Information Minister Wants to Ensure Successful Changeover from Analogue to Digital Television

Minister of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports, the Hon. Olivia Grange, wants to ensure a successful switch from analogue to digital television when Jamaica decides to make the move.
The Minister urged members of the National Steering Committee for the Digital Television Switchover to pool their talents to ensure a successful digital switch over in Jamaica.
She was speaking at today’s(Feb 19) meeting of the steering committee, at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, New Kingston.
“We are all aware that this switch over process is not a task without its many challenges, particularly in the present global environment. But, if we accept that our development hinges, in large part, on our international competitiveness, and that access to information through the available technologies create opportunities not only for the development of our greatest assets, our human resources, but also for the development of our commercial sector, then our resolve must be greater than the obstacles that we face,” Miss Grange said.
She said that the committee’s commitment and efforts must be guided by the recognition that the empowerment of citizens is central to national development.
“We will look forward, therefore, to celebrating the switch from analogue transmissions to digital platforms, not because the transition facilitates high definition television and a greater number of channels, but because there is the legitimate expectation that we will have multiplied spaces,” the Minister said.
Miss Grange also noted that with the digital switch over, Jamaica will be able to look forward to showcasing its musical, sporting, and artistic performances on multi media platforms.
In addition, the Minister noted that the space made from saved spectrum availability, can be utilised for new telecommunication developments.
Chairman of the Broadcasting Commission, Dr. Hopeton Dunn, said that the meeting was important, as it brought to the table many of the players, stakeholders and representatives of organisations integrally involved in the process.
“The expectation is that we will all contribute in determining what is the pace at which this process will take place; what is the extent of the public engagement (in the process), (what) involvement we will encourage and, in the end, how we will actually implement this,” Dr. Dunn said.
Since 2006, a number of countries, including the Netherlands and Sweden, have switched from analogue to digital television.The United States is expected to follow suit in June. Canada, Brazil, China and a number of other countries are expected to make the switch by 2015.
Miss Grange said that Jamaica will be setting its own timetable for switch over, based on the recommendations of the steering committee.
Digital television (DTV) is the sending and receiving of moving images and sound by discrete (digital) signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV.