Olympics a driver for switch to digital TV

Beijing’s 2008 Olympic Games are the driving force speeding up the introduction of digital television in Hong Kong, the government said.
Deputy Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology Marion Lai, speaking at a press conference announcing the digital TV plan on Wednesday (29th March), said the Beijing Olympics were a “golden opportunity” to encourage viewers to switch to digital TV and the government does not wish to miss the chance. Commenting on the still to be decided standard for mainland China it was said that “if an announcement on the choice for a national standard is not made by the end of 2006 then HK would adopt the DVB-T standard” which is already used with great success by many countries around the world.
The government has set up two working groups, led by the Office of the Telecommunications Authority, to work with the two main broadcasters, TVB and ATV to ensure an integrated launch of digital TV. According to the government timetable ATV and TVB shall provide their existing services in both analogue and digital format by 2007.
Earlier this month the vice-minister of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television in China (SARFT) is reported by the China People’s Daily as saying” that China has developed its own digital TV standard based on the European standard” and that a draft home-grown digital terrestrial TV standard has been submitted to the National Radio, Film and Television Standardisation Commission. The draft also needs to be approved by the Standardisation Administration in China.
Sources: news.gov.hk     The standard   Telecompaper
Item added: 30th March 2006