ABS-CBN continues preparation for digital TV
By LOUI GALICIA
ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau
AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands - Television giant ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. begins its hunt for suppliers and equipment worldwide, in preparation for the rollout of its digital terrestrial TV project in January 2008.
A team of ABS-CBN engineers, headed by managing director for broadcast operations Ruben Jimenez, accompanied ABS-CBN Global chief operating officer Raffy Lopez to the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) in Amsterdam.
The IBC, held from Sept. 6-11, is an annual exhibition showcasing the latest hardware and software in the world of television.
With over 1,300 exhibitors this year, the IBC provided the most comprehensive display and demonstration of the latest technology and business ideas in broadcasting and new media.
The ABS-CBN team’s presence at the IBC gives a strong signal that it is going full speed to be the first to launch digital television in the Philippines.
“We’re very excited about launching a new digital terrestrial service in the Philippines. It’s going to give a much clearer signal, much better quality of service, much better transmission. It’s really a way of the future when in the future we should be switching from analog to digital…so we want to be in the forefront,” Lopez said in an exclusive interview.
“We want to be right at the leading edge of this technology and that’s always been our style at ABS-CBN... is whenever new technologies come out, anytime new platforms come out, we want our contents to be …so we do that globally, in the Philippines and anywhere where there are Filipinos,” Lopez added.
With the planned rollout of the first set-top boxes in Metro Manila next year, ABS-CBN is not wasting any time between now and December.
“We’re talking to the different suppliers. We’re taking to different vendors and this is a good venue because they’re all together in the same area so it’s easy to talk to them. So right now were gathering a lot of information. A lot of technical information, commercial terms, things like that from the different suppliers. So we’re going to the process of choosing who our suppliers and vendors would be for this digital terrestrial product,” Lopez explained.
However, Lopez explained that there is a specific requirement for their would-be supplier.
“Suppliers come from all over. We’re talking to people from Europe. We’re talking to people from Asia as well as people from the U.S. As you know, we’re really a global company so what we prefer is a supplier that is able to… that has a global presence so that they can give us the support that we need,” Lopez said.
The engineers of ABS-CBN are busy learning new technology and absorbing as much knowledge related to the giant step the company is taking.
“We’ll be launching it by January next year for provincial stations around Mega Manila. We will put up transmitters around Metro Manila, para ma-receive ng (so it can be received in) TV households,” ABS-CBN’s Deo Jordan said.
The manager of digital terrestrial television, or DTT, explained that it will be a free-to-air TV that will replace analog television, which is initially set to be turned off by 2015.
The National Telecommunications Commission will be giving television broadcast companies until Dec. 31, 2015, to fully convert from analog to digital technology, in line with the worldwide shift towards the use of DTT in broadcasting. Jordan explained that digital will be much better than analog.
“One thing since we are in a lower television frequency, it’s very noisy so disadvantage yun ng Channel Two especially in Metro Manila. So compared to our competition, disadvantage 'yun, 'yung pagiging nasa Channel Two natin, sa (our being on Channel Two which is on the) lower band of the VHF [very high frequency],” Jordan said.
“We will have more advantages in digital television since we can in one frequency allocated to us, we can deliver three channels as opposed to one is to one in analog.
So instead na Channel Two lang sa isang frequency, pwede kang mag-Channel Two, (So instead of just one frequency Channel Two, you can have [in DTT] Channel Two and) then you have two additional channels. So it’s more channels to the viewers, more selections of channels,” Jordan explained.
With its plan to implement the DVB-T European standard or digital video broadcasting-terrestrial, the company has engaged the help of Dutch company Impeq Technologies as one of its consultants in designing digital TV in the Philippines.
“You have to consider all technical difficulties that you will be facing as analog transmissions…these transmissions are completely different technology. We started with providing them [ABS-CBN] consultancy with network design and set-top box selection,” Impeq Technologies’s President and CEO Dick Hamann said.
Though the Philippines still uses analog, Hamann doesn’t think that the country is too far behind other countries which have switched to digital TV.
“It’s not a matter of being behind. Digital television is big, worldwide. All the countries are watching this. And compared for example with Europe, you sure are a little bit behind but it’s not so far behind. l think it’s time that you start now to move to this. It has many advantages and I think ABS-CBN is determined and dedicated to start the roll out of this terrestrial television in the Philippines very soon,” Hamann said.
He also reiterated the advantages of a digital TV.
“It would be interesting also to educate the Philippine television viewers. To give pleasure to watch TV. Instead, you have a set-top box at home so you don’t use your antenna anymore or cable connection to plug it to the television,” Hamann explained.
He also thinks it’s the right time for the Philippines to invest in digital television because the price of the set-top box will decrease.
“The DVB-T has been accepted and adopted in most of the countries which should bring up production of boxes for a while. So you see, thousands of boxes are being produced a week and that will decrease the price,” said Hamann.
A lot of companies are scrambling to introduce new technology to improve TV technology in developing countries.
Funke Antenna managing director Stan Baayens said his company has developed just the right model of antenna for the Philippines that can even withstand a typhoon.
“It has a very strong construction and of course also in relation to typhoon, it is quite a small device. So you won’t have any loss during typhoon because it’s a very small. It won’t be destroyed by the wind even if a strong typhoon is coming up,” Baayens said.
Baayens thinks this small antenna, which he assures is not more expensive than a normal antenna, will revolutionize TV in the Philippines.
“I think it’s very important and to start with those products because the people there can start to receive digital terrestrial TV without problems that other countries do have in the very beginning due to the fact that they underestimate the importance of the antenna,” Baayens said.
SOURCE: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=92374
By LOUI GALICIA
ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau
AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands - Television giant ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. begins its hunt for suppliers and equipment worldwide, in preparation for the rollout of its digital terrestrial TV project in January 2008.
A team of ABS-CBN engineers, headed by managing director for broadcast operations Ruben Jimenez, accompanied ABS-CBN Global chief operating officer Raffy Lopez to the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) in Amsterdam.
The IBC, held from Sept. 6-11, is an annual exhibition showcasing the latest hardware and software in the world of television.
With over 1,300 exhibitors this year, the IBC provided the most comprehensive display and demonstration of the latest technology and business ideas in broadcasting and new media.
The ABS-CBN team’s presence at the IBC gives a strong signal that it is going full speed to be the first to launch digital television in the Philippines.
“We’re very excited about launching a new digital terrestrial service in the Philippines. It’s going to give a much clearer signal, much better quality of service, much better transmission. It’s really a way of the future when in the future we should be switching from analog to digital…so we want to be in the forefront,” Lopez said in an exclusive interview.
“We want to be right at the leading edge of this technology and that’s always been our style at ABS-CBN... is whenever new technologies come out, anytime new platforms come out, we want our contents to be …so we do that globally, in the Philippines and anywhere where there are Filipinos,” Lopez added.
With the planned rollout of the first set-top boxes in Metro Manila next year, ABS-CBN is not wasting any time between now and December.
“We’re talking to the different suppliers. We’re taking to different vendors and this is a good venue because they’re all together in the same area so it’s easy to talk to them. So right now were gathering a lot of information. A lot of technical information, commercial terms, things like that from the different suppliers. So we’re going to the process of choosing who our suppliers and vendors would be for this digital terrestrial product,” Lopez explained.
However, Lopez explained that there is a specific requirement for their would-be supplier.
“Suppliers come from all over. We’re talking to people from Europe. We’re talking to people from Asia as well as people from the U.S. As you know, we’re really a global company so what we prefer is a supplier that is able to… that has a global presence so that they can give us the support that we need,” Lopez said.
The engineers of ABS-CBN are busy learning new technology and absorbing as much knowledge related to the giant step the company is taking.
“We’ll be launching it by January next year for provincial stations around Mega Manila. We will put up transmitters around Metro Manila, para ma-receive ng (so it can be received in) TV households,” ABS-CBN’s Deo Jordan said.
The manager of digital terrestrial television, or DTT, explained that it will be a free-to-air TV that will replace analog television, which is initially set to be turned off by 2015.
The National Telecommunications Commission will be giving television broadcast companies until Dec. 31, 2015, to fully convert from analog to digital technology, in line with the worldwide shift towards the use of DTT in broadcasting. Jordan explained that digital will be much better than analog.
“One thing since we are in a lower television frequency, it’s very noisy so disadvantage yun ng Channel Two especially in Metro Manila. So compared to our competition, disadvantage 'yun, 'yung pagiging nasa Channel Two natin, sa (our being on Channel Two which is on the) lower band of the VHF [very high frequency],” Jordan said.
“We will have more advantages in digital television since we can in one frequency allocated to us, we can deliver three channels as opposed to one is to one in analog.
So instead na Channel Two lang sa isang frequency, pwede kang mag-Channel Two, (So instead of just one frequency Channel Two, you can have [in DTT] Channel Two and) then you have two additional channels. So it’s more channels to the viewers, more selections of channels,” Jordan explained.
With its plan to implement the DVB-T European standard or digital video broadcasting-terrestrial, the company has engaged the help of Dutch company Impeq Technologies as one of its consultants in designing digital TV in the Philippines.
“You have to consider all technical difficulties that you will be facing as analog transmissions…these transmissions are completely different technology. We started with providing them [ABS-CBN] consultancy with network design and set-top box selection,” Impeq Technologies’s President and CEO Dick Hamann said.
Though the Philippines still uses analog, Hamann doesn’t think that the country is too far behind other countries which have switched to digital TV.
“It’s not a matter of being behind. Digital television is big, worldwide. All the countries are watching this. And compared for example with Europe, you sure are a little bit behind but it’s not so far behind. l think it’s time that you start now to move to this. It has many advantages and I think ABS-CBN is determined and dedicated to start the roll out of this terrestrial television in the Philippines very soon,” Hamann said.
He also reiterated the advantages of a digital TV.
“It would be interesting also to educate the Philippine television viewers. To give pleasure to watch TV. Instead, you have a set-top box at home so you don’t use your antenna anymore or cable connection to plug it to the television,” Hamann explained.
He also thinks it’s the right time for the Philippines to invest in digital television because the price of the set-top box will decrease.
“The DVB-T has been accepted and adopted in most of the countries which should bring up production of boxes for a while. So you see, thousands of boxes are being produced a week and that will decrease the price,” said Hamann.
A lot of companies are scrambling to introduce new technology to improve TV technology in developing countries.
Funke Antenna managing director Stan Baayens said his company has developed just the right model of antenna for the Philippines that can even withstand a typhoon.
“It has a very strong construction and of course also in relation to typhoon, it is quite a small device. So you won’t have any loss during typhoon because it’s a very small. It won’t be destroyed by the wind even if a strong typhoon is coming up,” Baayens said.
Baayens thinks this small antenna, which he assures is not more expensive than a normal antenna, will revolutionize TV in the Philippines.
“I think it’s very important and to start with those products because the people there can start to receive digital terrestrial TV without problems that other countries do have in the very beginning due to the fact that they underestimate the importance of the antenna,” Baayens said.
SOURCE: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=92374
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