Digital television plan gets mixed response from Thai experts

[webfact]

Digital television plan gets mixed response from experts
Pravit Rojanaphruk
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Experts differ on how the upcoming introduction of digital television, with the number of public-service channels rising, will affect people's access to political news and their political awareness.

Of those interviewed, the most optimistic person was Supinya Klangnarong, a member of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission, while media experts including Ubonrat Siriyuwasak, former communication-arts lecturer at Chulalongkorn University, offered words of caution.

Supinya said that of the 24 new channels, 12 would be geared towards public service, with up to 70 per cent of their content focusing on news and information. This would widen the competition and lead to greater diversity, she said.

What's more, satellite television stations that focus on Thai politics could become mainstream if they win a licence, and thus make television news and reporting more daring and diverse, she added.

"So far, free TV stations have been far too conservative, while satellite-based channels have been very colourful [politically]. The transformation of satellite TV to free TV could mean greater diversity and more daring coverage. It will reflect diverse viewpoints in society and stimulate the thought process in Thai society, so discussions will become deeper and more widespread," Supinya said.

However, she added, it might take five or even 10-15 years for this change to shape new political consciousness in Thai society. On the other hand, heavily politicised satellite television channels will also be encouraged to become more mainstream-oriented when they win the concession.

In comparison, Ubonrat was a lot less optimistic, saying the big old media corporations would most likely win the licences to be auctioned this year and viewers would not necessarily see more investigative reporting or critical news than what they already do. Instead, she warned, they will most probably be given more soap-opera choices.

However, she believes foreign news coverage, especially in the ASEAN region, could improve greatly.

"[New] technology is no guarantee for greater knowledge," Ubonrat stressed, adding that the digital TV landscape in the next five to 10 years would continue to be partially monopolised by big businesses, while old players on free TV would continue to maintain an edge for at least five years. "Ordinary folk will continue to consume mainstream media content," Ubonrat predicted.

Naruemon Tabchumpol, Chulalongkorn University political scientist, said radical satellite TV channels could become more mainstream-oriented if they joined the digital-television bandwagon. On the other hand, with more choices at hand, people would be less likely to be loyal to one particular channel, which would diminish the power certain channels have.

However, the big question is whether the content will really differ, Naruemon said, adding that digital TV stations will also face the challenge of differentiating rumours and opinions from facts, which is already a problem for Thai media in general.


-- The Nation 2013-07-06

[Thai at Heart]

Ordinary folk will continue to consume mainstream media content," Ubonrat predicted.

Not if you make it compulsory for every bloody news channel to put current affairs and news on TV for 30 minutes between 6 and 8 pm.

[John Egil]

Ordinary folk will continue to consume mainstream media content," Ubonrat predicted.

Not if you make it compulsory for every bloody news channel to put current affairs and news on TV for 30 minutes between 6 and 8 pm.

Yes, Instead of the soaps

Edited July 6, 2013 by John Egil

[Xonax]

The TV´s currently sold in Thailand, are not even prepared for digital TV. No MPEG4 tuner inside.

[hellodolly]

It would be nice to have one of them broadcast the news in english by qualified English translators.

[bunuel]

Thailand is sadly far behind the curve in the Digital Revolution. The education system has strongly promoted regurgitation of "correct" snswers while emphatically discouraging self- expression of any kind, including the asking of questions. Only when the Thai education syatem decides to catch up with the 21st century will we see creative use of digital space - right now, Thai television is simply dreadful in terms of both form and content, and it is not about money or technlogy!

[cigar7]

Why are they mixing the 2 subjects: DTV and new stations? All existing stations should be converted to DTV, then add new channels. Set a date to turn off all analog broadcasts.

[drdoom6996]

"However, she added, it might take five or even 10-15 years for this change".

As nobody can get a decent internet connection that stays on for the length of a television program.

[Cuban]

Thailand is just getting to experience a 3G service 10 years behind the rest of the world as they are moving to 4G.

Digital TV will take years yet, expect another coup first.

[nickcar]

You exagerate sir. I have a 10 GB landline connection in Bangkok that has never gone down. I now have 10GB WI-FI in the sticks that goes down for a day or so every 5/6 weeks. Not bad by ant standard.

[Patanawet]

Hellodolly said "It would be nice to have one of them broadcast the news in english by qualified English translators."

Try True channel 90 ------- "IN CHANNEL".

News summaries every hour and extended local and international programmes in the early evening --- in excellent English (well, U.S. English).

[Markaew]

There are many of these OPs that include statements from "experts". Where do these experts come from? I have never seen one myself. Do they get this expert label the same way they get their diplomas?

Many questions.

[Rorri]

The TV´s currently sold in Thailand, are not even prepared for digital TV. No MPEG4 tuner inside.

Wrong, some do have digital tuners, those without only need a set top box, I myself have 2 Panasonic TV's, HD 1080 resolution, deliberately bought them without digital tuners, why pay for something I can not use. Satellite tuner comes with HD tuner and when we do get, hopefully I'm still alive, free to air HD, I will buy a set top box. I am a telecommunications tech so I do know what I am talking about, a word of warning, it really is a waste of money paying more for 3D, word in the market is that is a flop, the only 3D content available is on Blueray DVD. Even in Australia...free to air experimented with #D, again mostly a flop. For 3D, go to the movies.... on TV's most people actually turn off 3D function.

[Thai at Heart]

Hellodolly said "It would be nice to have one of them broadcast the news in english by qualified English translators."

Try True channel 90 ------- "IN CHANNEL".

News summaries every hour and extended local and international programmes in the early evening --- in excellent English (well, U.S. English).

All well and good. Can they manage to put some Thai news on every channel at prime r time. Is it my imagination or have the episodes of the soaps got longer.

Seems they start at 8 and finish at nearly 11 pm these days. It's mind numbing to watch.

[John Egil]

You exagerate sir. I have a 10 GB landline connection in Bangkok that has never gone down. I now have 10GB WI-FI in the sticks that goes down for a day or so every 5/6 weeks. Not bad by ant standard.

You must mean 10 MB right ?

[Rorri]

"However, she added, it might take five or even 10-15 years for this change".

As nobody can get a decent internet connection that stays on for the length of a television program.

Um, what's the internet got to do with digital TV, I'm confused by your comment. Or horror of horrors, you don't know how digital TV works.

[Greer]

Actually there are a number of posts here, and items in the OP, that seem to be wrong...

The DTV that is upcoming for Thailand (whenever that may actually be) is nothing to do with satellite broadcasting, it is Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT). The term "terrestrial" television, refers to analogue channels that are broadcast on the ground (not via satellite for example), such as VHF channels like 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11, or any UHF channels, where the transmitter sends the signals out via a tower and antenna and are received with the normal TV antenna at the home - not via a dish and signals from a satellite.

The push behind DTT has a couple of reasons - one is that it allows multiple "channels" to be carried on what is now used for a single channel - so for example our set top box, or indeed the home DTT enabled TV set, would tune to channel 3, but the signal from channel 3 would be digital, and instead of transmitting a single picture and sound signal, it instead sends out a "transport stream" - a digital signal that carries multiple separate "channels" in exactly the same way as does the transport stream that comes from the satellite broadcast, except that it doesn't have to come via a satellite (and that's very expensive), so it can be transmitted at much lower cost.

Another reason for going to DTT, is that in order to do so, we usually move the TV stations up to the UHF band of frequencies, and that frees up the VHF bands, so they can be sold for mobile use and other money making ventures, where the government can make more money than that for the licensing of a few VHF TV services.

The reason that we don't have DTT enabled TV sets right now, is that although we know for example that we probably will implement the DVB-T2 DTT standard (an advanced digital broadcasting standard that supports HD broadcasts, developed mostly in Europe), as there are no broadcasts of that type now, it would be a costly receiver for no reason - with nothing to receive.

Once the plan is formalised and a definite timeline is locked in, we will then be inundated with set top boxes and new DTT enabled TV sets - and these will also be the correct type with the very latest versions of the decoding systems to bring us the multiple "new channels" that are enabled by using DTT.

DTT also has nothing to do with the internet - but is a parallel technology. The internet TV (IPTV) system relies on a high quality and reliable internet connection and on a robust infrastructure at the ISP and internationally. IPTV would be brought to us via the internet, but reliability at present is a big question.

As for having 10Gbps at home - unlikely unless the user happens to have a direct fibre connection to an ISP - and that's NOT cheap at all. Most home users would generally have anything from say 4Mbps up to 100Mbps - but more likely around the 4 to 10Mbps range.

It's not going to be all that far away, it is supposed to be 2015 for the start, but lets see what really happens - it may be another 2 or 3 years beyond that.

[jbrain]

Ordinary folk will continue to consume mainstream media content," Ubonrat predicted.

Not if you make it compulsory for every bloody news channel to put current affairs and news on TV for 30 minutes between 6 and 8 pm.

You mean, inform them about what's going on in Thailand and the rest of the world ?

Keep them stupid and keep them poor, and they will be happy forever.

[bobl]

You exagerate sir. I have a 10 GB landline connection in Bangkok that has never gone down. I now have 10GB WI-FI in the sticks that goes down for a day or so every 5/6 weeks. Not bad by ant standard.

I think someone needs to learn the difference between G and M, and also between B and b.

But I do love the irony of accusing someone of exaggerating, then saying your internet speed is 8,000 times more than it (probably) actually is.

[Thai at Heart]

Ordinary folk will continue to consume mainstream media content," Ubonrat predicted.

Not if you make it compulsory for every bloody news channel to put current affairs and news on TV for 30 minutes between 6 and 8 pm.

You mean, inform them about what's going on in Thailand and the rest of the world ?

Keep them stupid and keep them poor, and they will be happy forever.

The soaps can stay, it's just the sheer volume and time devoted to them that's too much.