Apsattv
24-02-2008, 03:25 AM
From http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=3&newsid=117224
The government Tuesday unveiled a Digital Television Committee that will oversee the shift from analogue to digital broadcasting in line with the international requirement for a 2015 deadline.
Speaking at Teleposta Towers, in Nairobi Tuesday, Information permanent secretary, Dr Bitange Ndemo, said the anticipated shift had resulted in drastic reduction in prices of analogue televisions and warned consumers to be on alert over the possibility of dumping. “We have no legal case to stop the imports but it is good for the customer to know the developments in the market,” Dr Ndemo said.
A majority of Kenyans who have analogue TVs, will need to buy a convertor box to access digital content. Currently, digital televisions sets are still very expensive retailing at an average of Sh170,000 a sum which few Kenyans can afford.
The Digital Television Committee chairman, Mr Daniel Obam, said the country needed to accelerate its pace to shift to digital television adding that some countries had almost completed the process.
Among such countries are Germany that migrated to digital during the 2006 World Cup, Britain, which had stopped the stocking of analogue TVs and South Africa that plans to complete the process during the 2011 to take advantage of the World Cup to be held there in 2010. “We are at the tail end of migration timetable. We want to do it early to ensure we are not caught up when we are obliged to switch over to digital in 2015,” Mr Obam said.
The committee will consult with consumers, retailers and equipment manufacturers in the process of accelerating the adoption of the digital televisions. Among the benefits that consumers of digital content will have is the variety of programmes and sharper, higher quality images.
The 11-member committee consisting of experts from private and public sectors was formed following a recommendation by Analogue to Digital Broadcasting Migration task force which handed in its report in October 2007.
The government Tuesday unveiled a Digital Television Committee that will oversee the shift from analogue to digital broadcasting in line with the international requirement for a 2015 deadline.
Speaking at Teleposta Towers, in Nairobi Tuesday, Information permanent secretary, Dr Bitange Ndemo, said the anticipated shift had resulted in drastic reduction in prices of analogue televisions and warned consumers to be on alert over the possibility of dumping. “We have no legal case to stop the imports but it is good for the customer to know the developments in the market,” Dr Ndemo said.
A majority of Kenyans who have analogue TVs, will need to buy a convertor box to access digital content. Currently, digital televisions sets are still very expensive retailing at an average of Sh170,000 a sum which few Kenyans can afford.
The Digital Television Committee chairman, Mr Daniel Obam, said the country needed to accelerate its pace to shift to digital television adding that some countries had almost completed the process.
Among such countries are Germany that migrated to digital during the 2006 World Cup, Britain, which had stopped the stocking of analogue TVs and South Africa that plans to complete the process during the 2011 to take advantage of the World Cup to be held there in 2010. “We are at the tail end of migration timetable. We want to do it early to ensure we are not caught up when we are obliged to switch over to digital in 2015,” Mr Obam said.
The committee will consult with consumers, retailers and equipment manufacturers in the process of accelerating the adoption of the digital televisions. Among the benefits that consumers of digital content will have is the variety of programmes and sharper, higher quality images.
The 11-member committee consisting of experts from private and public sectors was formed following a recommendation by Analogue to Digital Broadcasting Migration task force which handed in its report in October 2007.