Singapore free on air TV is going purely digital in two years time. This means that the existing analog connection will be cut and families still using old TVs or set top boxes will not be able to watch TV anymore without buying new equipment.
While there is a lot of improvement in picture and sound quality, which only benefit those that have already signed up with Singtel, Starhub and soon to follow M1, as these vendors supplied setup boxes that is directly linked to the optical fibre cables that had been laid, they simply forgot those, especially the old folks who cannot afford the monthly subscriptions linked to those setup boxes.
The MDA said they will give a free Digital Tuner with a powered indoor antennae to the needy.
Good move, but they forgot that reception via indoor antennae tend to break down and the picture either froze or there is no sound. Here MDA will benefit by selling the additional band wave freed up by the analog to digital conversion.
Yet they are robbing the poor of their only form of cheap entertainment the free on air tv programs. When Khaw Boon Wan was asked about converting the HDB analog antennae to digital one, he said it is very costly.
Maybe what he wants was to force all HDB residents to sign up with one of the three telco that are in the TV business as well.
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We all know who is the main share holder of those telco. Is this the way to treat senior citizen who helped to build this country to what it is today?
With the extra millions collected by MDA from selling the freed bandwave, surely they can easily afford to upgrade all HDB antenaes if they are sincerely wanting to improve the veiwing pleasure of the POOR Singaporeans who can only afford to stay in HDB flats.
Richard Ong (Digimania)
TRS Contributor