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The competition is on among a bewildering range of new media formats in their forest of acronyms, each tipped as the next big thing. Satellite DMB (digital media broadcasting), terrestrial DMB, and IP-TV (internet protocol television) are all being introduced to the market this year, and a war of the media seems inevitable.
After four months of test-service, TU Media will start regular DMB service this May, while the Korean Broadcasting Commission will decide on six terrestrial DMB service providers in March. The companies will start the test-service in the second half of the year.
KT Corp., and Hanaro Telecom are planning to start their IP-TV service, which allows users to connect their television set to the web and watch television while using the internet at the same time.
Wibro - a portable high-speed Internet connection that can be used on the go - will be piloted this year too, moving connectivity from the office to the street, the bus, even the subway.
The mighty cable television with its 13 million connected households is also going digital this year, and the number of channels will increase dramatically. A hundred more video channels can be added to the existing 70 analog channels. Additionally, providers will offer VOD (video on demand), information services, and television electronic commerce. Existing terrestrial television broadcasting will be digitalized by next year, and KBS, MBC, SBS, and EBS will start data broadcasting this May.
The advent of new media and the digitalization of the analog media have led to a new media era. Pundits expect the Subway to become the most embattled territory. DMB and Wibro will claim the rush-hour Subway, previously a kind of connectivity black hole. As broadcasting and internet become portable as newspapers, the Seoul metro is tipped to become a whole new media space.
(Park Chang-shin, heri@chosun.com )
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