Spanski Steven
MIRI: The days of watching TV1 and TV2 channels in poor quality for rural folks will soon become a thing of the past, thanks to myFreeview digital transmission.
Malaysian Youth Parliament member Spanski Steven said with the introduction of myFreeview digital television broadcasts by the federal government, Malaysians particularly those living in rural areas get to watch television programmes with sharper images and high-quality sound.
“The myFreeview digital television broadcast is a good thing especially for rural people such as those in Baram,” he said.
The 23-year-old from Uma Akeh, Baram pointed out that once the myFreeview digital transmission takes place, this would enable the younger generation to watch programmes including news with a clear broadcast and keep themselves up to date with current issues.
“It was difficult to watch television in the past due to poor reception and this has left many youths in rural areas being unaware of the country’s latest development and issues.”
Serena May Robinson
The transition from analogue television broadcasting to myFreeview digital transmission was recently announced by Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo where it first kicked off in central and southern states in Peninsular Malaysia on Sept 30, followed by the northern and eastern states on Oct 14 before the final phase in Sabah and Sarawak this Oct 31.
Serena May Robinson from Betong views the country’s shift towards digital broadcasting as a great move by the government as it will bring a positive impact on those living in rural areas, especially those who cannot afford to subscribe to pay TV stations like Astro.
“They will have more exposure to more variety of channels and also be able to keep up to date with the trends and current affairs from beyond their rural areas,” said the 30-year-old university life officer.
Also sharing the same sentiment was Stephen Wen Apoi from Long Apu, Ulu Baram who opined that with the availability of myFreeview digital television broadcasts to the rural population, this indirectly raises their awareness on the current issues reported through daily news programme.
Stephen Wen Apoi
“Apart from that, interesting TV shows from the variety of channels will encourage families to spend time together,” said the 31-year-old business development executive.
Meanwhile, Sarawak Lun Bawang Association Youth Section chairman Petrus Lasong said the myFreeview digital broadcasting service has many advantages that will satisfy its users.
“These include sharp, clearer images with higher resolution, high quality sound, additional services, more television channels in the future as well as no monthly fees. I am excited for the transition to take place because it is much better than analogue transmissions.”
The 36-year-old from Long Sebulu, Trusan in Lawas expressed his confidence that the new digital transmission will benefit the rural folks who will be able to obtain fast, rich and varied information through myFreeview.
“After all, the public today is very much dependent on information that is being channelled by the mass media, whether through television, radio or the Internet and I am sure that areas with no broadcast will surely be developed in the future by the government,” he added.
Petrus Lasong
The myFreeview digital service enables viewers to enjoy various television and radio broadcasts as well as applications such as online shopping and interactive learning which are provided through 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 receive myFreeview Digital TV broadcasts of quality.
For further enquiries, the public can contact MYTV Customer Service Centre at 1800-18-1088 between 8am to 10pm daily.