The Challenges Facing Nigeria Television In Switching To Digital Broadcasting In Nigeria

The Challenges Facing Nigeria Television In Switching To Digital Broadcasting In Nigeria

Chapter One

Preface

Background of the Study

Until lately, all broadcasting media have run on an analogue system. Analogue TV use complete swells to transmit filmland and sounds. The major debit of this is that position plays an integral factor, disabling, distorting images and audio on TV in pastoral areas. Digital boxes are getting commonplace, with numerous string providers encouraging their guests to switch to digital TV, so they can take advantage of the providers ’ new services. Like the compact slice, digital TV information in broken down into double gobbets. Immune to distance and hindrance, digital television signals are largely free of visual snow and dislocation.

Kombol,( 2008,p. 67) defines digital communication as “ an advanced form of information transfer in which dispatches are converted into a series of 1s and 0s( double integers) and transferred over a channel to the receiver. ” Over the times, TV transmission has grown from strength to strength. It moved from snap( black and white) to colour transmission.

TV is a system of transferring and entering filmland and sound by means of electronic signals transmitted through cables and optic storytellers or by electromagnetic radiation. These signals are generally broadcast from a central source, a TV station, to event bias similar as TV sets in homes or relay stations similar as those used by string TV service providers.( Microsoft Encarta, 2009)

Digital TV is a new technology for transmitting and entering broadcast TV signals. Using an fresh 6 Megahertz( MHz) of broadcast diapason temporarily granted by Congress and the FCC for a period of no smaller than 9 times, broadcasters will be suitable to develop a different range of new digital TV programming and services while continuing to transmit conventional analog TV programming on their being allotments of diapason, as needed by the Telecommunications Act of 1996( Telecommunications Act of 1996).

A digital standard is superior to analog because of its lesser delicacy, versatility, effectiveness, and interoperability with other electronic media. Digital signals also have the advantage of generating no noise or “ ghosting, ” and being more resistant to signal hindrance. Within the range of the signal, this results in a perfect signal. Digital Television( DTV) is an advanced broadcasting technology that has converted your TV viewing experience. DTV has enable broadcasters to offer TV with better picture and sound quality. It also offers multiple programming choices, called multicasting and interactive capabilities.( Asemah, 2009,p. 23).

Digital TV uses technology that records, transmits, and decodes a signal in digital form — that is, as a series of bones and bottoms. This process produces much clearer picture and sound quality than analog systems. It also permits fresh features to be bedded in signals including program and consumer information as well as interactivities. Beforehand digital outfit included digital TV receivers that converted analog signals into digital law. The analog signal was first tried and stored as a digital law, also reused, and eventually recaptured. ATSC digital tuners designed to crack purely digital signals are now standard on new boxes. Daramola,( 2003,p. 45) Digital TV event can be affected by hard moving vehicles, similar as buses , exchanges, trains and aeroplanes . In some cases, shadowing or reflections from these vehicles may beget digital picture to temporarily break- up or indeed vanishcompletely.However, you should try moving or reorienting your antenna to find a position that provides the most dependable event, If thisoccurs.However, switching to an out-of-door antenna system which may include a directional antenna or rotor could ameliorate event, If you’re using an inner antenna. In severe cases it may not be possible to fully exclude the effect of near business. If event remains wrong due

Digital TV transition is the technological elaboration and advance from analogue terrestrial TV, which broadcasts land grounded( terrestrial) signals. The purpose of digital terrestrial TV, analogous to digital versus analogue in other platforms similar as string, satellite, telecoms, is characterized by reduced use of diapason and further capacity than analogue, more- quality picture, and lower operating costs for broadcast and transmission after the original upgrade costs. A terrestrial perpetration of digital TV technology uses upstanding broadcasts to a conventional antenna( or upstanding) rather of a satellite dish or string connection( Liwhu, 2008).

contending variants of digital terrestrial TV technology are used around the world. Advanced Television norms Committee ATSC is the one used in North America and South Korea, an elaboration from the analogue National Television norms Committee standard NTSC. ISDB- T is used in Japan, with a variation of it used in Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Chile, Venezuela, Ecuador and most lately Costa Rica and Paraguay, while DVB- T is the most current, covering Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Colombia, Uruguay and some countries of Africa. DMB- T/ H is China’s own standard( including Hong Kong, though Hong Kong’s string drivers use DVB); the rest of the world remains substantially undecided, numerous assessing multiple norms. ISDB- T is veritably analogous to DVB- T and can partake frontal- end receiver and demodulator factors.

The switch over from analogue to digital in Nigeria is to take place in the time 2012. DTV is transmitted on radio frequentness through the airwaves that are analogous to standard analogue TV, with the primary difference being the use of legion transmitters to allow event of multiple channels on a single frequence range( similar as a UHF or VHF channel)( Wikipedia, 2010).

The digital TV transition refers to the shift from analog broadcasting to digital broadcasting. numerous countries of the world have honored the huge benefit which digital broadcasting offers and are making a huge trouble to shift from analog broadcasting to digital broadcasting( Liwhu, 2008). The transition from analog to digital broadcasting involves numerous changing the transmission signals as well as making sure that members of the public buy high description TV sets and get relieve of standard description TV sets.

In the United States of America, February17 2009 was set as a date when broadcasting in analog will be stopped and the whole country will commerce digital broadcasting. To this effect, the US congress passed the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. Under this Act all original stations in the US are needed to from off their analog channels and start broadcasting in digital format.

The transition to digital broadcasting will mark the end of free TV programmes. still, this isn’t the case. While some TV set may be affected by the change, others won’t for illustration, TV sets that admit string and satellite signals will still admit signals from digital transmission. still, TV sets that admit analog signals via antenna( these antennas have analog funers) will be out of place in the digital period.

In this state of affairs, old antennas will need to be upgraded to meet up with the technology. In countries like the United States of America where digital transition is planned top take off, all analog TV sets will be no longer useful and will have to be dispose of maybe packed to other countries of the world where analog broadcasting is still used. People who wish to continue using analog TV set in theU.S will need to have a motor installed. This motor changes digital signals which are broadcast to analog signal so that the TV set will be suitable to pick. Traditionally developing countries in Africa, Latin America and South East Asia are frequently the jilting ground for out moldered technology. The digital transition is just one illustration of the factors that make developing countries donors of technology that advanced countries no longer need.

Digitization programme in Nigeria commenced in Abuja on June 3, 2008, following a meeting of stake holders in the broadcast assiduity where forum under scored the need for Nigeria to embrace the new technology, so that the country would not be turned into a jilting ground for obsolete analog outfit reports shows that Nigeria has set June, 17,2010 as the switch- over date from the current mode of broadcasting to the netra ultramodern digital terrestrial broadcasting the date is three times before the June 17, 2015 deadline for the entire world set by the International Telecommunication Union( ITU) after its congress in Geneva, Switzerland in 2006.

However the country officially stated the digitization of its broadcast assiduity in December 2007, following late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s blessing, directing the National Broadcasting Commission( NBC), the assiduity’s controller to set stir and airman the programme towards the target date( Adeniyi 2009).

Statement of the Problem

Despite the inviting benefits of digital broadcasting, Nigeria is bound to face the following problems performing from the low position of our technological advancement and the income position of the individualities. therefore, the following challenged pullulate.

1. With the current way of picking digital signals, using atenna, observers are limited to whatever channels the antenna picks up and the signals quality will also vary.

2. Digital TV signals mustn’t intrude with each other, and they must also attend with analogue TV until it’s phased out.

3. Analogue switch- off would render anon-digital TV obsolete, unless it’s connected to an external digital tuner, an external motor box for digital signal

. The relinquishment of a broadcast standard inharmonious with being analog receiver has created the problem of large number of analogue receivers being discarded during digital transition in the US where an estimate of 99 million unused analogue television receivers are presently in the storehouse. Same thing is bound to be in Nigeria.

5. The profitable power of all broadcast station to conveyance to digital is a big trouble. Seeing that million of naira are involved in this transition.

objects of Study

To examine if the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting have an impact on broadcast assiduity in Nigeria.

ii. To know the challenges that transition from analog to digital acts for the broadcast station in Nigeria.

iii. To examine whether digital broadcasting service in the country has enhanced broadcast product.

iv. To study the significance that digitalization will bring to broadcast followership.

exploration Questions

i. What impact would the migration from analogue to digital bring to the broadcast assiduity in Nigeria?

ii. What challenges do the transition from analog to digital acts for the broadcast station in Nigeria?

iii. How has digital broadcasting services in the country enhance broadcast product?

iv. What significance will digitalization bring to broadcast followership?

Compass of the Study

This study would essay to examine the challenges facing Nigeria TV in switching to digital broadcasting in Nigeria, a study of ITV Benin City.

Significance of the Study

The work will profit the media houses and media manger on the need to move from analogue to digital.

Media, mass communication, journalism scholars will see reason to upgrade their skill and experience.

Government at the public position will also find this material applicable to note the reason why Nigeria mustn’t left out.