Celso Amorin, Brazil's minister of foreign relations; Luiz Fernando Furlan, minister of development, industry and foreign trade; and Helio Costa, the minister of communication, were in Japan recently to discuss Brazil's choice of a digital TV standard. While there, the delegation signed a memorandum under which the Japanese government will assist in creating a "Japanese-Brazilian" DTV system. As to whether this memorandum meant that Brazil has chosen the Japanese standard, Costa was quoted in an article picked up by Forbes magazine saying "I believe so." However, Costa said the final decision will be made by President Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva.
Before the meeting, the U.S. State Department's Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs E. Anthony Wayne said, "the United States believes the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) offers the best combination of economic, social, and technical advantages. If Brazil were to adopt this standard it would ensure a hemispheric standard. Nations that already have adopted this standard have witnessed a rapid increase in the sale of high definition television products." Wayne added that if Brazil adopted the standard, the country would be poised as a leading supplier for the region.
Furlan said that some Japanese companies would come to Brazil in the next few months to extend their investment in Brazil and make the country a base of operations for exports. A group from Toshiba is expected to visit Brazil soon to begin looking for a new semiconductor plant.
The Japanese standard, ISDB-T, has received little acceptance outside Japan. The standard is based on COFDM modulation, as is the European DVB-T standard, and has the ability to transmit video to cell phones and hand-held devices, as does DVB-H. An advantage of ISDB-T over DVB-T is that ISDB-T employs a longer interleave, increasing its immunity to impulse noise.
In addition to the above links, also see the Japan Times article "Nikai lauds Japan-Brazil TV accord."
