All about digital broadcasting

By Judy Mubuu

By 2012, Kenya would have shifted from analogue to digital broadcasting ahead of the 2015 global deadline.

Experts have , however, warned consumers to be on the look out for crooks, who could flood the market with fake digital products.

But just how do you tell genuine from fake products.

Digital TV broadcasting provides high picture resolution and allows multi-channel digital surround sound including Dolby Digital 5.1. A broadcaster can use its DTV signal to provide video and data services. It also enables several programme streams in one broadcast signal.

What does the shift mean?

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Broadcasters will now focus on providing quality content and starting a (broadcast) station will not be as expensive as it is.

Digital TV will bring sharper images and clearer sound with least interruptions.

Why the shift to Digital TV? DTV uses less bandwidth and this will usher in a range of services provided to viewers, such as multimedia, interactivity, electronic programme guides and additional languages.

Apart from video and audio, viewers will get other services like data, radio services, Internet services and video on demand.

How do I know whether my current TV set is digital?

Many DTV equipment will have labels, or statements in the informational materials that came with them, to indicate that they contain digital tuners.

These labels may contain the words "Integrated Digital Tuner" or "Digital Tuner Built-In." "Receiver" may be substituted for "Tuner," and "DTV," "ATSC," or "HDTV" (high definition TV) may be substituted for "Digital."

However, if your TV set is labelled as a "Digital Monitor" or "HDTV Monitor," or as "Digital Ready" or "HDTV Ready," this does not guarantee that it actually contains a digital tuner.

You should also check the manual or any other materials that came with your TV equipment to determine whether it contains a digital tuner.

When buying a TV set, consumers should know whether or not the equipment includes a digital tuner, also called digital receiver. The only additional equipment required to view over-the-air digital broadcasting with a DTV is a regular antenna, either on the roof or a smaller version on your TV. If you have an analog television, you will have to buy a digital-to-analog set-top box to attach to your TV set to view over-the-air digital broadcasting.

Converter box

What is digital-to-Analog converter box? Also called set-top-box, is designed to make over-the-air digital television signals viewable on analogueonly TVs. There are different digital broadcast standards categorised according to regions. Kenya is using the Digital Video Broadcast – Terrestrial (DVB-T). The set-top boxes must be compatible with the broadcast standards. Set-top boxes (STB’s) that work in China, or Japan may not work in Kenya.

But analog-only TVs should continue to work as before with cable and satellite TV services, gaming consoles, VCRs, DVD players, and similar products.

VCRs, DVD players, camcorders and video games will continue to work, even if they are only analog-capable.

If you already have a good VHF and UHF antenna, either indoors or on your roof, you don’t have to buy an antenna that is "HD ready". Therefore, as long as a DTV signal is available, existing antenna should still work.

—Mubuu is an ICT specialist and a Masters Student at the University of Nairobi.