News and Notes from BroadcastAsia2008 : 20 June 2008


ASEAN advances towards full digitisation by 2015

ASEAN member states reach agreement on specifications for set top boxes and policy guidelines for analogue broadcasting switch off at 19 June meeting.

The 6th ASEAN Digital Broadcasting (ADB) Meeting, co-chaired by Brunei Darussalam and Singapore, successfully concluded with officials agreeing on a common set of technical specifications for Standard Definition and High Definition digital set top boxes for ASEAN.

Progress was also made on discussions on policy parameters for ASEAN countries in considering the strategies and schedule for the switch-over to digital broadcasting, and closer collaborations forged on high definition (HD) content development.

These recommendations will be put forward for endorsement by the ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information (AMRI) at their next conference in 2009.

About 60 delegates comprising policy makers, regulators and broadcasters from seven ASEAN countries – Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam - and the ASEAN Secretariat attended the 6th ADB Meeting.

It was held in conjunction with the Inaugural Regional Seminar on Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting (DTTB) organised by MDA and other international partners. In a separate event during DTTB, Ms Viviane Reding, the EU’s Commissioner for Information Society and Media, promised to collaborate with ASEAN in its journey towards going fully digital.

Discussions on technology standards will continue on 4 areas: exploring interactive TV software costs; MPEG4 licensing issues; establishment of a common Digital TV Sound Standard; and a study of the high-definition 720p/1080i transmission and production formats.

Other developments:

  • An ASEAN HD Centre will be established to provide training on HD productions and facilitate HD co-productions within ASEAN;

  • A proposal to produce a 10-part ASEAN documentary was supported;

  • A checklist of key parameters to determine the status of digital TV development was created. Member states will use this checklist to determine their readiness for analogue switch-off and report their status at the next ADB meeting.

Dr Christopher Chia, Chief Executive Officer, MDA, highlighted the advantages of the developments: “Banding together through standardisation and cooperation will generate economies of scale. This will create further economic spillovers in terms of equipment and consumer electronics design, manufacture and marketing, new marketing avenues and boost the creation of more digital content for ASEAN and international markets.”

For the full press release, go to http://www.mda.gov.sg/wms.www/thenewsdesk.aspx?sid=877

Read also EU anticipating closer ties, more joint projects with ASEAN

 

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