The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has called on the public to switch to digital television (TV) by purchasing digital-ready TVs or digital TV receivers ahead of the planned shutdown of analog TV.
During the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon briefing on Monday, Jan. 15, NTC Commissioner Alvin Blanco said the difference between digital and analog TV is massive, with digital TV looking much clearer compared to its older counterpart.
“Other than that meron din po tayong early warning broadcast na makakatulong po sa ating mamamayan pagdating po sa mga emergencies and mga disaster (Other than that, there’s the early warning broadcast that can help the public in times of emergencies and disasters),” Blanco said.
Digital TV also offers other features such as better signal, program information, and more channel selections.
He noted that some TV networks are offering digital TV boxes that can be connected to most televisions.
To date, an estimated 82 percent of households in Mega Manila have already switched to digital TV, with the rest — numbering less than a million — still using analog TV.
In 2017, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) announced a simultaneous operation of analog and digital TV for four to six years before the analog shutoff.
The standard for digital terrestrial TV broadcasting (DTTB) was issued through a memorandum circular by the NTC in 2013 following an order by former president Benigno Aquino III.PNA
