NBC sets terms on analogue, digital TV broadcasting

[webfact]

NBC sets terms on analogue, digital TV broadcasting
By English News



BANGKOK, June 18 – Thailand’s four state-run media agencies will be allowed to continue operating free-to-air TV analogue broadcasting for the next five years, according to a decision by the National Broadcasting Committee (NBC).

The agencies are the Royal Thai Army which operates TV Channel 5, MCOT (Channel 9), the Public Relations Department (Channel 11) and Thai Public Broadcasting Service (ThaiPBS).

Natee Sukonrat, chairman of the National Broadcasting Committee (NBC), said licences will be extended to the four broadcasters after approval by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Committee (NBTC).

The NBC is a broadcasting supervision body under the NBTC. The NBTC is scheduled to discuss the issue tomorrow.

The Royal Thai Army must submit a plan to transform Channel 5 into a public TV station under Category II which emphasises national security while Channel 11 will come under Category III – providing public information, he said.

The two agencies are given five years for the transformation before heading towards digital TV broadcasting.

The ThaiPBS licence is due to expire on April 17, 2014 after which the NBC will allow an annual extension.

Channel 9, operated by MCOT Plc, will become a commercial free-to-air TV station, subjected to apply for a digital public TV licence similar to other privately-owned broadcasters. It is not required to submit an analogue transformation plan as in the cases of Channel 5 and Channel 11.

The concessions to operate Channel 3, owned by MCOT, will expire in 2020, and Channel 7, owned by the Royal Thai Army, will end in 2022.

However, BEC World and Bangkok Broadcasting and TV (BBTV), which operate Channel 3 and Channel 7 respectively, have applied for digital TV licences.

They are permitted to broadcast their programmes on both analogue and digital terrestrial systems in parallel, or simulcast broadcasting.

The NBC also allowed Channel 5, Channel 9, Channel 11 and ThaiPBS to operate digital TV networks for 15 years, while fees will be set later. (MCOT online news)


-- TNA 2013-06-18

[Unkomoncents]

Thailand's TV enters the digital age, if you excuse the use of TV to silence critics and impose military rule. Yea!

[tezzainoz]

The cost of manufacturing analog tuners just for countrie like Thailand must go through the roof with all the major companies using digital

[bkk_mike]

The real question is - have they announced a digital standard and frequencies that will be used?

That way, TV manufacturers could start building TVs now that have the required tuners in them for the future (and can be sold as digital-ready) so that new TVs wouldn't need to have set-top boxes when the analogue signal is turned off.

I'm a bit surprised they're giving them 5 years though on their analogue broadcasts. I thought there was a ASEAN push to be off analogue by the end of 2015. I figured Myanmar and Laos were unlikely to make that, but given Cambodia is already broadcasting in digitial, I figured Thailand would at least make an attempt, if only to not be classed as "technologically inept" (although the 3G delays probably put them there already)...

Admittedly "ASEAN standards" don't seem to mean anything. i.e. DVB-T is supposed to be the standard across ASEAN, but the Philippines has gone with the Japanese ISDB-T system instead (and I hope that by saying DVB-T, they're including DVB-T2.)

[bkk_mike]

Just to add - Thailand is apparently also looking at the ISDB-T International standard that the Philippines has adopted, despite trials to date all having been done with DVB-T.

(ISDB-T International uses H.264 (mpeg4), which isn't the same as the Japanese ISDB-T domestic system which is using H.262 (mpeg2)). i.e. It's like comparing DVB-T2 with DVB-T.

This is supposedly better than DVB-T for transmissions to mobile devices, so might be a good decision. I just wish they'd announce a decision for the TV manufacturers and broadcasters sakes - because you can't order the equipment until you have a decision on the standards and frequencies to be used..

[Sayonarax]

The cost of manufacturing analog tuners just for countrie like Thailand must go through the roof with all the major companies using digital

lol India,China and Brazil.. Oh wait forgot america and Europe was 90% of the worlds population.

[bkk_mike]

The cost of manufacturing analog tuners just for countrie like Thailand must go through the roof with all the major companies using digital

lol India,China and Brazil.. Oh wait forgot america and Europe was 90% of the worlds population.

India maybe...

Brazil and China are already doing digital broadcasting. Not sure if they're in a state to actually turn off analogue yet, but they're miles ahead of Thailand..