6-month trial run of HD digital local TV agreed

The Royal Army, operator of TV5; MCOT, operator of Modernine TV; the Public Relations Department, operator of NBT; and the NBTC jointly signed a historic memorandum of understanding yesterday to co-launch the trial, the first such service in the Kingdom.
Natee Sukonrat, chairman of the NBTC’s broadcasting committee, said the commission aimed to use this MoU as a tool to examine readiness of the industry before the full launch of digital terrestrial TV broadcasting, planned for next year.
The NBTC has also welcomed related businesses such as distributors and manufacturers of TV sets and set-top box to join this process.
Under the six-month agreement, the three main analog terrestrial broadcasters and network providers will act as facilitators, collecting broadcast signals from their own and other stations and then transmitting them digitally to sample households.
Sample audiences will have access to the same programmes as on the six current free-TV channels, namely BEC’s ThaiTV3, TV5, BBTV Channel 7, Modernine TV, NBT and Thai Public Broadcasting Service (Thai PBS). The difference is that this content will be shown in high definition.
Sura Gaintanasilp, executive vice president of MCOT, said Modernine TV was the first to begin this new service, launching it yesterday to cover Greater Bangkok.
Sura said he thought MCOT should distribute about 200 set-top boxes to the sample audience during the trial period. The company will also provide USB mobile dongle receivers to the sample group.
“This is another important chapter in the country’s TV broadcasting since 45 years ago when monochrome screens turned into a colour-television system,” he said.
TV5 plans to start digital terrestrial TV transmission for Bangkok on Royal Thai Army Day, January 18, while the Public Relations Department will follow later in Chiang Mai.
Royal Army will transmit HD digital terrestrial TV signals from its broadcasting tower on the Baiyoke Sky Towers and MCOT from its Nong Khaem station.