Consumers warned of cheap TV deals

The deputy minister was speaking at a briefing on Thursday, 8 May, on the progress made in government's economic cluster's Programme of Action.

He urged people to be aware of shops who would be selling analogue television sets at cheaper prices because they are to become obsolete in a few years as government moves towards digital broadcasting.

Consumers also needed to become more familiar with the latest technologies, said Padayachee.

Set-top box alternative

Minister of Public Enterprises Alec Erwin, who leads the cluster, said the department was at an advanced stage with regards to the digital migration, with the first switch on of the digital broadcast signal by Sentech due in November.

“The strategy to develop a strong local set-top box manufacturing industry as part of the industrial policy action plan is on track,” said Erwin.

Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry Rob Davies underscored these remarks by saying that government was keen to see this process involving South African manufacturers.

A set-top box will be an instrument that converts a digital television signal, transmitted for example, by the South African Broadcasting Corporation, to make the television viewable on an analogue television.

As a result, by the time the “dual-illumination” period of both analogue and digital signals comes to an end, South Africans wishing to watch television would need to have acquired a set-top box, or a fully-fledged digital television.

Ownership of a fully-fledged digital television would mean that a consumer would not require a set-top box, as the TV would already be designed to receive a digital signal, hence the warning by Padayachee.

Be informed - HD may not be digital

The department's Director-General Lyndall Shope-Mafole pointed out that consumers needed to become aware of the range of technologies currently on the market, saying that, for instance, a “high definition” television did not mean that it was necessarily digital.

Discussions with potential manufacturers of set-top boxes are under way and government is eager to utilise the move to digital broadcasting by complementing it with the provision of government services.

This would allow citizens to access a range of government services directly from the comfort of their own homes, and facilitate service delivery through the use of digital technology.

The capacity for citizens to receive a digital signal must be streamed, he added, while government is focusing on using the technology to upgrade e-Government services, which are already available on the internet.

Consumers wishing to purchase a new television set should buy sets that are already digitally-ready, said Padayachee.

This would circumvent the need to purchase a set-top box, which could each range anywhere from R400 to R500 upwards.

Erwin added earlier: “Specifications for set-top boxes which will include features that enable citizens to access information and services from their homes are ready for submission to the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS).”

The digital migration strategy will be launched soon, he said, once all the preparations had been completed.

Article published courtesy of BuaNews