Uruguay Picks DVB-T and DVB-H as Terrestrial DTV standards

The DVB Project commended Uruguay on its selection of DVB-T and DVB-H in a presidential decree signed by Uruguay President Tabaré Vázquez and Minister of Industry Jorge Lepra. Undersecretary Martín Ponce de León said the adoption of the DVB standards would allow Uruguay to “actively participate in the process of technological development through investments and through development of software and content.”

“We welcome this significant decision by the government of Uruguay,” said Peter MacAvock, executive director of the DVB Project. “By opting for DVB-T and DVB-H, Uruguay becomes part of DVB’s global market and can take advantage of the wide variety of professional and consumer offerings at the lowest possible prices for making its transition from analogue to digital television services. The people of Uruguay will soon be able to join the growing numbers on six continents that are enjoying TV with the highest quality of sound and vision.”

In selecting a terrestrial DTV standard, Uruguay considered criteria including the provision for fixed and mobile services; interactivity; the diversity, availability and cost of equipment; technical quality of service; spectrum efficiency; strategies for digital inclusion; development of national technologies; and development of the audio-visual industry.

“The timely adoption of the technical standard is an initial step to facilitate the development of digital terrestrial television by allowing all involved players to understand the regulatory framework which will be the basis for the transition to digital television in Uruguay,” said Leon Lev, president of the Unidad Reguladora de Servicios de Comunicaciones (URSEC).

Doug Lung

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack.
A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.