Dialog in new phase of terrestrial TV

Dialog TV launched the pilot broadcast of their new venture, digitalization of terrestrial TV, at a recently held media gathering. In a move that Dialog Telekom PLC Group Chief Executive Dr. Hans Wijesooriya referred to as “a historic day for Sri Lanka”, the telecommunications group will be the first of their kind to offer the service to Sri Lanka. Dialog TV is also among the first in the South Asian region to provide this service which is very popular in Europe and is gaining recognition in India.

DVB-T or Digital Video Broadcasting -Terrestrial enables digital broadcasts over standard VHF/ UHF cables. Dialog will be the Broadcast Network operator and will handle the infrastructure while the terrestrial channels handle the content. The digital signals can also be received by handheld devices (DVB-H) like 3G-enabled mobiles and car TV’s.

In the usual case, one frequency slot is acquired by one terrestrial channel. With this device, the one frequency slot may be compatible to hold 8 or 9 channels. Also, the picture quality of the digital signals will be such that consumers will receive pictures of DVD quality with digital sound which causes minimum sound pollution and can be connected to surround sound.

Signifying the commitment of the state media to the venture, present at the event was the Minister of Mass media and Communications, Anura Priyadarshana Yapa. “This enables people to get reliable, available, quality services at affordable prices,” he said.

The pilot will be conducted in the areas of Colombo, Wattala, Gampaha and Kalutara. After the successful completion of the pilot, the emphasis will be on providing the service to the outstation areas, as it is mostly in those areas that the problem of bad transmission of the terrestrial channels occur. The eastern province is what Dialog has in mind as a starter. “We want to begin with the areas with worst TV coverage,” were the words of Nushad Perera, CEO Dialog TV.

Already a number of terrestrial channels have joined with Dialog for the pilot. Rupavahini, ITN, Derana, The Buddhist, Swarnavahini and Z café are among them. The benefits to these transmitters will be that they will have zero capital expenditure as Dialog will be providing the infrastructure and marketing the devices. Dialog will also be handling customer care. Since the product is still in the pilot stage, it is not available in the open market, nor has it been priced. The officials however state that the price of the device should be along that of a normal booster. Also present at the event was Priyantha Kariyapperuma, Director General of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission.