Cuba unveils digital TV prototype with China

Cuba presented here Wednesday its first working prototype of a hybrid integrated digital TV set, the result of scientific and technical cooperation with China. Experts from the National Electronics Industry Company (EIC) explained that the device has a liquid crystal display (LCD), illuminated with light emitting diodes (LEDs) and direct backlighting technology (DBL). With a 32-inch screen and capable of receiving digital and analogical signals, the device also enables the recording and subsequent playback of transmitted programs and can reproduce high-definition files, including music, photos and video in all formats. Alejandro Fumero, co-designer of the prototype, said that Cuba will use the Chinese standard of Digital Terrestrial Multimedia Transmission (DTMB), considered by local specialists as the most favorable to the goals and needs of the Caribbean country. The Chinese government granted to Cuba the use of the intellectual property of that standard, and also donated equipment used in the trial, including decoders that are shared by selected households in a demonstration area of Havana. David Perez, the EIC Development Director, explained that the prototype is currently pending certification and approval by the state-run LACETEL Company and the Quality Assurance Enterprise. According to the official schedule, digital TV will be fully installed in Cuba in 2021, when the digital switchover will be applied after passing through three stages.