José Leite, a member of Anatel?s board, says the agency hasn?t changed its timetable for choosing a standard for digital terrestrial television in Brazil but acknowledges that a decision is unlikely by the end of this year. ?In my opinion,? he says, ?the decision shouldn?t be taken in a hurry because Brazil is an adopter not a producer of the technology in question.? Three stages have to be completed, however long it takes. A business model must be developed, a transition period determined, and benefits such as technology transfer agreed. Anatel decided not to rush the decision when it became clear that there is acute uncertainty even among developers of DTV technology. ?In the United States the transition period will have to be extended,? he notes. ?In Europe some countries are considering a review of issues such as high definition and mobility. Japan has simply put the whole question on ice, and there?s even talk of merging the Japanese and European standards.? Anatel will take the interests of all segments into account in making its decision. ?A special working group will have to be set up to decide which way Brazil should go,? he says. ?Anatel will act as the coordinator of the process.?
Digital TV
