MANILA – GMA Network has topped a survey looking into channels and their digital TV coverage across the country.
The study was conducted by local mobile brand Starmobile in April and found that GMA 1SEG and GMA News TV were available in 10 out of the 14 test locations in Metro Manila. On its heels are ABS-CBN Sports, ABS-CBN, and ABS-CBN One Seg, which is present in nine locations.
“The results of the study confirm our readiness for the eventual shift to Digital TV,” says Engr. Elvis B. Ancheta, GMA Senior Vice President for Engineering.
“Moreover, it manifests the level of importance the Network has placed in being able to reach as many viewers as possible as this ultimately determines our audience size,” he adds.
However, in terms of signal quality in covered areas, ABS-CBN Sports took the lead with a highest average signal strength of 3.9 bars out of a possible 4, followed by ABS-CBN and Aksyon TV both with an average of 3.8 bars each.
The tests were performed in selected Starmobile concept stores and kiosks in Metro Manila through the use of the new Starmobile KNIGHT Vision, the first and only local Android smartphone with a built-in DTV tuner that complies with the National Telecommunications Commission’s (NTC) ISDB-T standard.
The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) began working on adopting the standard, also called the Japanese DTV standard, in November 2013.
In addition to improving picture and sound quality, the standard is cheaper than Europe’s Digital Video Broadcasting-Terrestrial 2 or DVB-T2 and has an integrated early warning mechanism in times of natural disasters such as tsunami, typhoon, earthquakes, among others unlike the European technology.
Other countries that have adopted the Japanese DTV standard are Brazil, Chile, Peru, Venzuela, Ecuador, Costa Rica and Paraguay.
