Thank you Veena.
And thank you Mr. Chair for this opportunity to make this presentation today.
I would like to begin by talking about various technological developments that may impact on the way broadcasters, including the CBC, operate in the future, particularly in the case of over-the-air transmissions. First, I would like to address high definition television and digital TV, mobile TV, digital radio and finally, emergency broadcasting and distributed transmitter networks for regional coverage.
An important development currently taking place in broadcasting is the introduction of HDTV. Most television sets sold today can display high definition TV. We now have the capability to access hundreds of TV channels as well as some HDTV programs from satellite or cable, thanks to the efficiency of digital transmission systems. But in order to deliver HDTV over-the-air to the home, we must replace the old analog transmitters with digital ones.
New digital over-the-air transmitters are now in operation in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec City and Vancouver. These transmitters can provide Canadians with crystal clear HDTV programs free of charge. To view these programs, all you need is an HDTV set with a digital tuner and an antenna... and a transmitter in your area. So far, there are only about 15 HDTV transmitters in Canada. By comparison, there are close to 1,500 transmitters across the United States.
These digital transmitters are also providing broadcasters with a great opportunity to present new services to their viewers. I will describe a few of them.
New over-the-air digital TV stations can be used to transmit a single HDTV program, but it's also possible to use the same station to transmit multiple programs. The picture quality will not be high definition in that case, but it will be comparable to the quality of a DVD that you watch at home. In addition, it will be possible to select many programs from one station--for example, a single CBC station could offer its viewers the option to watch CBC's regular programs, CBC Newsworld, Radio-Canada's regular programs, Radio-Canada's Réseau de l'information, or ArtTV. The total number of program choices that can be offered is in the order of four to six.
Digital TV also enables broadcasters to offer more than one soundtrack. Just as you can select a language option of English, French, or Spanish when you turn on a DVD, similarly a broadcaster could offer its viewers a choice of different languages.
As you can see, the flexibility of digital TV can be used to provide a range of options, such as multiple program choice or choice of language, and all from one TV transmitter.
Over-the-air digital TV also offers the potential for mobile transmission capabilities in environments such as cars, buses or trains. This is being done today, using cellular telephone networks as well as some new broadcasting technologies developed in Europe and Asia.
In North America, we are evaluating proposed improvements to the digital TV transmission standard that is currently used to transmit HDTV. By implementing the proposed improvements, one HDTV program could be received on large TV sets at home, while a second program could be watched on a small, handheld receiver or on small screens installed in cars or trains. The second program could be the same as the HDTV program, but at a lower picture resolution, or it could be a different program with content of interest to people on the move. Technically, mobile TV could be offered to users free of charge or by subscription, in competition or in collaboration with cellular telephone operators.
So far l've talked about changes in the world of TV broadcasting, but we should not forget that a similar revolution is facing radio as well. Digital radio is now available in Canada from two subscription-based satellite radio services. Canadians can also listen to radio stations from anywhere around the world using the Internet. Personal players like the iPod now enable us to download all kinds of radio programs.
The traditional terrestrial AM and FM radio stations are also going through a digital revolution. Technologies are now available to transmit over-the-air digital radio signals. Just as in the case of DTV, this technology can be used to transmit more than one radio program from one station, giving you a choice. Digital systems can also be used to offer new features, such as maps giving you directions to an event or pictures of the artist who is singing on the radio. Digital radio technology can also be used to offer low-resolution TV programs to a mobile or a hand-held device.
Since the beginning of their development, the broadcasting networks have been a great source of information and entertainment, but they also serve as a critical link in case of emergency. Many of us will recall listening to radio or TV during the ice storm in 1998. Radio was the main source of information during the last great electricity blackout, which touched most of Ontario in the summer of 2003.
This emergency capability should be maintained, even when all the broadcast networks in Canada have become digital. It is very nice to watch HDTV or to get maps on your car radio, but in case of emergency you may just want to listen to your battery operated radio to get vital information.
The digital technologies being deployed now also provide an opportunity to improve the capabilities of the broadcast networks to provide many kinds of essential information in case of emergency.
Digital technologies can also be more efficient in covering large areas by using a number of low-power transmitters. The coverage is limited to the area where there is a population. This network will be more affordable to build and operate than the centrally located, high-power stations currently used by the analog broadcasting systems.
Veena.