2 EDITORIAL

In January , we commented that 4K Ultra HD is unlikely to be mainstream in Asia-Pacific for years to come . This is the reality despite the CES 2015 show in Las Vegas last month showcasing a dazzling line-up of the latest 4K UHDTV sets by manufacturers such as Sony , LG and Samsung . These new display devices will be made available at price points that are not far beyond consumers ’ willingness to pay .

Not to be outdone , the ‘ Internet of Things ’, or IoT , accounted for many of the digitally connected products on display at CES 2015 . The implications for the broadcast industry where IoT is concerned can perhaps be partially explained by the fact that as more devices become connected via the Internet , it will feed an increasingly vociferous appetite for content to be consumed over these devices .

To respond to this trend , broadcasters will have to look beyond their traditional delivery media to offer more over-the-top ( OTT ) services that complement their linear offerings . On the production side , can broadcasters take advantage of IP to create more efficient and cost-effective workflows ?

There should be little doubt that 4K UHD and IP can be key enablers for broadcasters battling to retain eyeballs against alternative content providers such as Netflix and telcos producing their own local programming .

What is less certain , certainly among Asia- Pacific broadcasters , is where 4K UHD and IP rank in terms of immediate priority .

At this year ’ s Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union ’ s annual Digital Symposium , to be held from March 3-6 at the Hotel Istana in Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia , topics such as OTT , cloud technologies and services — and , of course , 4K UHD will top

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the agenda . However , while broadcasters should not neglect the opportunities offered by emerging technologies , there are more pressing issues to be overcome .

As Dr Amal Punchihewa , ABU ’ s director of technology , correctly pointed out , digitisation has been widely discussed for many years in Asia- Pacific ; yet only a handful of countries in the region are speeding up their digital switchover plans .

According to a new report from the Digital Terrestrial Television Action Group ( DigiTAG ), DTT will “ remain relevant ” for many years to come . Although the report focuses on developments in Europe , it is applicable that digital TV will hold even more importance and significance in a region as diverse as Asia . Indeed , the progress in switching to digital TV in Asia remains painfully slow .

Perhaps , 2015 should be the year where broadcasters in Asia re-assess their priorities and get back to basics . While they study and evaluate 4K UHDTV technologies , a commensurate amount of effort needs to be put into addressing more immediate concerns such as the digital switchover .

Focus on speeding up the transition to digital broadcasting while keeping UHDTV in mind . For the time being , HDTV is good enough for many people in Asia-Pacific !

SHAWN LIEW DEPUTY EDITOR

February-March 2015 ( volume 32 issue 2 )

EDITORIAL

deputy editor Shawn Liew , shawn @ editecintl . com

contributing editor Millette Manalo-Burgos , millette @ editecintl . com

contributing editor ( technology ) Karl K Rossiter , karl @ editecintl . com

reporter Kamarul Arifin Abdul Hafiz , kamarul @ editecintl . com

CORRESPONDENTS

■ Singapore Richard Seah , richard _ seah @ singnet . com . sg

■ China Vicky Liao , liaoxk16 @ vip . sina . com

■ India Shirish Nadkarni , shinads @ yahoo . co . uk

■ USA Mike Feazel , mfeazel @ gmail . com

PRODUCTION production editor Zuraini Ridzwan , zuraini @ editecintl . com

sub-editor Samantha Ann Francis , samantha @ editecintl . com

multimedia designer Raymund Jaudian , raymund @ editecintl . com

ad / office administrator Irene Lok , irene @ editecintl . com

accounts executive Tan Hui Min , huimin @ editecintl . com

MARKETING manager - sales & marketing Lynn Chee , lynn @ editecintl . com manager - sales & marketing Sean Chen , sean @ editecintl . com

CIRCULATION manager Ho Siew Mun , siewmun @ editecintl . com

PUBLISHING associate publisher Kristy Tan , kristy @ editecintl . com

publisher / editorial director Andrew Yeo , andrew @ editecintl . com

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