Sales of equipment allowed during trial run

“After having adopted DVB-T2 as a digital terrestrial television standard in May, we are working on further qualification details on DVB-T2 set-top boxes for local distributors and manufacturers,” Natee Sukonrat, chairman of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission’s broadcasting panel, said yesterday.
All details will be finalised before trial transmission begins.
The NBTC welcomes such businesses taking part in the trial provision of the service, which kicks off next month, he said.
The trial run will be conducted under a memorandum of understanding inked on Monday by the Royal Army, operator of TV5; MCOT, operator of Modernine TV; the Public Relations Department, operator of NBT; and the NBTC, to co-launch the trial run of high-definition digital terrestrial TV broadcasting service in Greater Bangkok and Chiang Mai.
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’s Chan-nel 7, Modernine TV, NBT and Thai Public Broadcasting Service (Thai PBS). The difference is that this content will be shown in high definition.
If local distributors and manufacturers of DVB-T2 set-top boxes joining the trial process of HD broadcasting can prove that their products meet the watchdog’s qualifications, they will get the green light to sell their equipment to consumers, Natee said.
During the trial period, the NBTC needs to test DVB-T2 receivers as well as examining the readiness of digital terrestrial TV transmission by the three main public broadcasters.
Thawee Udomkitchote, managing director at Samart Engineering, a major manufacturer and distributor of antennas and satellite receivers, told The Nation that his company was keen to take part in the trial process.
In fact, the NBTC has not yet allowed local distributors to sell DVB-T2 set-top boxes direct to customers, but during the trial, they will be able to sign contracts with the three main analog broadcasters.
“If we obtain the NBTC’s approval on set-top boxes, the company is ready to put indoor/outdoor antennas and DVB-T2 set-top boxes on its dealers’ shelves,” Thawee said.
He added that his company had reserved a million sets (antenna plus set-top box).
They are expected to retail for less than Bt1,000 per set.