Information ministers from the ASEAN nations have endorsed DVB-T as the regional standard for digital television.
The announcement came at the Ninth Conference of the ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information (AMRI) which was held in Jakarta, Indonesia, and included representatives from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
According to the joint media statement that concluded the meeting, "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 ministers stated that further discussions about detailed policy considerations in planning for an analogue switch-off would be forthcoming, noting that 2015 would we worked toward as a common switch-off date for the region.
The ministers also endorsed the recommendations of the fourth meeting of ASEAN Digital Broadcasting (ADB), held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in March, to develop a detailed DTV development work plan and set up specialist working groups to oversee the process.
The common standard is expected to make equipment, particularly set-top boxes and other DTV receivers more affordable throughout the region.
