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ABS-CBN to Launch Digital TV Service Tomorrow

Q: Key Point 1: The era of Digital TV is now forthcoming: Broadcast giant...

The era of Digital TV is now forthcoming: Broadcast giant ABS-CBN is set to launch its Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) service tomorrow, February 11.

Carl Lamiel February 10, 2015 · 2 min read

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The era of Digital TV is now forthcoming: Broadcast giant ABS-CBN is set to launch its Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) service tomorrow, February 11.

This news comes after the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) issued a memorandun outlining the guidelines to shift to DTT broadcast December last year. Aptly named ABS-CBN TV Plus, it will air Channel 2 with clear picture and sound along with four additional exclusive channels that promise to cater to varied marketing segments.

The NTC chose Japan’s ISDB-T as the national DTT broadcast standard over the European DVB-T2 counterpart. In a nutshell, ISDB-T has a consistent performance and reception even in far-flung and rural areas. It also provides interactive services, can have additional multiple standard-definition (SDTV) channels and a mobile channel (dubbed as 1seg), and can be received indoors with a simple indoor antenna.

ABS-CBN is not the first one to make their DTV switch: Eagle Broadcasting Corporation started their ISDB-T broadcast transmission thru GEMNET back in 2009. Under the NTC guidelines, it is required to simulcast the DTTB service along with the analog TV service for one year upon the grant of authority to provede the former.

The NTC is now looking to order analog television frequencies to be shut down by 2018, but this may change depending on adoption and migration to the new television standard.

Source: ABS-CBN News Online

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66 Comments

carson · 11 years ago

Bkt smin walang 5 and 9? Dto lang naman aq sa quezon city?

Ged · 11 years ago

hi Sir Carl tanong lang..

digital broadcast ang transmission, pero bakit Analog RCA cable ang gamit?
ibig sabihin ba nito Analog na yung output?
sa pagkaka alam ko kasi dapat digital cable din ang gamit para masabing digital yung napapanood mo. thanks..

judith hiponia · 11 years ago

Just to clarify the ads, if u buy tvplus kuha nya rin ung ibang network like gma, tv5, rpn or the local channels! Im planning to buy one kasi! I had a cable at home, but paulit ulit lang ung palabas s mga channels sayang lang yung monthly n bayad ko!

Remigio Galima · 11 years ago

Sa Ilocos Sur province po ba meron na din signal ng TV PLUS doon? Ang card po ba na gagamitin dito ay wala bang expiration?

Tony · 11 years ago

Below are the areas where signal or frequency is available:

1. Metro Manila
2. Rizal
3. Cavite
4. Laguna
5. Bulacan
6. Pampanga
7. Nueva Ecija
8. Tarlac
9. Pangasinan
10. Benguet
11. Metro Cebu

Tony · 11 years ago

free to watch free digital channels po

Tony · 11 years ago

As expected, encrypted nga.

Rom · 11 years ago

Encrypted? Meaning di pwede gmitin ung ibang set top box?

Carl Lamiel · 11 years ago

depending on the network’s configurations, but generally any set-top box can receive channels as long as they are up to the standards.

Tony · 11 years ago

thanks sa info carl. Some of my friends said na hindi nakakarecieve ng digital channels yung sa starmobile. Anyway, Samantala naman ang abscbn. Majority of Filipinos cant afford to upgrade their tvs so the only choice is to buy converter. Last time, the govt said na less 1k ($10-11) ang price. taz 2.5k yung sa kanila. Better na bili na lang ng ibang brand.

Easy E · 11 years ago

YUng binebenta pala ng ABSCBN na box ay may simcard slot. May additional feature sya para sa program scheds, promos, ads. P2500. SIM is not required (i think) at gagana pa rin ang receiver box. Of course it will receive other channels also (if available).

Maybe mga next gen na box ay nasa P1k na lang.

simplynice93 · 11 years ago

walang sim slot ang tv+. kung bumili ka ng tv+ package, may kasamang abscbn mobile sim for your smartphone.

Easy E · 11 years ago

Thanks! Medyo magulo ang description sa press release haha.. Ibig pala sabihin, forced ka magka-SIM para maka-quota ang ABSCBN mobile sa subsciber base?

jowel · 11 years ago

Pano kung my cable ka na,pano cya ggamitin pwede sabay?

simplynice93 · 11 years ago

kung may cable tv kana, no need to buy kasi para lang sa mga walang cable tv ang abscbn tv+.

v · 11 years ago

technically you could use it sabay sabay by changing which input the TV uses.

However most likely any channels it picks up are already available with your cable provider. Well maybe if you have a low end cable plan you only have SD channel 2 while with this you get HD channel 2 so meron improvement

Joey · 11 years ago

So yung channel 2 analog signal pa rin at yung digital sa ibang channel? Kaylan at hindi kaylan need ng additional equipment like STB and tuner para ma-access ang digital broadcast?

star · 11 years ago

are all ISDB-T receiver the same, i mean it is universal. unlike the LTE MOBILE phone which has different frequency of a region. I was hoping to buy online in CHINA and it said RECEIVING FREQUENCY:TV 48.25-863.25mhz compatible in BRAZIL, CHILE. I was hoping to know what frequency are they transmitting.

cam · 11 years ago

All ISDB-T receivers are the same. As long as the broadcasting company uses the same standard (japanese standard) technically you will be able to receive the signal and sa bawat bansa only one standard should be adopted (Philippines adopted the Japanese standard)

v · 11 years ago

but that doesnt take into account encryption. If you buy a non ABS-CBN black box its very possible that any channels ABS-CBN has encrypted will be unavailable

simon · 11 years ago

how do you get the reception or signal from the said channels with ordinary tv? with crt tvs and flat screens?

Easy E · 11 years ago

Buy an ISDB-T set top box

simplynice93 · 11 years ago

i already got one last feb 09. these are the channels i got from my area in ermita: abscbn2, studio23, cinemo, yey, knowledge channel, dzmm teleradyo, gma7, newstv11, beam (o shopping), beam2, and beam 1-seg. super linaw ang reception ng mga said channels. buti cant seem to get tv5, aksyontv, ptv4, and rpn9.

Easy E · 11 years ago

Anong brand ng set top box mo

simplynice93 · 11 years ago

abs-cbn tv+ ang brand nya

RG · 11 years ago

yung mga additional channels ba na nareceived mo maliban sa abs-cbn eh digital/clear din?

Easy E · 11 years ago

DVB-T2 yung European standard at hindi DTB-T2…
Sa channel 40+ ang dtv service ng mga stations at obligado sila dyan.
Pwede na magbenta at bumili ng ISDB-T na settop boxes (kung walang isdb-t tuners ang tv).
Anong phones/tablets ba ang may 1seg tuners?

Carl Lamiel · 11 years ago

Thanks Easy E! I’ve corrected that part already.

As for phones/tablets that can receive ISDB-T signals, Starmobile Engage 7 TV and Engage 7 3G are the only devices that popped out of my mind.

Easy E · 11 years ago

akala ko mga Analog tv tuners ang laman nila.. Thanks carl.

Rom · 11 years ago

Hi carl. Does it mean that with those tablets, you can get the abs channels’ signals? How?

Carl Lamiel · 11 years ago

Technically.. when a network launches its digital channel, you can automatically get a feed because it’s free-to-air. ISDB-T signals, however, are encrypted so the network can restrict and limit the scope of devices who can view the free feed.

al · 11 years ago

Hi, is the resolutuon still 480i? 720i or 1080? Its the only thing that I’m not sure

cam · 11 years ago

Hi al, I think they’ll be broadcasting in SD and HD. But I think isa lang yung ibbroadcast nila na HD para makasave ng bandwidth. Ayun ang sabi sa min nung isang Engr nila sa seminar namin dati sa Broadcast Engineering. :)