| Digital Terrestrial Television
(DTT) Services
In 2007, the Authority considered the submissions of the
two domestic free television programme service licensees and
approved the following to facilitate their implementation
of DTT services.
Relaxation of Licence Requirements
To improve viewing pleasure under the DTT environment, the
licensees may provide subtitling in the form of closed captioning
in fulfilling the subtitling requirements for simulcast digital
services. To allow ATV and TVB more flexibility in providing
greater programming diversity to the viewers, the licensees
are exempted from the requirements to provide a minimum amount
of news programmes, current affairs programmes and documentary
programmes on the new digital channels. However, the simulcast
digital channels are subject to all the same requirements
as on the analogue channels.
DTT Network Roll-out
The Authority approved the DTT network roll-out plans of
the licensees within the Government's implementation framework
for DTT broadcasting. The licensees are required to provide
digital services covering at least 50% of the population upon
launch of DTT services in 2007 and increase the service coverage
to at least 75% of the population by end 2008. The licensees
have pledged to advance the target of providing 75% coverage
from the end of 2008 to early August 2008.
DTT Technical Standards
Under the market-led approach and following laboratory tests
and field trials, ATV and TVB unanimously proposed to OFTA
by the end of 2006 to deploy DTT services based on the National
Standard. Having satisfied that the National Standard fulfilled
all the assessment criteria laid down by the then Commerce,
Industry and Technology Bureau in its second consultation
paper on digital terrestrial broadcasting in Hong Kong issued
in December 2003, the Telecommunications Authority decided
to adopt the National Standard for the transmission of DTT
broadcasting service. In consultation with OFTA, the Authority
amended the Generic Code of Practice on Television Technical
Standards to set out the DTT technical standards on video
signals, audio signals, electronic programme guide and subtitles
etc.
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