New DTT station in Brunei
A new transmitting station in Andulau will be ready to broadcast DVB-T DTT signals in 2012 according to the Brunei Times.
Speaking in Belat, the Deputy Director of Radio Televisyen Brunei (RTB), Pg Hj Mahari Pg Hj Abd Razak, said that the existing station Bukit Subok transmitter did not enable Belait residents to receive digital TV broadcasts as it only provided 60% coverage of Brunei.
The new transmitter in Andulau will increase coverage to 90% which should cover 95% of the population.
RTB said that analogue broadcasting would continue for sometime. In a previous Brunei Times' report, RTB was said to be going completely digital by 2014 and then stopping all analogue broadcast within that year.
Source: Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union
Item added: 28th February 2011  




Brunei to end analogue TV in 2014
Brunei’s national broadcaster Radio Television Brunei (RTB) will complete the switch to digital television by the second quarter of 2014, The Brunei Times reports.
RTB Director Hj Idris Hj Md Ali said that future broadcasts would be digital and its studios would record programming in high definition (HD).
"HD is the growing trend around the world, so we also have to catch up with technology," he said.
Currently, 85 per cent of RTB's transmission is digital. Viewers who are using conventional analogue aerial can only receive RTB 1 and RTB 2 channels. RTB has six channels, of which two, the HD channel and RTB 5, are on trial.
Mr Idris said: "The transmission and reception of information has become faster and has a wider audience. This growth has changed broadcasting." He was speaking at a signing ceremony to develop phase three of RTB's new broadcasting complex in Sungai Akar near the capital, Bandar Seri Begawan. RTB will move its headquarters to the new complex when it is completed in 2013.
Source: Asian Pacific Broadcasting Union
Item added: 10th September 2010  



RTB-Brunei set to launch HDTV
Radio Television Brunei (RTB) plans to launch HDTV soon and is currently carrying out HD trials using a 100Watt transmitter, located at the Subok earth station near the capital Bandar Seri Begawan.
An HD studio is also being installed in Kuala Belait and this should be operational by the end of July just prior to the installation of the main 5kW transmitter.
The new transmitter will be used to broadcast both SDTVand HDTV programmes as well as help to launch a DVB-H trial later.
RTB’s new digital complex at Sungai Akar, just outside the capital, has also been completed recently and production and engineering departments will move in to it next month, followed by the remaining staff over the next two to three years. RTB have a staff of around 1,200.
Source: ABU Website
Item added: 12th May 2008


 

DTT launch August 2008
Broadcaster RTB has announced that DTT services in Brunei will begin in August 2008.
Brunei successfully trialed DVB-T transmissions in January 2006 and followed up by adopting the DVB-T standard in July the same year.
RTB plan to launch DTT services in August 2008, first from its Subok transmitter. They have already initiated programmes to inform the public of the DTT transition using road shows, dialogue sessions with retailers, information leaflets and by participating in exhibitions.
Source: Borneo Bulletin
Item added: 29th January 2008




DVB-T Endorsed as ASEAN DTT standard
Ministers endorsed DVB-T as the standard for the ASEAN member nations at the Ninth Conference of the ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information (AMRI) held in Jakarta Indonesia during May 2007.
ASEAN representatives from member countries, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam were all present at the conference to share the endorsement.
According to the joint media statement “ The Ministers noted that the DVB-T standard was the most commonly adopted international DTV standard and would offer the most advantages in terms of economies of scale, ease of adoption and versatility for multiple platforms”.
The common standard is expected to make equipment, such as set-top-boxes and DTV receivers more affordable throughout the region. The analogue switch off date is likely to be 2015.
Source: Joint Media Statement
Item added: 5th June 2007

ASEAN broadcasters push for DVB-T adoption
4 April 2007

Broadcasters who attended the 4th ASEAN Digital Broadcasting (ADB) Meeting held in Kuala Lumpur agreed to recommend the adoption of DVB-T as the ASEAN digital terrestrial broadcasting standard to the 9th Conference of the ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information (AMRI) due to take place in Jakarta in May 2007. The agreement comes just a few days after the Malaysian government announced the formal adoption of DVB-T following successful trial broadcasts.
More than 50 delegates comprising policy makers, regulators and broadcasters from all ten ASEAN countries (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam) and representatives from the ASEAN Secretariat attended the 4th ADB Meeting.
“The adoption of a common standard has very positive implications for ASEAN. For a start, this decision will facilitate the ADB Meeting’s goal of a common digital Set Top Box (STB) for the region,” said Zamani Zakariah, Senior Director, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission and Chairman of the 4th ADB Meeting.
With the economies of scale able to be achieved by having a common broadcasting standard and a common STB, consumers in this region are expected to able to enjoy digital television at very affordable prices. The ASEAN nations together represent a population of more than 500 million people.

Among the other issues addressed by the 4th ADB Meeting was the importance for ASEAN countries to also plan and announce their respective analogue switch-off schedule, even if as a preliminary target.
Source: ABU
Item added: 10th April 2007
 

Brunei announces DVB-T for its digital terrestrial TV trial
At the third Asean Digital Broadcasting (ADB) meeting, held on the 29th August in Brunei, Radio Television Brunei announced that it had chosen DVB-T as the transmission standard for its forthcoming trial.
The main thrust of the meeting was to share knowledge and experience and also plan the transition to a common digital terrestrial television standard in the Asean region. More than 50 delegates from seven Asean countries attended the meeting namely Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Myanmar, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines.
Source: Borneo Bulletin
Item added: 1st September 2005

Background
Frequency planning is now completed and preparations are underway for the introduction of DVB-T broadcasting services in 2007. Transmission trials are scheduled in the latter part of 2005. Source: ABU Technical Committee Annual Meeting, 20-23 September 2004.

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Last page update: 28th February 2011, Barry Tew