Author: Chidirim Ndeche || Date: 5th October 2024
Globally, the journey from analog to digital broadcasting was a technological evolution that was not without its own challenges. The digital switchover took place over a decade all over the world as analog broadcasting stations traded up their outdated tech for digital broadcasting. It was a pivotal moment in history as it not only provided clearer pictures to the homes of consumers, it also made broadcasting much cheaper.
Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Russia, even Malaysia, were among the first few countries to adopt this change. It took a decade for China to enter the fold, along with Turkey, Switzerland, Germany, and the United States. While Brazil embraced the transition in 2006, it was only in 2017 did the country become fully digital.
Technicalities of making the switch from analog to digital
Enacting the digital transition meant that the government would have to drive initiatives such as subsidies to encourage its people to upgrade their television sets as most outdated models would not be able to receive the new digital transmissions. It was either changing the TV sets or installing receivers.
On the back end, the government would also have to upgrade their broadcasting systems to support digital broadcasting. To ensure that broadcasting transitioned smoothly, they also had to simulcast - simultaneously broadcast both digital and analog transmissions - for a window of time.
Gabriel Gomes, who was involved in the transition period between 2005 and 2010, recalled fondly the challenges that they were able to overcome, stating that the project was funded by the Brazilian Ministry of Science and Technology, and he was able to implement several Digital TV Modulators and Demodulators with his team of technicians eager to bring digital broadcasting to life.
“We didn’t have much talent in the tech industry back then, tech was such a new concept, but the government did a great job in bridging that gap with education programs and creating new opportunities for tech grads,” Gomes stated.
Gomes is a security researcher at Intel specialized in memory safety and CPU security. Previously, he worked on Linux development and his highlighted contributions are the implementation of high-precision floating-point arithmetic for Glibc and the development of user-space live patching for SUSE. In his spare time, Gabriel volunteers as a Debian Developer.
Substantial investment was necessary in enacting this change and the government had to allocate resources for the installation of transmission towers in remote areas. While they were able to reach over 90% coverage by 2015, it was vital that the country was fully serviced by digital broadcasting because aside from being a vital source of entertainment and information, it was creating a country unified through inclusion.
As Gomes had shared in regards to his experience working to bring digital broadcasting to the country, the government had created new opportunities for its people, from the expansion of the tech industry, to the growth of media sectors, all of which went on to create even more jobs and cultivated innovation.
Change may not be easily enacted nor embraced, but the transformation of Brazil has been apparent. Today, streaming and on-demand content is reshaping the way that Brazilians consume media, serving as a catalyst for both social and economic equity. The benefits of these technological applications have created a much more connected world, and it all started with a flip of a switch from analog to digital.