DBS 2014 – Act now and act together, Asia-Pacific broadcasters told
Asia-Pacific radio broadcasters should act now and act together to secure their future in the digital space, a regional conference has decided.
More than 100 delegates from broadcasters and regulators across the Asia-Pacific attended the closing session of the ABU-WorldDMB-RTM DAB+ technology workshops and transmission demonstrations in Kuala Lumpur.
The session presented findings from a technical workshop conducted from 28 February – 2 March 2014 that the organisers say showed more than 150 participants from 14 countries across region how to save millions of dollars in radio operating and power costs.
The conference also came up with five recommendations to secure the future of digital broadcasting in Malaysia and around the region.
Two of the key recommendations were that broadcasters should act now to secure their future digital spectrum needs amidst new players that are keen to enter the market and may well compete, otherwise existing radio could be left on analogue bands. The conference also agreed that broadcasters should collaborate on technology and compete on content, with the business threat coming not from other broadcasters but from other digital platforms.
WorldDMB President, Mr Patrick Hannon said: “Commitment from all parties including regulators, public and commercial broadcasters, receiver manufactures and retailers is paramount for a successful roll out of DAB+ digital radio broadcasting.”
The two-day technology workshop, followed by drive tests to listen to the DAB+ transmissions on-air in Kuala Lumpur, demonstrated the DAB+ standard and its features and efficiency improvements compared to analogue FM broadcast.
The workshop provided participants with practical information on how to implement DAB+ technology, its enhanced services and features. Technical representatives, regulators and broadcasters from across the region were told the time to start planning was now. With growing demand on spectrum from mobile operators and new entrants, there was no time for radio broadcasters to delay.
WorldDMB is principal partner of this year’s ABU Digital Broadcasting Symposium in Kuala Lumpur, with a keynote presentation to more than 500 delegates by Mr Hannon, who is Vice-President Corporate Development at Frontier Silicon.
WorldDMB’s Asia Pacific Chairperson, Ms Joan Warner, was scheduled to make a number of contributions, including updating delegates on new developments with the DAB+ standards, explaining some Australian Smart Apps and discussing “Digital Switch Over: Learning from Experiences”.