A JOINT group composed of the European Union (EU) delegation to the Philippines and representatives of Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) wants the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to extend the deadline of the review process for re-evaluating the standards of the digital terrestrial television (DTT) broadcast service in the country.
DVB is the European standard for DTT broadcast. It was earlier picked by the NTC as the preferred DTT standard in the country but later changed its preference to Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting (ISDB) standard which is used in Japan. An agreement between the Philippine government and Japan remains to be signed for this purpose.
In a statement, officials representing the union as well as the European platform met with the NTC yesterday to discuss with the technical working group (TWG) about the benefits that the newest DVB version promises. “A decision in favor of DVB-T2 in the Philippines would enable consumers, broadcasters and regulatory authorities to benefit from the most world’s advanced TV technology at an affordable price,” the statement read.
During the meeting, the EU asked for a sound, transparent review process, allowing all stakeholders to ask questions and to receive detailed information on standards available, including DVB-T2.
This, after the EU expressed its surprise that the TWG had not taken the initiative of organizing a hearing with DVB representatives. The Europeans suggested that broadcasters should be given the opportunity to try DVB-T2 and compare its performance with the Japanese standard. For this reason, the EU representatives formally asked the TWG to extend the deadline of the review process.
As of press time, the NTC has yet to comment on this request.
The EU also asked the NTC and the TWG to consider recent compelling developments on this issue, with the rollout of DVB-T2 in Europe, Africa and Asia. During CommunicAsia/ BroadcastAsia last week, the Singaporean government announced that it will start rolling out DVB-T2 before the end of the year.
Earlier, the NTC said it will not meet the end-June deadline set in issuing the implementing rules and regulations for the transition to digital broadcasting.
In an order issued by NTC chief Gamaliel Cordoba dated May 26, the agency tasked the technical committee to re-evaluate the standards for the DTT broadcast service.
“In light of the recent developments in digital television broadcasting, a technical committee is hereby created for the purpose of re-evaluating the standards for DTT. The committee shall be tasked to look into the latest developments in the DTT service, to include the emergence of second-generation DTT standards and an update on the prevailing market price of DTT set-top boxes, among others,” the order stated.
The NTC was referring to the second-generation DVB from Europe which other broadcasting firms, including GMA Network, are supporting.
The committee was ordered to submit a written report of its findings on or before June 30. Incidentally, the NTC was earlier targeting June for the release of the IRR. Without the rules, industry players could not fully start the shift to digital TV.
DVB2 has been touted by industry players as superior to Japan’s ISDB.
The technical committee is headed by NTC deputy commissioner Jose Martinez and composed of representatives from the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas, Commission on Information and Communications Technology, NTC, ABC Development Corp., ABS-CBN Corp., Aliw Broadcasting Corp., Broadcast Enterprises and Affiliated Media Inc., Christian Era Broadcasting Service, Inc., Department of Trade and Industry, Bureau of Trade Regulation and Consumer Protection, Eagle Broadcasting Corp. and Zoe Broadcasting Network Inc.
