MDA organises competitions to promote HDTV in Singapore
By Wong Mun Wai, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 10 March 2007 2239 hrs

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SINGAPORE : The Media Development Authority (MDA) has given its view of what is a high adoption rate of High Definition Television, or HDTV, in Singapore.

It says if half of all homes in Singapore have HDTV in five years, it will be considered a high take-up rate.

But MDA hopes to achieve that target in a shorter time than that.

It is organising competitions around Singapore to promote HDTV but it realises that the technology will take time to enter homes.

Dr Christopher Chia, CEO, MDA, says: "We would like to think (that) in Singapore we can anticipate within five years...a high take up of HDTV itself. One would assume once you reach about 50 percent penetration that would be considered a pretty high penetration."

But that is in the future.

For now, the challenge is supporting the HDTV drive.

Promotions, like bringing in Hong Kong stars, help tackle the problem of the lack of awareness of what HDTV is about.

Another challenge is to get more TV production companies to produce programmes and shows in HD.

And the competitions are designed to get the public involved.

Contestants are filmed on a HDTV camera.

They have to perform a 30-second clip about HDTV.

Their performances are then put onto the competition website where after each weekly roadshow, viewers can vote for their favourite performances such as the one by Syltra Lee.

The 16-year-old has been playing the guitar for three years and performing live since last June.

Syltra says: "I'm still hoping somebody will come up to me and say `Oh you, I want to sponsor you and make you a star, the next big thing'."

And Syltra is not the only one.

Seven-year old Sophia Boey is another budding star hoping to win prizes.

The next roadshow will be at Courts Tampines next week. - CNA/ch