GMA-7 bats for European digital TV standard

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Broadcast giant GMA Network Inc. has urged the government to adopt in the Philippines the widely used digital television standard developed in Europe.

“Based on the comparison and available technical information, GMA Network recommends the DVB-2 as the digital terrestrial television standard to be adopted in the Philippines,” the company said in a letter to the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).

The Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) and rival network ABS-CBN Corp., on the other hand, are pushing for the adoption of Japan’s Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting (ISDB) standard for digital TV services.

The ISDB and the second-generation Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB-2) from Europe are the two leading platforms around the world.

Switching to digital TV broadcasting will mean more channels and better signal reception for Filipino viewers.

The government’s choice on which platform to roll out in the Philippines will mean big business for companies that build equipment that support the different technologies.

In its letter, GMA said presentations by proponents of the DVB-2 and ISDB platforms showed that the former could broadcast more channels while using much less power, resulting in lower costs for networks.

These savings, the company said, would more than make up for the costs of set-top boxes that support the DVB-2 standard.

Set-top boxes are devices that convert digital signals into viewable images for older television sets.

ISDB proponents, led by the Japanese Embassy in Manila, argued that costs of their set-top boxes were much lower, with the Japanese technology being more mature.

Last month, the agency’s TWG recommended the ISDB standard, citing the availability of cheaper set-top boxes, which would make the new technology easier to accept for low-income Filipino households. The NTC’s three-member commission is expected to make a decision based on this recommendation this month.

“[But] the technical superiority of DVB-2 transcends even to the commercial viability on the part of the operators by virtue of the significant savings that can be generated. The inherent signal robustness of DVB-2 over ISDB is the key driver to this advantage,” GMA said.

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Information Courtesy of Inquirer / Paolo G. Montecillo

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GMA-7 bats for European digital TV standard

INQUIRER:

Broadcast giant GMA Network Inc. has urged the government to adopt in the Philippines the widely used digital television standard developed in Europe.

“Based on the comparison and available technical information, GMA Network recommends the DVB-2 as the digital terrestrial television standard to be adopted in the Philippines,” the company said in a letter to the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).

The Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) and rival network ABS-CBN Corp., on the other hand, are pushing for the adoption of Japan’s Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting (ISDB) standard for digital TV services.

The ISDB and the second-generation Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB-2) from Europe are the two leading platforms around the world.

Switching to digital TV broadcasting will mean more channels and better signal reception for Filipino viewers.

The government’s choice on which platform to roll out in the Philippines will mean big business for companies that build equipment that support the different technologies.

In its letter, GMA said presentations by proponents of the DVB-2 and ISDB platforms showed that the former could broadcast more channels while using much less power, resulting in lower costs for networks.

These savings, the company said, would more than make up for the costs of set-top boxes that support the DVB-2 standard.

Set-top boxes are devices that convert digital signals into viewable images for older television sets.

ISDB proponents, led by the Japanese Embassy in Manila, argued that costs of their set-top boxes were much lower, with the Japanese technology being more mature.

Last month, the agency’s TWG recommended the ISDB standard, citing the availability of cheaper set-top boxes, which would make the new technology easier to accept for low-income Filipino households. The NTC’s three-member commission is expected to make a decision based on this recommendation this month.

“[But] the technical superiority of DVB-2 transcends even to the commercial viability on the part of the operators by virtue of the significant savings that can be generated. The inherent signal robustness of DVB-2 over ISDB is the key driver to this advantage,” GMA said.

CONTINUE READING FROM ORIGINAL [SOURCE] 
Information Courtesy of Inquirer / Paolo G. Montecillo

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Gozon: GMA 7 can go digital anytime

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.

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Information Courtesy of Inquirer / Bayani San Diego Jr.

http://entertainment.inquirer.net/7753/gozon-gma-7-can-go-digital-anytime

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Gozon: GMA 7 can go digital anytime

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.

BACK TO KAPUSO ONLINE HOMEPAGE and THE KAPUSO ONLINE AWARDS - A Viewer's Choice Special: CLICK HERE TO VOTE

Information Courtesy of Inquirer / Bayani San Diego Jr.

http://entertainment.inquirer.net/7753/gozon-gma-7-can-go-digital-anytime

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