Beware HD TV digital promises
Unscrupulous television salesman may try to convince you that buying a High-Definition (HD) capable television set will mean you don’t need a set top box (STB) to receive digital television signals.
This was a warning given by Loren Braithwaite-Kabosha, Executive Director of the South African Communications Forum (SACF) at a Business Forum on Trade and Investment Opportunities between South Africa and Brazil on Friday.
Braithwaite-Kabosha defined digital terrestrial television (DTT) as “bigger, better, normal television,” but emphasised that it is not HD TV. If you buy an HD TV set you’ll still need a set top box, she said.
According to Braithwaite-Kabosha DTT is “bigger” in the sense that we can expect to see many more channels in our free-to-air (FTA) platform. It’s “better” in the sense that the audio and video quality is better, and it’s “normal” in the sense that the signals will be transmitted and received like normal TV signals and not via satellite or cable.
Sony announced an LCD television set in February with a built-in DTT receiver. They may have to hold off on the launch of the set in light of the debate around DTT standards sparked by the Department of Communications earlier this year.
South Africa is ready to begin broadcasting digital TV signals in Digital Video Broadcasting – Terrestrial (DVB-T) standard in six to nine months, according to Braithwaite-Kabosha but talks of moving to another standard, such as ISDB-Tb as opposed to DVB-T, will draw out the DTT deadline.
The renewed debate about whether to use the Brazillian modification of the Japanese International System for Digital Broadcast – Terrestrial (ISDB-Tb) will cause South Africa’s migration date to slip from 2011 to 2013 according to Braithwaite-Kabosha.
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