ABC of Digital Migration (2)

Digital broadcasting, as explained in the first installment of this article, is a more efficient way of transmitting sound and pictures and which offers a number of potential benefits. The transition from analogue to digital impacts television viewers, media companies and TV channels in different ways.

Digital broadcasting, for one, has enormous potential to improve both the quantity and quality of what is available on television and to increase the number of people who will be able to watch it.

In the future, broadcasters will be able to offer High Definition (HD) programmes to their viewers.
 
And because the digital broadcast signal can be compressed, spectrum can be freed up and this can be sold to communications operators who want to provide better wireless broadband services. With the possibility of better compression, broadcasters will be able to offer several channels of programming in spectrum that previously was only able to transmit a single analogue channel. As such, viewers will be be offered a wider range of channels. This, however, is subject to the broadcasters finding a business model to make the additional channels financially viable. The possibility of more channels also comes the chance that such channels will include those in local languages. This, naturally, will make television programming more comprehensible to a greater number of people. More channels certainly means more content is required. As a result, content producers will have more patronage and will need to expand their capacity to meet the demand. This leads to the possibility of creation of more jobs in the industry as well as in related industries.

  Digital broadcasting offers a much improved reception capability, including the elimination of ghosting (replication of the transmitted image) and other transmission errors. Another benefit inherent in digital broadcasting is the possibility of programme enhancements on separate channels to the primary programme. These include additional camera angles on  sports broadcast and player statistics. Digital broadcast also comes with the possibility that broadcasters will be able to broadcast more than one channel when some events like sporting matches, extended beyond time due to circumstances outside the broadcaster's control and overlap a scheduled news programme. This will allow viewers the option of continuing to watch the end of the event or news bulletin.