New Decoders Critical to Digital Signal Reception

New Decoders Critical to Digital Signal Reception

Kawambwa, December 18,  ZANIS ———————-The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services has disclosed that new decoders will be a necessity for all television sets in analogue signal reception format to convert to digital when the deadline is reached.

Principal Planner Ruth Mulenga disclosed this during a stakeholders meeting on digital migration jointly held for Kawambwa and Mwansabombwe districts in Kawambwa at Wiza Lodge.

Ms. Mulenga said the new decoder dabbed ‘Set-top box’ to be used were not yet on the market but Government will invest heavily in the cost so that the gadgets could be affordable for every Zambian.

She explained that all television sets will be usable once the decoder was fitted to the sets regardless of their make and manufacturing dates because the decoder will enable every television set which was currently in use to continue to offer the owner the service with a better picture quality.

She acknowledged that the exercise was expensive on the part of Government but digital migration was inevitable as Zambia was part of the global village.

The Principal Planner in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services also advised that currently some shops have already started stocking digital television sets which had an inbuilt set-top box sating for such television sets, there was no need of buying an additional set-top box for the conversion of the signal.

Mrs. Mulenga cautioned that even when the time for digital migration comes, people should be wary of unscrupulous individuals who would want to take advantage of the migration and sell fake set-top boxes which might not work.

And Kawambwa District Commissioner Ivo Mpasa said the news that new decoders will enable all current television sets in use to covert the digital television cleared fears people had that their television sets currently in use will become useless after the migration.

Mr Mpasa said change was inevitable and implored all Zambians to position themselves favorably for the migration because embracing technology was a critical part of human development in every sphere of life.