA), at the inaugural Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting (DTTB) regional seminar in Singapore. Fittingly, 80 per cent of the participants were from ASEAN countries.

The three-day seminar, held alongside BroadcastAsia 2008, is jointly organised by MDA, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Canal France International and the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development. By providing technical and policy training, it aims to support the efforts of ASEAN countries in the adoption of a common digital TV broadcasting standard.

“We anticipate that this seminar, together with the 6th ASEAN Digital Broadcasting Meeting on 19 June, will serve as important milestones to prepare the region’s move to digital broadcasting,” Dr Tan said.

Some ASEAN member countries are aiming for a total switchover from analogue in 2015, a deadline recommended by the ITU.

Singapore has been moving towards digital broadcasting since 2000. MDA is monitoring international developments and the readiness of the local market before deciding on the analogue switch-off date in Singapore.

Digital terrestrial television, Dr Tan pointed out, offered improved spectrum efficiency that would lead to high-definition television and enhanced video and audio quality, as well as other interactive digital services.

“Digital broadcasting will also usher in more investment and growth in this sector,” he said.

What next after switchover?

The question is, how should regulators award the broadcast spectrum once the switchover is done?

Sharing Singapore’s perspectives on this, Ms Ling Pek Ling, MDA’s Director of Media Policy, said at the session on Digital Dividend that public auctioning was not the answer as this would be a disadvantage to broadcasters.

MDA’s plan was for some of the spectrum to be dedicated for broadcasting. For these frequencies, at least 65 per cent of the spectrum must be set aside for video, with the remainder for data services.

Australia and France also shared their country experiences at the session. Mr David Brumfield, the executive manager of digital television taskforce for the Australian Communication and Media Authority, said it had to take into account broadcasters’ need for channels to cover outlying areas.

And then there were the potential extra costs, for instance for set-top boxes, that the consumers had to bear when taking up digital broadcasting, he said.

But once firmly in place, digital services would not only help increase audience loyalty but also up the average revenue per user, said Mr Jean Dacie, general manager of DigiTV from France.

Other topics being covered at the seminar include design features of set-top boxes, interactive middleware and content protection. Viviane Reding, Commissioner for Information Society and Media, European Commission, will speak on Europe’s development on digital TV before the seminar closes.

BroadcastAsia 2008, the region’s premier digital multimedia technology event, runs from 17-20 June 2008 at the Singapore Expo, showcasing cutting-edge technologies from 760 companies worldwide. It is held alongside CG Overdrive – Asia’s unparalleled computer-graphics event – and a host of other events under the Infocomm Media Business Exchange.

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