City Dwellers In Thailand To Be First To Receive Coupons For Digital T V

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Special report:

City dwellers to be first to receive coupons for digital TV

BANGKOK: -- With the world shifting into the digital age, Thailand has come up with plans for analog switch-off and digital switch-on. The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) will next year distribute coupons to help people purchase the set-top boxes for receiving digital TV signal, while all television operators will shift to the digital system.

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NBTC Vice Chairman Col. Natee Sukolrat said that the by October next year the commission will begin distributing coupons to 22 million households to help them purchase the set-top boxes for receiving digital TV. The first groups will be Bangkokians and residents in large cities. The NBTC expected the distribution to cover all targeted 22 million households or 95% of the country by 2017.

The CAT Telecom Public Company Limited has planned to grant licenses to television operators to broadcast in the digital system by April 2014; while licenses for public service channels will be given in May. The auction for 24-hour digital channels will take place during July to August 2014. Three months after the auction, or around October, the set-top box coupons for households will be distributed.

As digital broadcast in Thailand has yet to be fully formed; Col. Natee said many television sets sold in the kingdom remain analog ones.

When asked to compare having digital receiver inside the television and having a set-top box separated from the television, the NBTC Vice Chairman said many countries, such as Great Britain, do not install the receiver inside the TV as the repair works will be costly. As for Thailand, he explained that if having set-top box separated from the TV, audience will have to purchase only the receiver box, which is around 800-3,000 baht each. They do not have to throw away their old TV sets.

Col. Natee added the coupon is only aimed at lessening people’s burden in purchasing the set-top boxes; those who are able to buy more expensive boxes could do so as desire.

The NBTC Vice Chairman commented that Thailand is among the last countries to switch from analog to digital system in ASEAN; but he believed Thailand will be able to adjust fast. He said other nations are having problems with the network expansion; but Thailand is instead focusing on granting licenses to the existing operators.

The International Telecommunication Union has advised all countries to switch from analog to digital. The process may take years for a nation to completely shift to digital. So far countries in Europe, the US, and Japan have already completely switched off their analog systems. And Thailand is on its path to do so.

-- NNT 2013-02-20

[thrawn60]

hmm... I smell another get rich quick scheme like the coupons for the flood relief, with special coupon price of just 799 for a fan which can be purchased at 599 at Tesco's

But lets see, it might not happen, this time it might be a real coupon that has real value and not fake prices and additional service charges to many people in the program'??

[billd766]

hmm... I smell another get rich quick scheme like the coupons for the flood relief, with special coupon price of just 799 for a fan which can be purchased at 599 at Tesco's

But lets see, it might not happen, this time it might be a real coupon that has real value and not fake prices and additional service charges to many people in the program'??

Are you going to hold your breath?

[TommoPhysicist]

When I was last in the UK, all the new Tvs were sold with digital receivers inside them.

[Totster]

Makes sense, stuff the poor folk in the villages.. most of whom still don't have phone lines or internet connections... jasus most even have to buy their own satellite dish equipment because even the terrestrial TV signal sucks.

But as long as the Bangkokians are all right we can forget about all that.....

totster

[WhizBang]

With the world shifting into the digital age

Shifting? The world fininshed 'shifting' some time ago and has been settled in for a while. Just like 3G, Thailand is bringing up the rear.

Edited February 20, 2013 by WhizBang

[davejones]

With the world shifting into the digital age

Shifting? The world fininshed 'shifting' some time ago and has been settled in for a while. Just like 3G, Thailand is bringing up the rear.

The world is changing faster than it ever has. You must be living under a rock if you think things have settled.

[Locationthailand]

Thailand enters the technology age, 10 years behind the rest of the world. And as already pointed out many sets have decoders inbuilt. Last thing I want is another box to go with the PSI box, UBC box, the VHS/FM tuner/player, the two DVD players and more. The cabinet is overloaded already.

[BrianCR]

When asked to compare having digital receiver inside the television and having a set-top box separated from the television, the NBTC Vice Chairman said many countries, such as Great Britain, do not install the receiver inside the TV as the repair works will be costly. As for Thailand, he explained that if having set-top box separated from the TV, audience will have to purchase only the receiver box, which is around 800-3,000 baht each. They do not have to throw away their old TV sets.

Col. Natee added the coupons will only be valid for units made at his brother-in-laws factory and those who are able to buy more expensive boxes could go to hell.

[Fortunate1]

In the UK it's said that the 4G phone system may interfere with digital TV reception.

At least Thailand doesn't have to worry about that for a few years.

[hellodolly]

Makes sense, stuff the poor folk in the villages.. most of whom still don't have phone lines or internet connections... jasus most even have to buy their own satellite dish equipment because even the terrestrial TV signal sucks.

But as long as the Bangkokians are all right we can forget about all that.....

totster

Exactly and still those dunderheads think this government is for them.

[uptheos]

Thailand enters the technology age, 10 years behind the rest of the world. And as already pointed out many sets have decoders inbuilt. Last thing I want is another box to go with the PSI box, UBC box, the VHS/FM tuner/player, the two DVD players and more. The cabinet is overloaded already.

Little boxes on the hillside,

Little boxes made of ticky tacky,

Little boxes on the hillside,

Little boxes all the same.

There's a green one and a pink one

And a blue one and a yellow one,

And they're all made out of ticky tacky

And they all look just the same.

Edited February 20, 2013 by uptheos

[khastan]

When I was last in the UK, all the new Tvs were sold with digital receivers inside them.

When I was last in the UK, all the new Tvs were sold with digital receivers inside them.

Yes agreed the last time I was in the UK three years ago all the TV sets on sale had built in digital receivers.

[ramrod711]

He said other nations are having problems with the network expansion; but Thailand is instead focusing on granting licenses to the existing operators.

Thailand has avoided all those pesky competition problems, just let the existing companies have a monopoly.....as long as every one on the panel gets paid.

[Thai at Heart]

There is no way they can expect everyone to buy a new tv.

In fact, whether the digital signals will reach the whole country is doubtful. So huge parts of rural Thailand will lose signal, no doubt. Now how are the political parties, or the army going to spread propaganda?

[Fozfromoz]

There is no way they can expect everyone to buy a new tv.

In fact, whether the digital signals will reach the whole country is doubtful. So huge parts of rural Thailand will lose signal, no doubt. Now how are the political parties, or the army going to spread propaganda?

back to basics

[bkk_mike]

With the world shifting into the digital age

Shifting? The world fininshed 'shifting' some time ago and has been settled in for a while. Just like 3G, Thailand is bringing up the rear.

The world is changing faster than it ever has. You must be living under a rock if you think things have settled.

The switch from analogue to digital is one thing I'm pretty sure is settled.

I'm not saying there won't be new broadcast standards (4K for instance), but it will be digital vs digital.

What would be more useful would be announcing that the frequencies and digital transmission choices and formats (i.e. DVB-T2 using H264 with broadcasts in either 480p or 1080i (or 720p) etc.) have been made and that they will start certifying a digital broadcast ready sticker that can be used on new TVs that have built-in compatible receivers, so that people shopping for a new TV anyway have the option of not needing a set top box.

Set top boxes should only need to be required for old TVs - not people buying new TVs now that they've presumably made their choice of broadcast standards and frequencies.