[kictanet] Digital TV migration postponement

Thu Nov 1 08:56:08 EAT 2012

Hi Brian,

I think we are missing a point here, 70% coverage means that 70% of Kenyans can receive the signal the remaining 30% have been watching Uganda, Tanzania and Somalia TV channels as even the current analog network has never reached them since independence.  

Many of the TV stations raising issues if coverage is a reach of less than 20% of the population which means that if we went digital today such stations would quadruple their reach over night and at a reduced cost as by switching off their analog transmitters which cost them in the range of 5 million a month (statistics from a previous post by Dr. Ndemo).  Which says a lot about the reason why the larger TV stations how have greater reach are fighting the migration as it means the advertising playing field will suddenly become flat.

I would like to believe that we are intelligent people on this forum, lets tithe 15 minutes each to analyze the true reason for the delay in switching off the power hungry low reach analog signal for the less expensive and highly expandable digital signal.

Regards

"better no brain than one rarely engaged" - Robert Yawe (cynic)

Robert Yawe
KAY System Technologies Ltd
Phoenix House, 6th Floor
P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200
Kenya

Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696

________________________________
 From: Brian L <lusiola at gmail.com>
To: robertyawe at yahoo.co.uk 
Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> 
Sent: Wednesday, 31 October 2012, 17:45
Subject: Re: [kictanet] Digital TV migration postponement

I am of the same opinion as Mr. Makali here, the DG is putting the carriage ahead of the horse.

Sorry to bring this comparison but, despite the cost was it necessary to buy a GSM mobile phone before the expansion of GSM mobile phone network?

Will I sacrifice to buy an STB if the coverage is not there in the first place.

What David has mentioned I remember was during the visit by the Brazilian president in 2010 and there was mention/discussion/rumor of adopting ISDB standard instead of DVB-T. After that as technology always changes the move from DVB-T to DVB-T2, I believe some traders got burned (financially) because of this.

In the UK yes there are all those service but there is coverage of signals and sufficient bandwidth. There also High end STBs that can do 3D, mid range STBs to do HD and lower tier that do SD

The issue here is not fully the cost of the STBs, but the amount of coverage. Can GoK through KBC clarify the roll out on the signal
I believe saying 70% of the population is covered by digital signal is the wrong way to look at it. A better statistic would be what areas of the country has DVB-T2 signal coverage. Is there a mapping of the coverage of the alleged 70% or are we to assume that is Mombasa & Nairobi?

So many questions need to be answered, but lets not blame this on politics and business.

On Wed, Oct 31, 2012 at 3:39 PM, David Makali <dmakali at yahoo.com> wrote:

Dr Ndemo:
>On this one,i beg to disagree.
>
>The approach to this digital migration has all been wrong.  by comparison, the enthusiasm displayed in promoting Konza technology city is lacking completely in the campaign to migrate kenya from the analogue to digital tv.  about three or so months ago, for example, cck went on high rotation media advertising of the digital transition. but on the ground, kbc, which had been mandated to distribute the public (free to air signal), had only activated the signal in nairobi and as struggling to roll out in msa and ksm. the policy on the roll out was and still is in shambles, the set top boxes are not readily available. the stockists listed do not have any. confusion reigned after the type of decoders was changed, leaving those interested in importing completely discouraged
 and confused. in this year's budget, the govt waived taxes on the boxes. but that has not changed much in terms of the adoption of the new technology. the campaign has suddenly gone quiet, leading to the postponement by cck of the deadline. 
>
>so daktari you cannot blame those who want to trade in top boxes. when the govt announced that it was going digital, what did it expect? did it first ask for investors in set topboxes? must we manufacture boxes (do we manufacture the tvs and boxes we use?). if the opportunity is good, it will be grabbed, but govt cant blame the low interest in the damn boxes on anyone. there are certain factors that business people consider before the y invest, and if in their considered wisdom, there is no opportunity, we cant mourn too much.  Kenyans have a right to information (article 35), and the govt must facilitate it, even as it transits and modernizes.
>
>I fail to see the connection between the shortage or
 high cost of set top boxes and local content. has the low local content stopped Kenyans from viewing the current tv channels? did we go digital so as to create jobs for the unemployed Kenyans? and how many jobs, realistically, can be created by local content? what is the uptake of local content on the media and what difference - potentially - will it make to the overall economic welfare of the people? Methinks daktari you overstate/exaggerate the opportunity created by the digital migration.
>
>Let me clarify: nobody is going to invest in local content if that content is not going to be viewed because Kenyans cant afford to watch it in the first place. And no one is going to invest in digital media if it cannot provide the audiences to make it commercially viable for the advertisers/investors.
>
>May be am wrong but i think we need to isolate the infrastructure issues first before we go after the content
 failure.
>
>david
>
>
>
> 
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>
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>________________________________
> From: "bitange at jambo.co.ke" <bitange at jambo.co.ke>
>To: dmakali at yahoo.com 
>
>Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> 
>Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2012 2:52 PM
>
>Subject: Re: [kictanet] Digital TV migration postponement
> 
>
>Robert,
>The cost of a set top box with conditional access functionality ranges
>from Ksh. 3,500 to Ksh. 10,000.  However, the cost of DVBT2 signal
>converter (the equivalent of Free to Air TV) ranges from $5 to $20.  The
>problem is that the importers are only interested in set top boxes (the
>mercedes of TV) and not just the converters.  The cost for Black and White
>however may be higher since the old TV sets have no USB slots.
>
>We should not be complaining on this matter.  In the UK you almost need a
>consultant to buy a TV set.  There are different formats of broadcast
>ranging from Simple Definition (our regular TV), High Definition
>(beggining to crip into our living rooms) with better picture quality and
>makes images look less fat and 3D TV which is undergoing through research
>to make it viewable without additional gadgets like special glasses.  So
>before you but a TV set, you need to
 state your objectives.
>
>The DVBT2 signal today covers 70% of the population.  We can have
>everybody switch tomorrow if we had better local content available.  THE
>PROBLEM IS NOT THE SET TOP BOXES.  The problem is with Kenyans.  It is
>ironcal to see many unemployed youth yet we cannot use them to create
>content around us.  Do we want the rest of the world to start producing
>our own content?
>
>
>
>Ndemo.
>
>
>
>
>> Hi,
>>
>>
>> It was with shock and dismay that I watched the CCK director general lie
>> to the public on a mass broadcast on the reasons for the postponement of
>> the cutoff to digital.
>>
>> He said the reason was that the cost of decoders was still too high for
>> the common mwanainchi, he then proceed to lie by saying that the average
>> price was currently Kes. 6,500/-, yet the price for the StarTimes decoder
>> is 3,499/-
 and that of GoTV is Kes. 3,999/-.
>>
>> When I was in school many years ago the formula for calculating average
>> was the sum of the numbers divided by the number of numbers (3,499 +
>> 3,999)/2 = 3,749/- so which formula was the DG using?
>>
>> What has incensed me more is that none of the members of the press has
>> taken up the issue instead they have "liked" and "shared" the comments as
>> if they where gospel truth.
>>
>> Regards
>>
>> PS.  Have an analog Christmas
>>
>>
>>
>>  
>> Robert Yawe
>> KAY System Technologies Ltd
>> Phoenix House, 6th Floor
>> P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200
>> Kenya
>>
>>
>> Tel: +254722511225,
>> +254202010696_______________________________________________
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-- 
Lusiola Brian

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