Set-top box (STB) pioneer Altech UEC is ready to participate in a government-led consortium, to build millions of these devices to support the terrestrial broadcasting's migration from analogue to digital.
The Department of Communications (DOC) says the move will free sufficient spectrum for eight new television stations, as well as WiMax wireless broadband.
The DOC wants existing and new-entrant STB manufacturers to form a consortium to manufacture about seven million devices in three years.
Altech UEC sales and marketing director Ian Develing says his company would "be very happy to participate in such a consortium".
He says designing an STB from scratch "is a highly specialised field" but there is scope for broader participation in the industry, particularly in distribution and support.
Develing says establishing a high-volume manufacturing facility will require a significant investment in specialised manufacturing equipment.
"Our discussions with the DOC and the DTI [Department of Trade and Industry] have been all about capitalising on home-grown intellectual property, ensuring a broad-based participation in the entire process and ensuring that the financial rewards of such a programme remain in the country. A consortium will facilitate such a strategy," says Develing.
On the defensive
Develing also defended the planned R700 cost of the STB, saying there were good reasons for the price perhaps being "slightly higher than you may find in digital terrestrial deployments elsewhere".
"The first is that we will be the first country to use MPEG-4 compression technology for a digital terrestrial migration programme. This does add some cost to the STB, but will save almost 60% in bandwidth usage and will maximise the so-called 'digital dividend' available after analogue switch-off," Develing adds.
"The STB price will also improve over time as global economies of scale are realised."
A second reason for a higher cost is that "the DOC has specified that the STB should be capable of supporting interactive middleware that will facilitate various e-government services," Develing says.
"This requires more memory than might otherwise be required, but adds another dimension to the STB's capabilities. In my opinion, the DOC got this exactly right on both counts."
Return path
Develing says the interactive middleware will allow the STB to host a variety of applications.
"This could be in the form of community service announcements, such as when a specialised service (such as an eye specialist) may be due to visit a particular area."
In terms of the return path, he says people "would be able to input data through an alphanumeric keyboard on the remote control unit, or by way of a simple on-screen virtual keyboard".
"All of the applicable data would be stored temporarily on the STB (hence the need for additional memory) and a simple application will translate your inputs, compare the data with what is stored, and produce a score or result.
"All of this can be accomplished without a return channel to connect back to a central server. The golf handicap application on DSTV is a good example of such an application, where you can search for any golfer's handicap through a database that is loaded onto the STB as the application is launched," Develing says.
Rejecting criticism
Meanwhile, DOC spokesman Joe Makafola has reacted to criticism that SA's 2011 deadline for a complete switchover is too short, saying SA learnt a lot from countries that have completed the switch.
"Of course, some sceptics, as usual, may think that we are over-ambitious, but you must remember that the entirety of our system of governance has made a commitment that, in the period ahead of us, it will do its best to live up to the imperative - Business Unusual!
"This means that regard is given to the speedy, efficient and effective implementation of these policies and programmes, so that the lives of our people should change for the better, sooner rather than later," Makafola says.
He adds government is keen to migrate in the shortest time possible as the longer it takes, the more it costs the state and broadcasters "as you will be transmitting in both analogue and digital".
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