Ministry of Science, ICP and Future Planning (MSIP) chose North America’s ‘ATSC 3.0’ as standards for South Korea’s ground-wave UHD broadcasting. ‘Contents protection’ technology, which encodes ground-wave UHD contents and has become a controversy, will be discussed by ground-wave broadcasting companies and household appliance manufacturers. It is expected that a controversy will be inevitable as MSIP is postponing selection of contents protection technology that has been a main cause of conflict between local-wave broadcasting companies and household appliance manufacturers.
MSIP made an announcement on the 26th that it prepared an official revised plan called ‘Broadcasting Standard Methods and Technical Standards for Wireless Facilities for Broadcasting Tasks’ that has such information and made a notice of administrative procedures.
MSIP made an evaluation that North American method’s performance in reception is superior to European method and that it is excellent in vitalizing broadcasting service that is converged with IP-based telecommunication. MSIP made an announcement that it also chose North American method because it is more advantageous in securing global markets for devices and equipment other than TV.
MSIP is leaving industries with contents protection technology that has become a controversy. MSIP made it clear that in a scenario where ground-wave broadcasting companies are introducing contents protection technology to technical standards needs an agreement between TV manufacturers and broadcasting companies so that there aren’t any limitations for viewers from watching channels.
Industries are worry that this controversy will continue on as MSIP is stepping out of a conflict between broadcasting companies and household appliance manufacturers on contents protection technology because unlike paid broadcasting companies, regulations regarding limitations in reception from ground-wave channels are not clear.
Contents protection applies CAS (Conditional Access System) to UHD contents and encodes them. Regulations regarding CAS are clear on technical standards for cable TVs or IPTVs. Entire 18 Clause from technical standard regarding IPTV’s broadcasting telecommunication installation is standards regarding limitations in reception. Standards regarding limitations in reception of cable TVs are clearly shown from 19 Clause from technical standards regarding wired broadcasting station installation and others
On the other hand, notification regarding ground-wave broadcasting companies expresses that there needs to be an agreement between broadcasting companies and household appliance manufacturers.
“MSIP is basically telling household appliance businesses to correspond to a schedule after it selected February of next year as a starting month for broadcasting and this is almost impossible due to our schedules.” said a representative for a household appliance manufacturer. “A fact that it is speeding up an official notification that has vague regulations seems like it is trying to pressure us.”
Financial burden for household appliance manufacturers is increasing as they have to develop technologies just for TVs in South Korea and add additional solutions. Although MSIP is telling them to agree with broadcasting companies, there are problems regarding fairness as small and medium household appliance manufacturers or foreign businesses are not even included as subjects of agreement.
“Because CAS does not have to be in ground-wave TVs unlike paid broadcasting channels, there is a word ‘agreement’ in technical standards for ground-wave broadcasting companies.” said a representative for MSIP.
This official plan will be revised in September after going through notice of administrative procedures, evaluation of regulations, and publication of official gazette. MSIP explained that this official revised plan will regulate broadcasting standard methods based on major technologies and that technical standards also simplified information by making prevention of radio wave interference, protection of users and others mandatory.
Staff Reporter Cheon, Jiyeon | now21@etnews.com & Staff Reporter Kwon, Keonho | wingh1@etnews.com