Digital television in Malaysia
Encyclopedia
In Malaysia, digital television
broadcasts, or DTV, can be received via cable
, internet
, satellite
, or via free over-the-air
(OTA) digital terrestrial television
- much like analog television broadcasts have been. It began in the mid-1990s with the introduction of the Astro satellite television service, now followed by new paid television services in the 2000s, as well as the digitalisation of over-the-air TV
which was expected to be complete by the mid-2010s before being shelved. This article discusses various platforms where DTV is applied in Malaysia, including Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) (DVB-S
for satellite
and DVB-T
for over-the-air
) and Internet Protocol Television (IPTV)
.
pay television service, Astro, in 1996 as part of commercialisation of space
. Astro now transmits about 130 local and international TV channels in the MPEG-2
video format through the Ku band
utilising the MEASAT
satellite system's transponder
s, according to the DVB-S
standard. Astro's transmission is especially susceptible to rain fade
, and complaints of interruption during wet weather are not uncommon in Malaysia with a tropical climate
.
TV broadcasts led by Radio Televisyen Malaysia
(RTM). Trial broadcasts were undertaken, involving one thousand households in the Klang Valley
from September 2006 till February 2007. According to the then-Deputy Minister of Information, Chia Kwang Chye, the trial received "very positive" feedback, i.e. "more than 60 percent said the quality of the signal ranged from good to very good. Over 88 percent said the picture quality improved, while 70 percent said the sound quality was better."
According to Information Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek
, it was anticipated that RTM would fully complete its digitalization in 2012 as part of its three-year restructuring process. It was anticipated that each household, once equipped with the necessary equipment (set-top box
or iDTV
set) would receive up to 19 channels, seven of which would fall under RTM and the rest for private broadcasters such as TV3
, ntv7
, 8TV
and TV9
. Thus far, besides simulcast
ing TV1 and TV2
, RTM is currently airing RTMi
, Muzik Aktif and Arena exclusively on the digital TV platform, transmitted at UHF channel 44, modulated at 64QAM
, in test forms. RTM was also expected to launch regional channels for each state and/or territory in Malaysia; increasing to 20 television channels. Media Prima has started trials on March 2009.
Malaysia and all other ASEAN nations had selected DVB-T
as the final DTV standard, and were expected to switch off analogue broadcasts completely by 2015. On June 2008, participants of the 6th ASEAN Digital Broadcast Meeting from seven south-east Asian countries (including Malaysia) agreed to finalise the specifications of the DTV set-top box
for use within ASEAN, and also set up an ASEAN HD Centre to provide training on HDTV content to broadcasters in the region.
Despite a success of RTM's pilot trials, the digital terrestrial television transition faced many problems. These problems stemmed from the lesser enthusiasm of content providers toward the digitisation, with the exception of Les Copaque, and the need to improve the nation's Internet
broadband infrastructure. However, with the deposition of Abdullah Badawi and the eventual rise of successor Najib Tun Razak
, the project by RTM was deferred indefinitely.
.
Currently there are no plans to start the digital television transition and the free-to-air broadcasters will continue to broadcast entirely in analogue. However, it is also possible that RTM may be planning to switch to DVB-T2
some time in the future to replace DVB-T
.
, is scheduled to roll out broadcast services in the H.264
video format according to DVB-T
, for better picture quality and more efficient frequency bandwidth usage, after having failed in an earlier venture with the IPTV-over-UHF system previously.
platform, targeting the Chinese audiences in Malaysia.
TM
is expected to launch its IPTV services, branded as Hypp.TV
in the fourth quarter of 2009, and has completed its trials with 1,000 selected households in Klang Valley, Penang
and Kulim
, Kedah
.
and DiGi
, to users of mobile phone
s with 3G
or similar technologies. Maxis TV now offers more than 20 channels to Maxis 3G subscribers who own compatible mobile phones. Yet, Maxis is expected to roll out broadcast mobile TV services based on DVB-H
in the near future.
U Mobile
also provides broadcast mobile TV to users of selected 3G phones, also based on DVB-H.
In October 2008, Astro launched Astro Mobile TV which currently provides 18 channels, all of which are mobile versions of existing Astro TV channels, including seven in-house channels. This service is only available to Maxis subscribers with compatible 2.5G or 3G handsets, and does not reprise its role from Maxis TV.
(HDTV) trials in 2008, with the Beijing Olympic Games
, of which RTM test-broadcasted the opening and closing ceremony, and several events on HD.
In late 2009, Astro launched Astro B.yond
as a personal video recorder and a High-definition television
service.
As of October 2010, there has been no word from Media Prima concerning HDTV.
Providers
Digital television
Digital television is the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV...
broadcasts, or DTV, can be received via cable
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
, internet
Internet television
Internet television is the digital distribution of television content via the Internet...
, satellite
Satellite television
Satellite television is television programming delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by an outdoor antenna, usually a parabolic mirror generally referred to as a satellite dish, and as far as household usage is concerned, a satellite receiver either in the form of an...
, or via free over-the-air
Terrestrial television
Terrestrial television is a mode of television broadcasting which does not involve satellite transmission or cables — typically using radio waves through transmitting and receiving antennas or television antenna aerials...
(OTA) digital terrestrial television
Digital terrestrial television
Digital terrestrial television is the technological evolution of broadcast television and advance from analog television, which broadcasts land-based signals...
- much like analog television broadcasts have been. It began in the mid-1990s with the introduction of the Astro satellite television service, now followed by new paid television services in the 2000s, as well as the digitalisation of over-the-air TV
Digital terrestrial television
Digital terrestrial television is the technological evolution of broadcast television and advance from analog television, which broadcasts land-based signals...
which was expected to be complete by the mid-2010s before being shelved. This article discusses various platforms where DTV is applied in Malaysia, including Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) (DVB-S
DVB-S
DVB-S is an abbreviation for Digital Video Broadcasting — Satellite; it is the original Digital Video Broadcasting forward error coding and demodulation standard for satellite television and dates from 1994, in its first release, while development lasted from 1993 to 1997...
for satellite
Satellite television
Satellite television is television programming delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by an outdoor antenna, usually a parabolic mirror generally referred to as a satellite dish, and as far as household usage is concerned, a satellite receiver either in the form of an...
and DVB-T
DVB-T
DVB-T is an abbreviation for Digital Video Broadcasting — Terrestrial; it is the DVB European-based consortium standard for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television that was first published in 1997 and first broadcast in the UK in 1998...
for over-the-air
Terrestrial television
Terrestrial television is a mode of television broadcasting which does not involve satellite transmission or cables — typically using radio waves through transmitting and receiving antennas or television antenna aerials...
) and Internet Protocol Television (IPTV)
IPTV
Internet Protocol television is a system through which television services are delivered using the Internet protocol suite over a packet-switched network such as the Internet, instead of being delivered through traditional terrestrial, satellite signal, and cable television formats.IPTV services...
.
Satellite television
The DTV era in Malaysia began with the introduction of direct broadcastDirect broadcast satellite
Direct broadcast satellite is a term used to refer to satellite television broadcasts intended for home reception.A designation broader than DBS would be direct-to-home signals, or DTH. This has initially distinguished the transmissions directly intended for home viewers from cable television...
pay television service, Astro, in 1996 as part of commercialisation of space
Commercialization of space
Commercialization of space is the use of equipment sent into or through outer space to provide goods or services of commercial value, either by a corporation or state. Examples of the commercial use of space include satellite navigation systems, satellite television and satellite radio...
. Astro now transmits about 130 local and international TV channels in the MPEG-2
MPEG-2
MPEG-2 is a standard for "the generic coding of moving pictures and associated audio information". It describes a combination of lossy video compression and lossy audio data compression methods which permit storage and transmission of movies using currently available storage media and transmission...
video format through the Ku band
Ku band
The Kμ band is a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in the microwave range of frequencies. This symbol refers to —in other words, the band directly below the K-band...
utilising the MEASAT
MEASAT
MEASAT Satellite Systems Sdn. Bhd., formerly Binariang Satellite Systems Sdn. Bhd is a Malaysian communications satellite operator.MEASAT is the name of a line of communications satellites owned and operated by the company.As of 2006, the MEASAT satellite network consists of three geostationary...
satellite system's transponder
Transponder
In telecommunication, the term transponder has the following meanings:...
s, according to the DVB-S
DVB-S
DVB-S is an abbreviation for Digital Video Broadcasting — Satellite; it is the original Digital Video Broadcasting forward error coding and demodulation standard for satellite television and dates from 1994, in its first release, while development lasted from 1993 to 1997...
standard. Astro's transmission is especially susceptible to rain fade
Rain fade
Rain fade refers primarily to the absorption of a microwave radio frequency signal by atmospheric rain, snow or ice, and losses are especially prevalent at frequencies above 11 GHz. It also refers to the degradation of a signal caused by the electromagnetic interference of the leading edge of a...
, and complaints of interruption during wet weather are not uncommon in Malaysia with a tropical climate
Tropical climate
A tropical climate is a climate of the tropics. In the Köppen climate classification it is a non-arid climate in which all twelve months have mean temperatures above...
.
Free-to-air
In 2005, the Ministry of Information announced their plan to digitalise nationwide free-to-airFree-to-air
Free-to-air describes television and radio services broadcast in clear form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring a subscription or one-off fee...
TV broadcasts led by Radio Televisyen Malaysia
Radio Televisyen Malaysia
The Department of Broadcasting, Malaysia, DBA Radio Televisyen Malaysia , is a Malaysian state-owned public broadcaster. It owns and operates a number of radio and television stations in Malaysia, based in Kuala Lumpur...
(RTM). Trial broadcasts were undertaken, involving one thousand households in the Klang Valley
Klang Valley
Klang Valley is an area in Malaysia comprising Kuala Lumpur and its suburbs, and adjoining cities and towns in the state of Selangor. An alternative reference to this would be Kuala Lumpur Metropolitan Area or Greater Kuala Lumpur. It is geographically delineated by Titiwangsa Mountains to the...
from September 2006 till February 2007. According to the then-Deputy Minister of Information, Chia Kwang Chye, the trial received "very positive" feedback, i.e. "more than 60 percent said the quality of the signal ranged from good to very good. Over 88 percent said the picture quality improved, while 70 percent said the sound quality was better."
According to Information Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek
Ahmad Shabery Cheek
YB. Dato' Sri Ahmad Shabery Cheek is a Malaysian politician. He is the Minister of Youth and Sports in the Barisan Nasional coalition government, and sits in Parliament as the member for Kemaman, Terengganu...
, it was anticipated that RTM would fully complete its digitalization in 2012 as part of its three-year restructuring process. It was anticipated that each household, once equipped with the necessary equipment (set-top box
Set-top box
A set-top box or set-top unit is an information appliance device that generally contains a tuner and connects to a television set and an external source of signal, turning the signal into content which is then displayed on the television screen or other display device.-History:Before the...
or iDTV
Integrated Digital Television
An Integrated Digital Television set is a television set with a built in digital tuner, be it for DVB-T, DVB-S, DVB-C, DMB-T/H, ATSC or ISDB. Most of them also allow reception of analogue signals . They do away with the need for a set top box for converting those signals for reception on a...
set) would receive up to 19 channels, seven of which would fall under RTM and the rest for private broadcasters such as TV3
TV3 (Malaysia)
Sistem Televisyen Malaysia Berhad or TV3 began broadcasting on 1 June 1984 as Malaysia’s first commercial television station. It is part of Media Prima Berhad group of companies. It now transmits opened broadcasting business private 24-hours a day, 7 days a week since 1 January 2010...
, ntv7
Ntv7
Natseven TV Sdn Bhd or better known as ntv7 is a terrestrial television channel in Malaysia. It was launched nationwide on 7 April 1998 and was the country's third private free-to-air TV station after TV3 and Astro. Its mission is to promote a happier and more enlightened Malaysia...
, 8TV
8TV (Malaysia)
8TV is a private Malaysian Chinese television station, previously known as MetroVision Channel 8. Metrovision closed on 1 November 1999. 8TV was officially launched on Thursday, 8 January 2004 as 8TV after being acquired by Media Prima Berhad....
and TV9
TV9 (Malaysia)
TV9 is a free-to-air private television station in Malaysia. TV9 began broadcasting on 22 April 2006, as a subsidiary of Media Prima Berhad. It formerly existed as Channel 9, which began airing on 9 September 2003 and ceased transmission on 1 February 2005 due to financial difficulties faced by the...
. Thus far, besides simulcast
Simulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
ing TV1 and TV2
TV2 (Malaysia)
RTM2, also known as TV2 is a television station in Malaysia owned and operated by the Radio Television Malaysia, a division of the Malaysian Government. RTM2 is now broadcasting for 24 hours a day effective January 2006.- History :...
, RTM is currently airing RTMi
RTMi
RTMi was a digital television channel fully owned by Radio Televisyen Malaysia. It is also known as Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting . Its test broadcast began in 2000 chosen residential homes surrounding Klang Valley for 6 months starting in September 2006, using the DVB-T standard...
, Muzik Aktif and Arena exclusively on the digital TV platform, transmitted at UHF channel 44, modulated at 64QAM
Quadrature amplitude modulation
Quadrature amplitude modulation is both an analog and a digital modulation scheme. It conveys two analog message signals, or two digital bit streams, by changing the amplitudes of two carrier waves, using the amplitude-shift keying digital modulation scheme or amplitude modulation analog...
, in test forms. RTM was also expected to launch regional channels for each state and/or territory in Malaysia; increasing to 20 television channels. Media Prima has started trials on March 2009.
Malaysia and all other ASEAN nations had selected DVB-T
DVB-T
DVB-T is an abbreviation for Digital Video Broadcasting — Terrestrial; it is the DVB European-based consortium standard for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television that was first published in 1997 and first broadcast in the UK in 1998...
as the final DTV standard, and were expected to switch off analogue broadcasts completely by 2015. On June 2008, participants of the 6th ASEAN Digital Broadcast Meeting from seven south-east Asian countries (including Malaysia) agreed to finalise the specifications of the DTV set-top box
Set-top box
A set-top box or set-top unit is an information appliance device that generally contains a tuner and connects to a television set and an external source of signal, turning the signal into content which is then displayed on the television screen or other display device.-History:Before the...
for use within ASEAN, and also set up an ASEAN HD Centre to provide training on HDTV content to broadcasters in the region.
Despite a success of RTM's pilot trials, the digital terrestrial television transition faced many problems. These problems stemmed from the lesser enthusiasm of content providers toward the digitisation, with the exception of Les Copaque, and the need to improve the nation's Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
broadband infrastructure. However, with the deposition of Abdullah Badawi and the eventual rise of successor Najib Tun Razak
Najib Tun Razak
Dato' Sri Haji Mohd Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak is the sixth, and since 2009, Prime Minister of Malaysia. He previously held the post of Deputy Prime Minister from 7 January 2004 until he succeeded Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as Prime Minister on 3 April 2009. Najib is President of the United...
, the project by RTM was deferred indefinitely.
Future
Although Telekom Malaysia has been rumored to be builder for a digital terrestrial television infrastructure, TM wishes to improve the broadband infrastructure to increase Internet readiness for the country, which leads to UniFiUniFi
UniFi is an amalgamation of “Uni” which denotes togetherness and camaraderie, while “Fi” symbolises fibre optics. This is a new service provided by TM Berhad the leading Integrated Telecommunications provider in Malaysia....
.
Currently there are no plans to start the digital television transition and the free-to-air broadcasters will continue to broadcast entirely in analogue. However, it is also possible that RTM may be planning to switch to DVB-T2
DVB-T2
DVB-T2 is an abbreviation for Digital Video Broadcasting – Second Generation Terrestrial; it is the extension of the television standard DVB-T, issued by the consortium DVB, devised for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television....
some time in the future to replace DVB-T
DVB-T
DVB-T is an abbreviation for Digital Video Broadcasting — Terrestrial; it is the DVB European-based consortium standard for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television that was first published in 1997 and first broadcast in the UK in 1998...
.
Analogue switch-off
Analogue TV broadcasts would have been shut down in stages, due to complete by 2015 as per recommendation from ASEAN. The DTT migration plan was divided into three phases:- Phase I (2007–2015)
- Analogue TV & DTT co-exist
- Analogue TV shut down in stages
- Vacate other primary services (radarRadarRadar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
and LMSLeast mean squares filterLeast mean squares algorithms are a class of adaptive filter used to mimic a desired filter by finding the filter coefficients that relate to producing the least mean squares of the error signal . It is a stochastic gradient descent method in that the filter is only adapted based on the error at...
)
- Phase II (2016–2020)
- No analogue TV service
- Vacate DTT service using channels 56 and above
- Vacate LMS in band 477 MHz to 478 MHz
- Phase III (2020-)
- 100% DTT service using channels 5 to 12 and 21 to 54
Paid terrestrial TV
U Television, formerly MiTVMiTV
U Television Sdn. Bhd. is Malaysia's third pay television operator. It was launched in September 2005 after having obtained all the necessary approvals from the censorship board on its broadcast contents...
, is scheduled to roll out broadcast services in the H.264
H.264/MPEG-4 AVC
H.264/MPEG-4 Part 10 or AVC is a standard for video compression, and is currently one of the most commonly used formats for the recording, compression, and distribution of high definition video...
video format according to DVB-T
DVB-T
DVB-T is an abbreviation for Digital Video Broadcasting — Terrestrial; it is the DVB European-based consortium standard for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television that was first published in 1997 and first broadcast in the UK in 1998...
, for better picture quality and more efficient frequency bandwidth usage, after having failed in an earlier venture with the IPTV-over-UHF system previously.
Broadband and IPTV
DETV, a new paid television provider owned by REDtone, provides television and video-on-demand services on the IPTVIPTV
Internet Protocol television is a system through which television services are delivered using the Internet protocol suite over a packet-switched network such as the Internet, instead of being delivered through traditional terrestrial, satellite signal, and cable television formats.IPTV services...
platform, targeting the Chinese audiences in Malaysia.
TM
Telekom Malaysia
Telekom Malaysia Berhad , DBA TM, is the largest integrated solutions provider in Malaysia, and one of Asia's leading communications companies, with a market capitalisation of RM13.9 billion and a workforce of 26,629 employees. Established as the Telecommunications Department of Malaya in 1946, it...
is expected to launch its IPTV services, branded as Hypp.TV
Hypp.TV
Hypp.TV is a Malaysian subscription-based internet protocol television service owned by Telekom Malaysia Berhad. It provides IPTV channels over ADSL and video on demand programming delivered via broadband. Hypp.TV is an example of telecommunication convergence...
in the fourth quarter of 2009, and has completed its trials with 1,000 selected households in Klang Valley, Penang
Penang
Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
and Kulim
Kulim
Kulim is the third largest town in Kedah after Alor Star and Sungai Petani is located at the South East of Kedah state and East of Penang state in Malaysia. Kulim is a district consist of 15 smaller sub-districts also known as "mukim"...
, Kedah
Kedah
Kedah is a state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area of over 9,000 km², and it consists of the mainland and Langkawi. The mainland has a relatively flat terrain, which is used to grow rice...
.
Mobile TV
Mobile television was introduced in Malaysia with video streaming services by mobile telecommunications providers such as MaxisMaxis
Maxis is an American company founded as an independent video game developer in 1987. It is currently a subsidiary of Electronic Arts . Maxis is the creator of one of the best-selling computer games of all time, The Sims and its first sequel, The Sims 2...
and DiGi
DiGi
DiGi Telecommunications Sdn. Bhd., DBA DiGi, is a mobile service provider in Malaysia. It is owned in majority by Telenor ASA of Norway with 49%. On 24 May 1995 DiGi became the first telco in Malaysia to launch and operate a fully digital cellular network.They were also the first to offer GPRS and...
, to users of mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
s with 3G
3G
3G or 3rd generation mobile telecommunications is a generation of standards for mobile phones and mobile telecommunication services fulfilling the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 specifications by the International Telecommunication Union...
or similar technologies. Maxis TV now offers more than 20 channels to Maxis 3G subscribers who own compatible mobile phones. Yet, Maxis is expected to roll out broadcast mobile TV services based on DVB-H
DVB-H
DVB-H is one of three prevalent mobile TV formats. It is a technical specification for bringing broadcast services to mobile handsets. DVB-H was formally adopted as ETSI standard EN 302 304 in November 2004. The DVB-H specification can be downloaded from the official DVB-H website...
in the near future.
U Mobile
U Mobile
U Mobile Sdn Bhd is Malaysia’s newest 3G service provider and was founded in 1998 as MiTV Networks Sdn Bhd. U Mobile is a wholly owned subsidiary of U Television Sdn Bhd which was formerly known as U Telecom Media Holdings Sdn Bhd and MiTV Corporation Sdn Bhd....
also provides broadcast mobile TV to users of selected 3G phones, also based on DVB-H.
In October 2008, Astro launched Astro Mobile TV which currently provides 18 channels, all of which are mobile versions of existing Astro TV channels, including seven in-house channels. This service is only available to Maxis subscribers with compatible 2.5G or 3G handsets, and does not reprise its role from Maxis TV.
HDTV
RTM initiated its inaugural high-definition televisionHigh-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
(HDTV) trials in 2008, with the Beijing Olympic Games
2008 Summer Olympics broadcasting
The host broadcaster was BOB .This is a list of international broadcasters of the 2008 Summer Olympics:The IOC awarded Australia's Seven Network the 'Golden Rings' award for "Best Olympic Programme"...
, of which RTM test-broadcasted the opening and closing ceremony, and several events on HD.
In late 2009, Astro launched Astro B.yond
Astro B.yond
Astro B.yond is the brand name of a multi-phased innovative service startiving with the first ever HDTV service launched by Malaysian pay television provider Astro on 18 December 2009....
as a personal video recorder and a High-definition television
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
service.
As of October 2010, there has been no word from Media Prima concerning HDTV.
External links
General- DVB - Malaysia
- Fulfilling Needs For Digital Media, .my Convergence (Jan 2008)
- Technical Standard for Free To Air Digital Terrestrial Receiver (Set-top-box) (MTSFB 001 : 2008)
- TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION FOR FREE TO AIR DIGITAL TERRESTRIAL TELEVISION RECEIVER (SET-TOP-BOX), Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission
Providers