Thailand will have digital television next week. Broadcast trials, which begin on Tuesday, are fast approaching, but it’s not as exciting a time as many had expected.
Most people still have no idea about what digital TV is and what they need to do to be able to view this modern format.
The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has not done enough to explain to the public about the transition to digital television.
Nong Doodee is the cute digital TV mascot of the NBTC. But Nong Doodee has not had much work to do recently, as the telecoms regulator has conducted little in the way of public relations campaigns to inform the public about how they should prepare for the digital switch.
As a TV viewer, I’m a bit frustrated with the NBTC for not doing enough to help viewers understand what’s going on.
And the answers I got from the regulator made me even more frustrated.
The NBTC said it is worried that staging an early public relations campaign could make digital TV fail in its first phase. This is because, the regulator explained, viewers will be confused as there will be no real digital TV for them to watch yet — only broadcast trials — so it’s useless to stage any PR campaign at this stage.
The NBTC wants cable and satellite TV operators or free-to-air TV stations, which got digital TV licences, to conduct the PR campaigns themselves.
I’m trying to understand this explanation. But I think many consumers still want to know exactly what they should do to be able to receive digital TV signals when some of the 24 new channels begin their broadcast trials from Tuesday. And I don’t think every household will need to do the same thing be able to receive digital TV signals.
During the past decade, the Thai television industry has developed dramatically and has many viewing platforms. There are about 22 million TV-viewing households nationwide. Some still watch TV using a terrestrial antenna to receive signals, while many have satellite dishes and set-top boxes. Some subscribe to cable-TV services.
According to The Nielsen Company, 69% of the 22 million households have cable or satellite TV set-top boxes.
From my understanding, this group of people will not have to do anything to make the switch to digital TV next week. What they will have to do is to unplug their set-top boxes at midnight on Monday for a few minutes, and then simply plug them back in again. The boxes will automatically re-boot themselves to receive the digital TV signals.
It sounds very easy, right? But we still don’t know for sure that it will be.
The must-carry rule requires cable and satellite TV operators to offer 24 new digital TV channels on their platforms or boxes. That way, customers can watch the new digital channels without having to do anything extra.
But there is an important point consumers should know in advance: They will be able to watch high-definition channels if their cable and satellite-TV boxes and TVs can receive HD signals. If their boxes are a normal model, they still can watch content from HD channels but only at standard definition.
I think it’s time for the NBTC to change its strategy and do something to inform consumers about this major broadcasting transition. It can gradually explain to the public about digital TV and how best to access it.
Start with the 15 million households who own cable or satellite TV set-top boxes, as they should be made aware that they don’t need to do anything to make the switch. If they don’t know this, they might waste their money buying new digital TV set-top boxes. It’s not necessary for them to do that and they will just end up with more TV boxes at home.
On the other hand, the other 7 million households must buy digital TV set-top boxes for sure, as they still use terrestrial antennas which are unable to receive digital signals. This group has no choice.
Another issue the NBTC should inform the public about is which set-top boxes they should buy, as there are plenty of boxes on the market. Some are good quality while others are not, especially those from unregistered providers. Consumers should get some tips before buying a set-top box.
The issue of TV-set compatibility is important as well. Some people may want to buy a new TV with a built-in antenna to receive digital signals. Some TV makers are now offering new models to accommodate the switch to digital.
True, consumers can find all this information themselves. But they still should have some advice from the regulator about digital television. It’s time for the NBTC to do something.
Krissana Parnsoonthorn is Deputy Business Editor, Bangkok Post.