Television deadline: 2010
I still remember the day I watched Fifa award the 2010 Soccer World Cup to South Africa. I had this warm patriotic feeling of how great it is to be South African.
Of course, being selfish, I also wondered what I'll get out of this World Cup. All indications are that it will not be the national team that will make us proud.
It was only during the last couple of months that I realised the impact the World Cup will actually have. Over the course of the next two weeks I will look into the implications this event will have on the South African technology sector.
For years now we could only envy television viewers in other countries, especially those with the latest and greatest that television technology has to offer, pay-per-view or even High Definition Television (HDTV). With the World Cup less than 1 217 days away, South African media companies need to show what they can actually do. There is nothing better than a deadline to make someone perform.
Companies like Sentech, Telkom Media, MTN, Vodacom and MultiChoice are spending millions to be ready by 2010.
Mobile/internet television
On the mobile front MultiChoice and MTN are testing and campaigning DVB-H mobile television. DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting - Handheld) is being tested by the two companies to overcome the current problems with 3G Mobile TV currently offered by the Vodacom Live! Service.
3G Mobile TV currently only works in 3G enabled areas and offers a less than perfect picture and sound quality; it works on a one-to-one basis, whereas DVB-H works on a one-to-many basis, allowing for higher quality video and sound and can offer a wider range and options.
MTN made a R460m payment to Fifa to secure sponsorship rights for the World Cup and securing exclusive rights to broadcast live matches via DVB-H.
Even though we can soon start watching high quality TV on our cellphones, there is one thing a DVB-H can't give us, watching a game of rugby or soccer with our friends on a big screen. On the other side, it may help the person nominated (democratic or otherwise) to stand outside in the wind and rain to braai.
Telkom Media, a BEE division of Telkom, is conducting trials on IPTV (Internet Protocol TV). The trials are being done on Telkom DSL 4 Mbps lines and are mostly focused on the high income market in South Africa. This is due to the high cost of broadband and the computer infrastructure needed.
Unfortunately the DSL 4 Mbps is not ideal for running internet television - at best this is still inconstant with speed and quality, but all is forgiven since this is still on trial. It has been said that you will need at least a DLS speed of between 10Mbps and 20Mbps to provide proper resolution.
This IPTV trials of Telkom can be a blessing in disguise as this will, hopefully, force Telkom to firstly bring down the price of their ADSL offering and secondly will give us, the consumers, a world class standard ADSL offering.
High definition television
In simple terms HDTV (High definition television) is exactly what it's called, a significantly higher resolution than our standard PAL format (standard used by most countries outside the USA). HDTV, however, was first introduced in the US in the early '90s and has now become the standard to provide near photographic video.
MultiChoice has been broadcasting in digital for years now, but is still limited by the television set. Newer LCD televisions are capable of displaying HDTV, unfortunately neither the SABC nor MultiChoice are broadcasting the correct format yet.
To be ready for 2010, Sentech is updating its more than 30-year-old analogue system to digital. The last of the analogue broadcasting stations will be switched off just after the World Cup. We can only hope that this process goes better than Sentech's broadband internet.
A fully digitised system will, apart from the high definition visuals provide for much better sound such as full 5.1 surround sound.
South African media companies achieved some major advancement over the last 20 years, and it is time for us to start enjoying some of these exciting new technologies that are internationally available.
The 2010 deadline is the ideal opportunity to close the ever increasing technology gap between the 1st world and South Africa. I for one just cannot wait!
News was from www.news24.co.za
Posted by: www.SouthAfrica-CarHire.com
2010 soccer madness
Click Click... Vroom, Vroom
