Advanced Television

Cuba adopts Chinese TV standard

March 22, 2013

By Chris Forrester

It may not be the largest TV market on the planet but China must be pleased that it will be providing equipment for Cuba’s adoption of digital terrestrial TV, just 90 miles from the Florida coast.

China’s DTMB standard (Digital Terrestrial Multimedia Broadcast) is used throughout China, Hong Kong, Macau and Laos. Other countries using it, although often in trial modes only, include Iraq, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. The advantages are that the system permits reception by handheld devices, and embraces HD, standard definition digital and delivery to multimedia devices.

Cuba is the only country in the Americas to adopt the Chinese system. Mexico uses the USA’s ATSC system, while much of South America uses the Japanese/Brazilian digital TV variation.

Categories: Articles, Broadcast, DTT/DSO, Regulation, Standards