Promotion of Digital Terrestrial

Broadcasting
December.14.2009
D
b 14 2009
Fumihiko SAITO
The Association for Promotion of
Digital Broadcasting (Dpa)

Outline of the Association for Promotion

of Digital Broadcasting
Established in August 2003 to play a central role in promoting digital
terrestrial broadcasting.
Dpa:The Association for Promotion of Digital Broadcasting)
Activities
Promotion of digital broadcasting
Providing coverage area information
Providing engineering service
Development of operational rules
for digital television technologies
Management of RMP (Rights
Management and Protection)
280 members including
TV broadcasters,
broadcasters television set
manufacturers, and others

Digital Broadcasting Roadmap

Target and Actual Data for Digital Terrestrial

Broadcasting
Penetration rate among households

Penetration rate among households

2005.3 8.5%
2006 3 15.3%
2006.3
15 3%
2007.3 27.8%
2008.3 43.7%
2009 3 60.7%
2009.3
60 7%
2009.9 69.5%

Shipment

Shipment
2005.3 403
2006 3 988
2006.3
2007.3 1,965
2008.3 3,361
2009 3 4,959
2009.3
4 959
2009.9 5,878

(10 thousand)

Nationwide Caravan and Other Activities to

Promote the Transition to DTV
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications,
Communications
broadcasters and manufacturers are working together to carry
out various activities to promote digital terrestrial broadcasting
The nationwide caravan campaign, touring across Japan,
has been taking place since 2007.
campaign
ambassador

To hold events

pamphlet

Broadcaaster

MIC
consultant
Manufactuurer

receiver
Nationwide Caravan

Broad
-casting

Appointment of the Main Campaign Promoter/

Campaign Ambassadors
Tsuyoshi Kusanagi,
Kusanagi a member of multi-talent group
SMAP, was appointed as the main campaign promoter, and
announcers from NHK and the commercial television
stations as campaign ambassadors.
They have been making their appearances in television
commercials and events to ask the public to be ready for
the transition to digital broadcasting.

Tsuyoshi Kusanagi

campaign ambassadors

Production and Broadcasting of the Commercial

Spots
Dpa produced the national television commercial spots.
spots
More than 300 commercial spots, for different issues in
the transition to digital
g
terrestrial broadcastingg and for
different time slots, were provided to broadcasting stations.
These spots have been aired over 1,000 times each year,
since
i
digital
di i l terrestrial
i l broadcasting
b d
i first
fi startedd its
i service.
i

example of the Commercial Spots

Digital Terrestrial Broadcasting Promotion

C
Campaign
i Character
Ch
t Chidejika
Chid jik
Chideji
Chideji-ka
ka (transition to digital terrestrial broadcasting)
Chide-jika (the digital terrestrial broadcasting deer)
Appears on television commercial spots and on goods for
campaign events.

Stickers to Announce the Termination of

A l Broadcasting
Analog
B d ti Services
S i
Since
Si
J
June 2006
2006, stickers
i k
are attached
h d to analog
l television
l i i
sets so that consumers would not purchase them by mistake.
Sticker for television
sets to be attached at
stores/factories

Sticker for television sets to

be attached at factories

(15mm70mm)

Sticker for recording devices

to be attached at factories

(10 35
(10mm35mm,10mm20mm)
10 20 )

Digital Terrestrial Broadcasting Area Coverage

Services started in Tokyo,
Tokyo Osaka,
Osaka and Nagoya in December
2003
Services started in all 47 prefectures in December 2006 (47
key broadcasting stations)
1,228 relay stations built as of December 2009
Coverage area

Dpa website provides information on area coverage

(Household coverage)

2005.12
2005
12 60.1%
60 1%
2006.12 84.0%
2007 12 92.0%
2007.12
92 0%
2008.12 96.0%
2009.3 97.0%
http://vip.mapion.co.jp/custom/DPA_B/

Installation of Digital Terrestrial Broadcasting

Reception Facilities

Diffusion of UHF antennas

Changing equipment/facilities
/
to
digital at apartment buildings and
condominiums

Changing
Ch
i community
i
receiving equipment to digital
in poor reception areas

System to Support Consultation Regarding and

Transition to Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting
MIC (Ministry of Internal Affairs and
Communications)
Consultation Center for Terrestrial
Digital Television Broadcast
(private contractor)

Citizens and TV
viewers

Consultations

Real estate industry,

etc.

Publicity
Contractor
agreement

The Association for Promotion of

Digital Broadcasting
Contractor
agreementt

MIC DTV Support

pp Center

Support

Outline of the Activities of MIC DTV Support Center

Briefing for the Elderly and Disabled

The Center distributes information on the presentations and consultation sessions
and explanatory documents on the transition to DTV to each household (about 50
million households).
The Center holds these presentations and sessions in cooperation with local
governments and local community bodies, such as residents associations.
The Center publishes the session schedule on DTV Support Centers website, and
local governments PR newsletters as well as DMs.

DM

Presentations

Making Facilities that Compensate for

Poor Reception Digital Compliant
Some
S
community
it TV systems
t
cant
t transmit
t
it UHF bands.
b d
In Japan, building owners install community antenna systems to eliminate
poor reception of analog TV broadcast because of obstacles such as
b ildings
buildings.
Making Facilities that Compensate for Poor Reception
Digital Compliant
The Center visits all 50,000 facilities and explains the plan
for making them digital compliant.
The Center conducts continuous, quick checking from a
vehicle in 350 municipalities.
The Center conducts a detailed survey of 3,000 facilities and
handles the administrative work for repair grants.

Making collective housing digital compliant

The Center visits some 30,000 apartment
management companies and explains the plan for
making their housing digital compliant
compliant.

Quick, Continuous Checking of Facilities

that Compensate for Poor Reception
Many cases are found where although analog TV reception is poor,
digital TV reception is good.
It is necessaryy to make a quick
q
check of the area around each facility
y
to find areas with good reception.

PC monitor
Electric field strength measurement vehicle

Outline of the MIC Consultation Center for Terrestrial

Di it l T
Digital
Television
l i i B
Broadcast
d
t
The
Th role
l off providing
idi a consultation
lt ti service
i ffor citizens
iti
and
d TV viewers
i
on di
digital
it l
terrestrial TV broadcasting was assigned to the Consultation Center in March 2003
(before the start of digital terrestrial broadcasting). Currently 75 operators receive
calls from the g
general p
public.
Consultation officers include operators, who handle primary consultations, as well as
supervisors and technical supervisors.
Unlike ordinary call centers, technical supervisors are assigned to the Center to cope
with
ith ttechnical
h i l matters
tt
regarding
di TV reception.
ti
Consultation officers basically deal with technical matters regarding the reception of
digital broadcasting but they also handle inquiries and complaints regarding the
digital
g
broadcasting
gp
policy.
y

Inquiries Received by the Consultation Center for

Terrestrial Digital Television Broadcast
The MIC Consultation Center for Terrestrial Digital Television Broadcast started operations in 2003.
The Center received about 186,000 inquiries in 2008. The number of calls to the Center is increasing year by
year. In 2009, there have been about 272,000 calls up to November, exceeding the number of calls in the
previous year.
Inquiries are mainly on:
1. Reception method: Consultations on DTV receiving antennas and other equipment
2. Reception area:
Consultations on the service areas of base stations and relay stations and on the period
when broadcasting begins.
3. Information:
Provision by the Center of information on other organizations
[10,000 calls] 20

18.6

0%

20%

40%

60%

Reception area and transmission

specifications
Method
of reception

15

90.6%
36.1%
36
1%
41.8%

Information
guide

25.3%
14.1%

Others
Characteristics of digital

broadcasting

200
03
200
04
200
05
200
06
200
07
200
08

No. of consultation

Complaints
and requests
Price of receiving equipment or

equipment remodeling
Poor
reception or radio

interference
Cost of receiving equipment

Purpose or significance of digital

broadcasting

100%

66.4%

Receiving
equipment

10

80%

16.5%
16
5%
10.2%
32.5%
3.3%
0.7%

Contents of consultation (2008)

Outline of Dpa Website

With the full transition to digital broadcasting to be completed in a few
years, the website of the Association for Promotion of Digital Broadcasting
(Dpa) provides a variety of up-to-date relevant information on digital
terrestrial broadcasting.
broadcasting
Contents
(1) e-learning system
(2) Time
Ti
that
th t digital
di it l terrestrial
t
ti l
broadcasting begins
(3) Guidelines on the coverage areas
of digital terrestrial broadcasting
(4) Basic knowledge regarding
viewing of terrestrial digital
broadcasts
(5) Chideji-no-hatena (Questions
about digital terrestrial
Broadcasting) by The Touch
Broadcasting)
(6) One Seg (mobile digital
broadcasting) page

http://www.dpa.or.jp/

Main Content (e-learning system)

(1) e-learning
e learning system
On-line training is provided on the technical web page for electric shops who sell
digital terrestrial TV broadcasting (DTTB) and install antennas.
The on-line training is divided into three courses, Basic, Introduction and
Specialized, depending on the technical level. Each course, about 15 min., is
available to on-line trainees.
Not only electric shops but ordinary people who install antennas themselves can
also access the training page to take the training.
training

Main Contents (Time DTTB begins)

(2) Time to begin DTTB
Based on the information from broadcasting companies, Dpa provides information
on opening of relay stations that serve their own coverage areas.

Main Contents
(Guideline on digital terrestrial broadcasting coverage areas)
(3) Guideline on digital terrestrial broadcasting coverage areas
Based on information from broadcasting companies, Dpa provides information
divided by the coverage area of each relay station.

http://vip.mapion.co.jp/custom/DPA_B/
//
/
/
/

Main Contents (Basic knowledge regarding viewing of

terrestrial digital broadcasts)
(4) Basic
B i kknowledge
l d regarding
di viewing
i i off tterrestrial
t i l di
digital
it l b
broadcasts
d
t
Dpa also instructs citizens who install antennas or TV wiring themselves by informing
them of the procedures, cautions and important points in an easy-to-understand
manner.
manner