Digital TV to open up a whole new viewing era

In this year’s summer Olympics, Koreans will be able to see the muscles quivering on marathon runner Lee Bong-ju’s legs. If they want to, that is. Now that the government has decided to go ahead and use the U.S. digital broadcasting transmission system for television broadcasting, a whole new era of television is about to unfold across the nation. To begin with, a digital TV is pleasing to the eye: Images are about five times clearer than those of analog television sets. Also, five large speakers and one small speaker provide three-dimensional surround-sound effects. Moving from equipment to actual content, digital broadcasting will give couch potatoes more to do then just flick channels. The television set will become a medium for interactivity, enabling two-way communication. For instance, a woman watching the latest television drama “Lovers of Paris” can get a closeup of the necklace worn by the main female character. She can then search for information on that necklace ― and even order and pay for the product using functions that previously could only be performed on the Internet. Home banking or home trading can also be undertaken via TV. The government’s decision is also expected to lower prices of digital TV sets. Until now, consumers had to purchase television sets that contained receivers or a separate receiver because the transmission method was undecided. A receiver is not needed now, since TVs currently on the market are coded for the U.S. format. Sets that contain receivers are about 30 to 40 percent more expensive than those without. Viewers can also expect a wider array of high-definition broadcasting programs. Up to now, development of such programs was restrained because the transmission system had not been decided upon. Only two or three programs were actually made by broadcasting companies in the high-definition format. Digital transmissions will also enable regional service providers to increase the number of channels and allow more freedom for new production firms to enter the broadcasting market. The decision will also positively affect various sectors of the slack domestic market, since digital television broadcasting involves many areas of the industry such as displays, semiconductors, software and content. Of course, TV manufacturers are the most ebullient over the decision. “We believe the digital TV market in the second half of this year will be 30 percent larger than that of the first,” said an official at Samsung. Not that the industry needed the extra boost. In the first half of the year, Korea exported $755 million worth of digital TVs, a 75 percent increase over last year. The country is already a global leader in high-definition manufacturing, including the world’s largest plasma display panels. by Lee Hyun-sang, Wohn Dong-hee