The Media Development Authority (MDA) of the island nation of Singapore is launching an ambitious campaign to educate Singaporeans about HD technology through a series of exhibits. The initiative, in one of the most technologically sophisticated regions of the world, follows the national May launch of several months of HD trials on terrestrial and cable platforms (HD Notebook, June 7, 2006).
The six-month government outreach project (dubbed "Let's Go HD!") got underway this week when the World Cup's final game was telecast live in HD at the Cheng San Community Club in Singapore on July 9. In the next several weeks, other HD demos will be held at nearly a dozen other community clubs (CC) and several libraries across the island.
In Ang Mo Kio in north-central Singapore, StarHub, the nation's only major cable operator, plans to launch HD services by the end of 2006. Terrestrial HD programming by at least six local broadcasters affiliated with the city-state's sole major broadcaster, MediaCorp, will begin on a still unannounced date.
The government's HD demos, by the way, are not free; tickets are $3 each, on a first-come-first-served basis (but all demos do include "drinks and snacks").
