THE Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) said the Japanese digital TV standard is “better” than the European platform. 

“ISDB-T (Integrated Service Digital Broadcasting-Terrestrial (ISDB-T) is a pro-Filipino standard because it has features that can address better the needs of the Filipino viewers, not to mention that it costs less than DVB2 [Digital Video Broadcasting-Terrestrial 2], its European counterpart,” Atom Henares, chairman of the KBP TV Committee said in a statement. 

The KBP statement comes after the European Union lobbied before the National Telecommunications Commission for an extension of the deadline for deciding on the Philippines’ standard. 

ISDB-T can carry less channels than DVB2, Henares said, but the Japanese standard’s capacity is enough to transmit channels that will be produced by broadcast networks. 

ISDB-T also features a data transmission functionality that allows broadcast networks to flash data at the TV screen of the viewers. 

This feature can be used in weather forecasting and government announcements. It can also be very helpful during emergency situations given that the Philippines is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire and the Intertropical Convergence Zone. 

“It is also ISDB that already has seen test broadcasts by some TV networks,” Henares said. - Darwin G. Amolejar, dated 15 July 2011.

THE National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has asked television broadcasting companies which of the European and Japanese standards for digital terrestrial television (DTT) is technically and economically better for local use. 

In a technical presentation of the two standards at the NTC last Friday, NTC Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba gave broadcast firms and other stakeholders until Wednesday to submit their recommendations. 

Cordoba said the broadcast firms should assess the impact of each standard on consumers as to the price of set-up boxes, program choice, quality and timing. 

On the broadcast side, the price of commercial rollout, speed and take-up should be considered while on the regulators’ side, frequency planning and analog switch-off are the prime concerns. 

Based on initial technical comparisons, the European DVB-T2 was found better in terms of transmission transfer rate of a channel; robustness of the transmission to improve coverage; number of countries adopted, and; payload capacity. 

The Japanese ISDB-T, however, are cheaper at $20.50 to $55 against DVB-T2’s $33.50 to $62. 

After the receiving the papers of the broadcast companies, the NTC will take more than a week to review these come up with a decision. 

The NTC planned to issue the implementing rules and regulations on DTT this month, but the deadline is expected to be extended if NTC chooses the European technology. 

The NTC chose the Japanese standard in June last year, but the Aquino administration has given the European consortium owning DBB-T2 another chance to make a presentation. 

Earlier, the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) said its members favor the Japanese standard as the cost of set-up boxes is much cheaper. 

The Japanese government has also promised funding and technical support for the country’s migration digital television. 

“The Japanese government earlier said it will support the country’s transition into the DTT era by, among other things, setting up a factory here for the manufacturing of set-top boxes. This will create jobs for Filipinos and make the equipment more accessible,” said Atom Henares, chairman of the KBP Television Committee. - Myla Iglesias, dated 11 July 2011

“Within the next 15 days, we should already have come out with a decision,” NTC Commissioner Gamaliel A. Cordoba told reporters yesterday after a hearing on mobile service interconnection rates at the agency’s head office in Quezon City. 

Mr. Cordoba said the technical working group for the digital TV standard meet this week to complete the review which started last May 26. 

The review was originally scheduled to be completed last June 30. 

In June last year, NTC, citing industry consensus, said it had chosen Japan’s Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting-Terrestrial (ISDB-T) standard as the country’s platform over Europe’s Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) technology. 

However, NTC last March decided to review all standards after a committee of the House of Representatives cited the upgraded European standard (DVB-2) as an option. 

Mr. Cordoba said the implementing rules and regulations for the country’s switch to digital TV is largely completed, awaiting only the identification of standard to be adopted. 

The government aims to complete the country’s shift to digital TV by 2015. 

Last June 28, representatives of the European Union Delegation to the Philippines and of the industry-led Digital Video Broadcasting Project presented the advantages of the upgraded European standard to the NTC. 

The following day, the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas said the Japanese standard is better suited for the country citing price concerns. - Kathleen A. Martin, dated 04 July 2011, 10:31 PM

With the Philippines’ looming migration from analog to digital terrestrial television (DTT) broadcast, limited channel options, signal interruptions and poor-quality image and audio will soon be things of the past. 

Digital TV viewing will introduce an all-new improved experience with multiple channels per frequency, high-quality image and sound, and other exciting functionalities. 

And, among the existing DTT standards available today, Japan’s Integrated Service Digital Broadcasting-Terrestrial (ISDB-T) is what the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP), the country’s foremost broadcast media organization, believes to be the one that will best serve the interest of Filipinos. 

According to Atom Henares, chairman of the KBP Television Committee, “ISDB is a pro-Filipino standard because it has features that can address better the needs of the Filipino viewers, not to mention that it costs less than DVB2, its European counterpart.” 

DVB2 or Digital Video Broadcasting-Terrestrial2 is the second generation of Europe’s digital TV standard, DVB. 

Although, ISDB can carry less channels compared to DVB2, Henares believes ISDB’s capacity is enough to transmit channels that will be produced by broadcast networks. 

What’s more, Henares stressed, Filipinos don’t have to pay more just to have the extra number of channels that might just end up unused by the networks. The set-top box required for analog TV sets to receive digital signal for DVB-T2 is 60 percent more expensive than that of ISDB. 

With ISDB, a frequency can carry up to eight channels, which, when already rolled out, can provide Filipino viewers with up to 176 free-to-air tv channels that will allow broadcast networks to produce more channels that can cater to different market segments and specific interests. 

Another feature of ISDB is its mobility. All handheld devices like mobile phones and small TV sets that can receive digital signals will be able to receive digital broadcast. This is in contrast to DVB2 where mobility is just an option and not all devices can receive its signal unless customized to do so. 

“Filipinos are always on the go and with ISDB, you can watch your favorite TV programs even when on the road,” said Henares. 

ISDB also features a data transmission feature that allows broadcast networks to flash data at the TV screen of the viewers. 

This feature can be utilized in weather forecasting and government announcements. It can also be very helpful during emergency situations given that the Philippines is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, making the country prone to earthquake and volcanic eruptions, as well as in the Intertropical Convergence Zone, which brings storms and typhoons all year round. 

“It is also ISDB that already has seen test broadcasts by some TV networks,” said Henares. 

Engr. Antonio M. Leduna, Chief Technology Officer of National Broadcasting Network (NBN) said, “Since we began test broadcast on ISDB in 2009, signal was robust and there was no degradation in the quality of the images and sound. 

NBN has tried broadcasting in both high and standard definitions and has also utilized the emergency warning and data casting features of ISDB. Their programs can also be viewed in hand held devices. 

Net 25 and GEM TV have also tried broadcasting in ISDB since early 2008. 

According to Engr. Cesar Villadiego, Head of Engineering of Net 25, “We haven’t experienced any problems in our digital transmission. In fact, all our programs are still broadcast in high definition using ISDB.” 

More than the features of ISDB, the Philippines will also benefit from migrating to the DTT standard as Japan promised funding and technical support for the country’s digital tv migration. 

“The Japanese government has earlier said it will support the country’s transition into the DTT era by, among other things, setting up a factory here in the country for the manufacturing of set-top boxes. 

This will create jobs for Filipinos and make the equipment more accessible,” said Henares. - PNA, dated 30 June 2011, 01:34 P.M.

A joint delegation of the Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) industry led consortium and European Union representatives have met with The Philippines’ National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to present the technical superiority of the DVB-T2 digital terrestrial television (DTT) standard over the dated Japanese ISDB-T system. 

Screen Africa readers will recall how last year former South African Minister of Communications Siphiwe Nyanda called for a review of the cabinet-adopted DVB-T standard in favour of ISDB-T against industry wishes. Siphiwe’s successor formally announced in November 2010 that South Africa would adopt the second generation DVB-T2 for its digital migration. 

In The Philippines, DVB and the EU presented the economic advantages and benefits of the economies of scale of DVB-T2. They hope that the NTC will reconsider its deadline of 30 June for its final decision on the adoption of a digital standard. The delegation called for a proper DVB-T2 field trial to be held so that a full comparison can be made of the competing standards. 

“It has been proven that under similar conditions, DVB-T2 either provides nearly 100% more payload or the transmitter power can be reduced by 8-10 dB, which results in a drastic decrease of capital investment and operational costs for the transmitter network. Owing to the significant success of DVB-T2, low cost STBs are already available for as little as 45 USD in UK retail stores. In addition, there are commercially available low cost DVB-T2 HD set-top boxes operating in 6 MHz channels, as required in the Philippines,” commented Peter Siebert, Executive Director, DVB. 

DVB-T2 is the world’s most advanced DTT system offering higher efficiency, robustness and flexibility than first generation DTT systems such as DVB-T and ISDB-T. It builds on the basis of DVB-T and by adding new modulation, coding and error correction techniques a dramatic efficiency increase is achieved over any other DTT system in the world. DVB-T2 also provides excellent performance for mobile reception. DVB-T2 supports the main frequency bandwidths of 6,7 and 8 MHz, covering all possible broadcasting scenarios around the world, including 6 MHz countries such as the Philippines. 

“The growing interest in DVB-T2 around the world seems to be a symptom of mature thinking. Countries are now looking for the best long-term solution, rather than a quick-fix using inferior technologies. This trend definitely favours DVB-T2,” said Phil Laven, Chairman, DVB. 

Since the first DVB-T2 services were launched in December 2009 in the UK, 2010 and early 2011 have seen services launched in Italy, Sweden and Finland. The total number of countries that have declared their intention to deploy the state-of-the-art second-generation digital terrestrial television (DTT) transmission system now stands at a remarkable 28. In the Asian region, India, Singapore and Sri Lanka have chosen DVB-T2 and tests have been carried out in Malaysia and Thailand. - dated 30 June 2011, 01:02 PM

MANILA, Philippines — Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP), an umbrella association of local broadcast media continues to lobby for adopting the Japanese digital television standard in the country, instead of the more expensive European standard. 

Among the existing DTT standards available today, Japan’s Integrated Service Digital Broadcasting-Terrestrial (ISDB-T) costs less than Digital Video Broadcasting-Terrestrial2 (DVB2), its European counterpart, according to Atom Henares, chairman of the KBP Television Committee. 

DVB2 is the second generation of Europe’s digital tv standard, DVB. It can carry more channels than ISDB. However, he believes ISDB’s capacity is enough to transmit channels that will be produced by broadcast networks. 

“Filipinos don’t have to pay more just to have the extra number of channels that might just end up unused by the networks. The set-top box required for analog TV sets to receive digital signal for DVB-T2 is 60 percent more expensive than that of ISDB,” Henares explained. 

With ISDB, a frequency can carry up to eight channels which, when already rolled out, can provide Filipino viewers with up to 176 free-to-air tv channels that will allow broadcast networks to produce more channels that can cater to different market segments and specific interests. 

Another feature of ISDB is its mobility. All handheld devices like mobile phones and small TV sets that can receive digital signals will be able to receive digital broadcast. This is in contrast to DVB2 where mobility is just an option and not all devices can receive its signal unless customized to do so. 

“Filipinos are always on the go and with ISDB, they can watch their favorite TV programs even on the road,” he pointed out. 

ISDB also has a data transmission feature that allows broadcast networks to flash data at the TV screen of the viewers. This can be used in weather forecasting and government announcements. It can also be very helpful during emergency situations given that the Philippines is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, making the country prone to earthquake and volcanic eruptions, as well as in the Intertropical Convergence Zone, which brings storms and typhoons all year round. 

“Since we began test broadcast on ISDB in 2009, signal was robust and there was no degradation in the quality of the images and sound,” says Engr. Antonio M. Leduna, Chief Technology Officer of National Broadcasting Network (NBN). 

NBN has tried broadcasting in both high and standard definitions and has also utilized the emergency warning and data casting features of ISDB. Their programs can also be viewed in hand held devices. 

Net 25 and GEM TV have also tried broadcasting in ISDB since early 2008. 

“We haven’t experienced any problems in our digital transmission. In fact, all our programs are still broadcast in high definition using ISDB,” according to Engr. Cesar Villadiego, Head of Engineering of Net 25. 

More than the features of ISDB, the Philippines will also benefit from migrating to the DTT standard as Japan promised funding and technical support for the country’s digital tv migration. 

“The Japanese government promised to support the country’s transition into the DTT era by setting up a factory here for the manufacturing of set-top boxes. This will create jobs for Filipinos and make the equipment more accessible,” concluded Henares. - Emmie V. Abadilla, dated 30 June 2011, 01:42 A.M.

THE KAPISANAN ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) said on Wednesday the Japanese digital television standard is better suited for the country than the upgraded European standard, citing cost concerns. 

“[A]mong the existing [digital terrestrial television (DTT)] standards available today, Japan’s Integrated Service Digital Broadcasting-Terrestrial (ISDB-T) is what the KBP… believes to be the one that will best serve the interest of the Filipinos,” KBP said in a statement. 

Alfredo L. Henares, KBP chairman, said in the statement that rolling out the Japanese standard “costs less” than implementing the European Digital Video Broadcasting-Terrestrial 2 (DVB-T2) standard. 

Among cost concerns, KBP said that DVB-T2 set-top boxes, which are required to be purchased by the public to allow analog TV sets to receive digital signals, cost “60% more expensive” than ISDB-T boxes. 

Despite admitting that the European standard will allow broadcasters to carry more channels as compared to the Japanese standard, Mr. Henares said in the statement that the channels will be enough for the broadcast networks. 

Already, the ISDB-T will be able to provide Filipinos up to 176 free-to-air TV channels, KBP said. - Kathleen A. Martin, dated 29 June 2011, 10:56 A.M.

A team from Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB), backed by the European Union delegation to the Philippines, met with officials of the National Telecommunications yesterday to pitch for the adoption of the digital TV standard DBT-2 instead of Japan’s ISDB-T (Integrated Services Digital Broadcast-Terrestrial). 

The DVB team claimed DBT-2 is the world’s most advanced technology and comes at an affordable price. 

The NTC last year signed a memorandum of agreement with Japanese developers to make ISDB-T the country’s standard in shifting to digital television, but the deal was put on hold recently by Malacañang to allow an evaluation of DBT-2. 

Whoever wins the fight for digital TV standard stands to gain royalty payments for every set of television using the technology. 

Japanese providers, however, said the royalties they will charge is minimal. It is more of national pride arising from global use that is at stake, they said. 

The shift to digital TV is scheduled to start this year, with the implementing rules due this month. But with the Palace directive to accommodate the Europeans’ wish to evaluate DBT-2, the shift is expected to be delayed. 

The country’s three broadcast firms are ready to migrate to digital terrestrial television anytime. GMA network said it would spend up to P600 million for the migration and ABS-CBN about P1 billion. TV5 has yet to disclose its investment on digital TV. 

Ray Espinosa, ABC Broadcasting Corp. president, said the station’s technology is “neutral” on whatever system is eventually adopted. A more serious concern, he said, are the consumers who will have to pay for the set-top boxes. 

“We have to think of the consumers, because television is public service. They have to take into account the consumers,” Espinosa said. 

During the meeting with the NTC and a technical working group (TWG) yesterday, the EU asked for a sound and transparent review process, allowing all stakeholders to ask questions and to receive detailed information on standards available, including DVB-T2. 

The EU expressed its surprise that the TWG has not taken the initiative of organizing a hearing with DVB representatives. 

The EU suggested that broadcasters be given the opportunity to try DVB-T2 and compare its performance with the Japanese standard. 

The EU representatives formally asked the TWG to extend the deadline of the review process. 

In an earlier interview, Motohiko Kato, deputy and chief of mission of the Japanese embassy, said the Japanese standard is more advantageous than the European standard. 

Among the advantages, he said, are the efficient frequency utilization and mobile TV services, emergency warning broadcasting system, cheap prices of set-top box, wider coverage area and clear image. The royalty is also free, Kato said. 

He explained that once the Japanese standard is finally chosen, it will be easier for the broadcast firms to roll out mobile television services using the same transmitter as in digital TV, unlike with the European system where the broadcast network would need to set up another transmitter for mobile TV. 

Mobile TV services are expected to become a huge potential business opportunity for the telecom and broadcast firms. “Mobile is a huge potential to create a lot of new business and services,” Kato added. 

The proposed price of a set-up box is pegged at $10 under the Japanese system. Kato said the price is expected to become even lower when demand for the product is high and there’s a lot of competition in the market. 

Kato added that the Japanese system coverage is 20 percent better than the European. Among the countries using the Japan system are Uruguay, Bolivia, Paraguay, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Venezuela, Chile, and Brazil. 

But globally, the European system is more widely used. It is used by more than 120 countries, of which 21 are European. In Asia, those using the European system include Sri Lanka, India and Taiwan. 

Atom Henares, chairman of the KBP Television Committee, earlier said digital television not only provides viewers with better image quality and clearer sound, but also allows for more content through more channels. This leads to bigger variety and more options for the viewers. 

“The majority of our households don’t have cable subscriptions, which confines their viewing experience to up to only 22 channels compared with up to 176 channels in digital terrestrial television,” Henares said. 

Of the 22 channels, only three are being watched by approximately 80 percent of the market who do not subscribe to cable. This is clear proof of the limited choice viewers have in terms of programs and content, he said. 

Another significant feature of digital TV is its data broadcast capability and interactivity, which allow immediate data transmission to all users. This is particularly helpful in emergencies. - Irma Isip, dated 28 June 2011

IN THE END, IT IS STILL THE COST. Read the post after the break.

MANILA, Philippines - Put it in writing, please. Philippine regulators will act on a request by the European Union to delay the deadline for the re-evaluation of the standards for the digital terrestrial television (DTT) broadcast service in the country once they get a formal request from the EU, National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) chief Gamaliel Cordoba said Tuesday. 

The NTC sought the formal request a day after a joint group from the EU delegation to the Philippines and Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) representatives made a presentation and asked for an extension. They were told that the technical working group is now working on the review of the standards and that any move to delay the process must be formalized. 

The review itself, announced two weeks ago by the NTC, had caused a stir in the industry because it meant that the much-awaited June 30 issuance of the implementing rules and regulations on the industry’s migration to digital TV would not be met. 

The NTC had directed its technical committee to re-evaluate the standards for the DTT broadcast service and to submit its findings on or before June 30. Cited as basis for the re-evaluation were “recent developments” pertaining to the endorsement by some players of the second-generation digital video broadcasting (DVB T2) from Europe, even though NTC earlier opted to adopt Japan’s Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting-Technology (ISDB-T) standard. The review panel was told to compare the two. 

Associated Broadcasting Corp. (ABC), which operates TV5, had served notice it will run trials in late June or early July for the DTT broadcast service, running on a platform endorsed by Japan’s largest mobile phone operator NTT DoCoMo. 

TV5 president Ray C. Espinosa said at that time, “We remain supportive of ISDB-T which we favorably endorsed to the NTC (National Telecommunications Commission) previously. Our letter to the NTC is to secure permission to do ISDB-T trials already and also to do comparison with DVB’s (Digital Video Broadcasting) T2.” 

EU wants ‘sound, transparent’ review 

In seeking to be heard in the review process, the EU indicated on Monday that it wanted a process that allows all stakeholders to ask questions and to receive detailed information on standards available, including DVB-T2, an updated and modernized version of DVB. 

The EU wondered aloud why the TWG did not organize a hearing with DVB representatives, noting that broadcasters should be given the chance to try DVB-T2 and compare its performance with the Japanese standard. 

The EU also asked Philippine regulators to consider recent developments with the rollout of DVB-T2 in Europe, Africa and Asia. At last week’s CommunicAsia/ BroadcastAsia, Singapore’s government declared it will start rolling out DVB-T2 before yearend. 

Cost an issue, too 

Cost, however, seems to play a key role in the preference of the industry for the Japanese ISDB, according to sources at the technical working group that is doing the review. 

Sources at the TWG said the cost of each set top box for the new version of the European standard is from $45 to $50. The Europeans have not offered come-ons dangled by the Japanese, who said they could manufacture the boxes here and even assist the Philippine government stations. If the ISDB platform were adopted, the set top box per unit will fetch only $15 each. 

Before the EU team came, the results of the review was expected to be announced soon by the TWG chaired by NTC deputy commissioner Jose Martinez. 

The end-June target for issuing the IRR for the transition to digital broadcasting will definitely not be met, though, officials said. 

Without the rules, industry players could not fully start the shift to digital TV. 

Japan’s ISDB-T platform is seen to provide more business opportunities because the bandwidth to be given to digital TV can be used to service mobile phones. Emergency warning broadcasts to households are also possible with this technology. 

Some industry players, notably GMA Network, had touted the European DVB T2 as superior to Japan’s ISDB-T. 

Asked how NTT DoCoMo reacted to the NTC’s latest directive [to re-evaluate the ISDB and compare it with the European standard], TV5’s Espinosa said, “Our trials are meant for ISDB-T and we will simply compare the results with DVB.” 

NTT DoCoMo, he said, is in fact providing TV5 with valuable inputs. “NTT DoCoMo is providing us with their inputs on ISDB technology and implementation,” said Espinosa, who also sits on the board of directors of PLDT. 

TV5 is under MediaQuest Holdings Inc., the holding company of the PLDT retirement fund. PLDT is partly owned by NTT DoCoMo. 

Industry prods NTC on rules 

Earlier, the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) had urged the NTC to speed up the issuance of the IRR. 

Atom Henares, KBP’s TV committee chairman, had said the migration to digital “will not only give Filipinos a better viewing experience with superior clarity in image and sound, but also more choices on free-to-air tv.” 

“It is important for NTC to already come out with the IRR because we are all trying to meet the deadline set to the Philippines by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU),” said Henares. “If we keep on delaying the release of IRR just because a new standard is released, we will be left out. Technology is always evolving non-stop. We need to address the needs of the Filipinos now,” added Henares. 

ITU is the global body mandating countries to adopt a new digital TV standard. The Philippines is a member. Even developed countries like Japan and the United States took almost 1-2 years to fully roll out digital broadcasting. 

Free-TV or non-cable households account for 90 percent of the total 17 million TV households in the country. With digital TV, each existing TV frequency in the country can air up to eight free-tv channels each. This means the country could end up with 176 total channels from its existing 22 TV frequencies. - Llewelyn Sanchez, dated 28 June 2010, 04:43 P.M.

REPRESENTATIVES of the European Union (EU) Delegation to the Philippines and of the Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) Project have asked the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to extend its deadline for deciding on the digital television standard the country will adopt in order to enable broadcast firms to test the European system.

In a statement on Monday, the EU said the NTC should extend its June 30 deadline, to allow broadcast firms to review the upgraded European standard (DVB-T2). 

The DVB Project, based in Geneva, Switzerland, is engaged in the development of the European digital TV standard. 

“[B]roadcasters should be given the opportunity to try DVB-T2 and compare its performance with the Japanese [Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting-Terrestrial, or ISDB-T] standard,” the EU said. 

The statement said the EU-DVB team presented its proposal during a meeting yesterday of NTC’s technical working group that is reviewing prospective digital TV standards the country can adopt. The meeting was held in the NTC headquarters in Quezon City. 

“The [group] asked the NTC…to consider recent compelling developments on this issue, with the rollout of the new leapfrog technology, DVB-T2, in Europe, Africa and Asia,” EU said.

The EU-led team added that Singapore had announced earlier this month that it would start rolling out DVB-T2 before the end of the year. 

“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,” EU claimed in its statement. 

The country aims to complete its shift to digital TV by 2015. 

Citing industry support, NTC said in June last year that it had chosen the Japanese standard over Europe’s DVB technology. 

In the wake of a recommendation from a committee in the House of Representatives, the NTC decided on May 26 to conduct a review, aiming to complete it by the end of this month. 

NTC Commissioner Gamaliel A. Cordoba said in a telephone interview yesterday that the implementing rules for digital TV rollout are “almost finished” and should be published early next month. - Kathleen A. Martin, dated 28 June 2011.