Digital broadcasting technology has come to stay

There is no option and we have to go for digital broadcasting technology, the head of the Studio Technology and Training of the Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union in Malaysia Rukmin Wijemanna said.

He was addressing the Broadcast Sri Lanka 2008 conference organised by MassCom in Colombo last week.

In the future there will be no analog broadcasting technology or equipment in the world. The manufacturers of the equipment are shifting to new technologies and therefore it is better we start migration today, Wijemanna said.

However, the transformation cannot be done overnight and individual players cannot implement it. All the players, government and the regulators have a role in the process.

New regulations have to be formulated and most importantly the quality of the programs has to be improved, he said.

Wijemanna said that digital technology has changed the whole broadcasting industry and the way we broadcast. Therefore, skills development of the staff is an important part in the transformation process. In this scenario Broadcast Sri Lanka 2008 is an important event for the industry in Sri Lanka.

Wijemanna said that viewers are the most important part of the value chain of the broadcasting industry. Therefore, attracting consumers (viewers) is important and for that the quality of the programs has to be improved. The government has a major role in supplying the equipment, he said. GW