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Digital TV: Are We Ready?

The Philippines long and winding road from analog to digital television
By Maria Carmina Olivar Couchpotatoes,advertisersandnonEnglish speakersshouldbethrilled. WiththeNationalTelecommunications Commission(NTC)planningtorolloutdigital !#,#'./.)($@ABCD$E9$F30GH$I.,.:.()/$+%($,))J$ *)-<%-&$!)$!"#$8%(9$E#(#6!/$)*$K/.(7$&.7.!%,H$ notanalogsignalsforTVtransmission. I-)8$".7"$&#6(.!.)($@LABCD$.8%7#/$%(&$ CDqualitysoundtomultiplelanguage audioandsubtitles,nottomentionloadsof text,soundandimagesaboutprogramsand products,theDTVrevolutionthathasswept moreadvancedcountriesissettojazzupour TVscreens. AreportbytheU.S.CongressionalResearch Service+%,,/$&.7.!%,$BC$M!"#$8)/!$/.7(.6+%(!$ developmentintelevisiontechnologysince !"#$%&'#(!$)*$+),)-$!#,#'./.)($.($!"#$0123/45$ AninquirybytheHouseofRepresentatives ofAustraliaagreesthatDTVismore #*6+.#(!$!"%($!"#$),&$/!%(&%-&$)*$%(%,)7$ television(ATV).Simplyput,digitalssignal transmissionusingbillionsofseparatebits ofdatadeliversvideoandaudiofaster, +,#%-#-$%(&$8)-#$#*6+.#(!,9$%(&$+)8:,#!#,9$ thananalogsunbrokenwaves,muchlike thedifferencebetweenCDandcassettetape music. AmericaswitchedtoDTVinmid2009, Japanin2003,andpartsofEuropebegan !-.%,/$.($!"#$0113/4$;)$<"9$"%/(=!$>".,.::.(#$ TVgonedigitaluptonow?Actually,wehave ?$.($6!/$%(&$/!%-!/4

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Digital TV: Are we ready?

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Asrecountedinreportscompiledbythe DigitalVideoBroadcastingProject(DVB), NTCadoptedEuropesDVBTstandard inNovember2007,andASEANendorsed itin2008.ABSCBN,GMA7andChannel 2$)<(#-$Q#&.%RK#/!H$!9+))($Q%((9$ Pangilinansbroadcastingarm,alldidtrials in2007.Thefollowingyear,NTCendorsed ACSTB$*)-$.8:,#8#(!%!.)($E9$F302H$%(&$ analogbroadcastinglicensesnolongerbe issuedafter2009.However,asrecounted inthisvideoH$UBV$+"%(7#&$.!/$8.(&$.($F303$ andwentfortheJapaneseISDBTbefore againreconsideringandeventuallychoosing DVBT2,thesecondgenerationEuropean system.

thatcausesghostlikeimages,staticorsnow analogtelevision(ATV)doesnotaffect digital.Onlyabreakdownoftheentire transmissionchanneloroneofitsmajor hubscanstopDTVsignals. Sincedigitalsignalssharetransmission :%!"/H$!"#9$!%J#$K:$/.7(.6+%(!,9$,#//$ bandwidthortransmissioncapacity,and moreinformationcanbesentdownthe pipes.Thus,broadcasterscanusethesame bandwidthsizetosupplyconsumerswith addedfeatures.Oneofthemostprominent )*$!"#8$./$".7"$&#6(.!.)($!#,#'./.)($@LABCDH$ whichrequiresfarmorebandwidththan /!%(&%-&$&#6(.!.)($'.&#)4$N!"#-$*#%!K-#/$ likemultiplelanguageaudioandsubtitles, electronicprogramguides,andtrue widescreenmayalsobemadeavailable. Stillanotherarevariousoptionsfor transmissionsuchasthroughInternet networks,ascitedintheGovernmentof LesothosDigitalBroadcastingMigration Strategy,sothatDTVsignalsdonotallhave tocrowdintothesameradiofrequency. ThusinitsDTVinformationwebsite,the U.S.FederalCommunicationsCommission (FCC)saysDTVfreeduppartsofthe valuablebroadcastspectrumforpublic /%*#!9$+)88K(.+%!.)(/$@/K+"$%/$:),.+#H$6-#$ departments,andrescuesquads). Evenmoreenticingforgovernments, theextraradiobandwidthcapacitycan beauctionedofftoothercommercial usersbesidestheTVnetworks,likenew telecommunicationsandwideareawireless Internetservices. Theworldgoesdigital.Withsomany advantagesoverATV,itisnowonder thatmanycountriesarenowmigratingto DTV.ApressreleasebytheInternational TelecommunicationUnioncitesaregional agreementtotransitiontodigitalterrestrial E-)%&+%/!.(7$E9$OK(#$0PH$F302$E9$+)K(!-.#/$ fromEurope,Africa,andtheMiddleEast, includingIran. TheDigitalTerrestrialTelevisionAction Group(DigiTAG)explainsthatafter thatday,countriesmayusefrequencies presentlydesignatedforATVfordigital services,withoutrepercussionsintermsof

SowhatssogreataboutDTV?Digital TVdigitizessound,imageandother informationintobillionsofdatapackets withtagsthatallowthejumbleofpacketsto bereassembledintotheoriginalmaterial. Thus,likeonlinecontentontheInternet, thepacketsofoneTVprogramcanbesplit upandsentthroughdifferenttransmission modes(radio,wire,satellite,microwave,etc). Moreover,packetsofhundredsofdifferent programscangodownthesamewireor radiobandwidthatthesametime.Evenif billionsofpacketsaremixedupandbumped aroundduringtransmission,thedigitaltags enablethemtobedeliveredandputback togetherintotheoriginalshowsatmillions ofhomeTVs. Thissystemismuch,muchlessaffected bytheinterferencethatplaguesanalog signals,sinceDTVdatapacketsdonothave tomaintaintheunbrokenandproperly sequencedstreamofwavesusedtotransmit analogsignals.Thus,thekindofinterference

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