NTC prepares rules on digital TV

By Mary Ann Ll. Reyes
The Philippine Star

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) is preparing a set of rules that will govern the introduction of digital television (DTV) service in the country.

Interest in offering DTV service is fast gaining ground. ABS-CBN Broadcasting has officially informed the NTC of its intention to convert its DWWX-TV station in Metro Manila from analog to digital service. The conversion will start with the migration from the current analog service, during which time ABS-CBN will operate both analog and digital services concurrently, until such that time that the NTC mandates the termination of all analog broadcasts.

The Lopez-owned network has also requested the NTC to allow it to conduct test broadcasts for a digital TV-terrestrial (DT-T) service at selected sites, preferably at the Channel 51 frequency; to conduct trials in stages to validate propagation, set-top boxes, and market conditions and acceptance; allow ABS-CBN to import transmitters and antennas on-loan from suppliers.

ABS-CBN technical service head Ruben Jimenez, in a letter to NTC commissioner Ronald Solis, said the company anticipates that technological advances will soon warrant operations in DTV service.

There are also reports that Associated Broadcasting Corp. (ABC-5) owned by businessman Antonio "Tonyboy" Cojuangco is also interested in offering digital TV.

Solis said conversion from analog to digital will allow content providers, such as broadcast stations, to offer their programs to mobile phone subscribers, which the latter can view in real time.

The guidelines governing digital TV, Solis explained, would include mobile TV and IPTV (Internet TV). The Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) earlier expressed interest in offering IPTV service, that would allow the company to go into "triple play" or the convergence of voice, video, and data in a single platform.

The NTC is currently conducting consultations with experts regarding digital TV and has formed a technical working group. "We have asked Samsung of Korea, which has adopted the US standard ATSC, to make a presentation to us," Solis said.

Other available standards in the market for digital TV are the more widely-used European standard DVV which is adopted in European countries and most of Southeast Asia, the Japanese standard used in Japan, and the Chinese standard used in China. Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia use DVV.

Since transmitting programs digitally would involve the use of another frequency, Solis said broadcasting companies that wish to offer the digital TV service will have to secure authority and frequency from the NTC.

According to the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), DTV is a new broadcasting technology that will transform television viewing experience. DTV enables broadcasters to offer television with movie-quality picture and sound. It can also offer multiple programming choices and interactive capabilities.

The FCC noted that TV broadcasting companies worldwide are switching to DTV since this broadcast technology is more flexible and efficient than today’s more widespread broadcast technology, which is called "analog."

For example, rather than being limited to providing one analog programming signal, a broadcaster will be able to provide a sharp "high definition" (HDTV) program or multiple "standard definition" digital programs simultaneously. Providing several program streams using the digital spectrum is called "multicasting." The number of programs a station can send using the digital spectrum depends on the level of picture detail, also known as "resolution," desired in each programming stream. DTV can provide picture resolution, interactive video, and data services that easily surpass the capabilities of "analog" technology.