Uruguay, Brazil Choosing DTV Standards

According to BNAmericas.com, Uruguay plans to pick a terrestrial DTV standard this year. The Uruguayan equivalent of the FCC, Ursec, organized a technical seminar for discussions on May 17. The article said Uruguay is likely to pick the same standard as Brazil.

It is still unknown which standard Brazil will go with. Recent reports say European officials are on the verge of proposing to build a semiconductor plant in Brazil. The proposal would be in exchange for Brazil's adoption of DVB-T, Europe's DTV standard.

The Brazilian minister of development and industry is expected to attend talks in London with European officials and telecom companies. However, according to reports, Brazil broadcasters lean towards Japan's standard.

Brazil signed a non-binding agreement with Japan in April to possibly adopt its DTV standard. Japan's Toshiba is also assessing options to build a semiconductor plant in the country, according to reports.