VietNamNet Bridge - High-definition 4K TV remains unfamiliar to Vietnamese, but with TV digitalization, it will become more common.

 

 

4K resolution is an advanced technical feature of LED TV. The TVs have become more and more popular in the world market. 

In Asia, Japan and South Korea began broadcasting 4K TV programs in 2014. Japan is considering broadcasting 8K TV by 2016 and it is likely to launch the ultra high-definition TV programs in a large scale by 2020.

Meanwhile, no television station in Vietnam produces 4K TV programs or 4K content. 

SCTV earlier this year mentioned a plan to produce TV programs that can meet 4K standards and transmit 4K international channels to serve people’s demand for entertainment, film and sports. However, nothing new has been released so far.

Tran Han Khoa from Sony said it was within television stations’ reach to set up facilities for broadcasting 4K TV. A 4K studio system would be just as costly as a HD-resolution studio system, which means that televisions are financially capable to try 4K.

The problem lies in the low demand. 4K TVs are unpopular in Vietnam because they are expensive. Though 4K TVs have become cheaper and a low-cost 4K TVs are now on the market, they remain unaffordable for the majority of people.

A 4K TV with 50-inch screen costs VND15 million, and VND30-40 million for TVs with other features. 

A 4K TV set alone will not be enough to receive high-resolution TV signals. Additional devices are needed to support TV signals, which might be a set-top-box or signal receivers. A TV content service fee is also required.

However, Khoa noted that the ongoing digitalization process in Vietnam will facilitate the development of 4K TV.

It is expected that analog TV will no longer exist in Vietnam from 2020. Meanwhile, digital TV, with great advantages, will help people approach 4K TV, because it would be easier for televisions to broadcast 4K TV programs. 

According to the Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC), all cities and province across the country have to to fully implement the TV digitalization program by 2020.

There are now some 22 million households with TVs nationwide, including 5 million pay-TV subscribers. About 3.5 million households use set top boxes based on DVB-T standard, while 12.5 million households watch analog TV with antennas.

With the implementation of the TV digitalisation programme, the 3.5 million households using DVB-T set top boxes will have to shift to higher technology devices to be able to receive TV signals in accordance with the DVB-T2 standard.   

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