KUALA LUMPUR: After 56 years of enjoying analogue television broadcasts, Malaysians have now joined those from other developed countries in embracing digital TV broadcasts.
Surveys conducted by Bernama nationwide have found that residents in both urban and rural areas were happy with the new free-to-air broadcasting technology, with some even describing it as being on par with paid TV broadcasts.
“I really like it (myFreeview Digital TV broadcasts). Before this, we needed to pay to get quality digital broadcasts, but now, we can watch the same digital broadcasts for free.
“What’s more delighting is the fact there are no interruptions during rain, and we can continue watching comfortably,” said housewife Nor Sharpini Din, 37, when met in Tumpat yesterday.
On Saturday, Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo said the transition to myFreeview Digital TV broadcasts was coming along well, and that all user complaints were able to be resolved.
The transition from analogue to digital TV broadcast kicked off in the Central and Southern regions on Sept 30, followed by the Northern and Eastern regions of the Peninsular on Oct 14, with the final phase in Sabah and Sarawak on Oct 31.
The owner of a food stall in Kuantan, Pahang, Sabariah Hassan, 52, said patrons could enjoy various programmes while dining at her place through the myFreeview decoder.
“myFreeview offers many channels with good picture quality. My customers have given me good feedback, especially when I put on news broadcasts and drama programmes,” she said.
Saiful Safri Ahmad Fauzi, 36, a civil servant in Perak said the government should put in more effort to inform the public about the transition, as many were still unaware of the service which provides quality content free of cost.
“This also helps me save on my monthly commitments, as I don’t have to pay for more expensive television broadcasts,” he added.
Meanwhile, Azurun Salamon, 35, suggested that some of the broadcasts on the myFreeview Digital TV could be improved.
“RTM channels can be viewed but they are not so clear, whereas channels such as TV3 and Al Hijrah are very clear and bright. There are several other channels that are okay at times, and sometimes, not so clear,” said the civil servant from Shah Alam who switched to digital television at the beginning of the year.
The myFreeview Digital TV allows viewers to enjoy various TV and radio broadcasts, as well as new applications such as online shopping and interactive learning, which include channels such as TV1, TV2, TV3, NTV7, 8TV, TV9, TV Al Hijrah, and Bernama News Channel.
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has advised the public to only purchase set-top boxes approved by MCMC or Sirim Bhd to ensure they received myFreeview Digital TV broadcasts of quality.
They may also contact the MYTV Customer Service Centre at 1800-18-1088 from 8 am to 10 pm daily for further assistance. — Bernama