More than 5 years after competitor ABS-CBN
Corp. introduced the TVplus, rival GMA Network Inc. may soon launch its own
digital TV box. A device dubbed "Affordabox" DTV box has been spotted
circulating online suggesting that the network is now setting its eyes on
shifting to digital television.
Facebook page SOLID Kapuso Latest Updates
showed an official-looking packaging of the TV box with the "Malinaw na,
affordable pa!" tagline. Manila
Times reported that the device is expected to feature a multimedia player, a
personal video recorder, and a nationwide emergency warning broadcast system.
Currently, the channels that users can
watch in the digital display are GMA, GMA News TV, and Heart of Asia. Certified
Kapamilya FB page claimed that it will be priced at PHP 888 with four confirmed
channels for now.
GMA confirmed on Sunday that the company
will soon launch the device. The National Telecommunications Commission earlier
said that when the industry realizes 95 percent of households having access to
DTT broadcasting, analog TV will have a complete shutdown.
The government eyes the shift of TVs from
analog to digital by 2023.
