(24 April 2008 1:00 pm)

MUMBAI: When the Beijing Olympic Games begin in August this year, many viewers will be able to watch live High Definition (HD) broadcasts of the games on their laptops.

The move, an initiative between Legend Silicon and Intel, is part of the evolution of digital television (DTV) in China, where the new Digital Terrestrial TV Broadcasting (DTTB) standard supports both fixed HDTV (High Definition TV) sets as well as viewing on mobile devices.

Legend Silicon developed the core technology behind China's DTTB standard.

In August 2006, China launched its DTTB standard, GB20600-2006, demonstrating the country's capacity for innovation. In 2007, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) announced an allocation of funds for further DTV research, development and industrialisation. Over $100 million will be used for the development of DTTB in China.

The Chinese government's DTV policy fosters the further development of DTTB. Plans have been initiated calling for the country to adopt DTTB in 2008 and to obtain the capacity to broadcast multiple HDTV programs by 2010.

The country expects that the increasing prevalence of the DTTB standard will stimulate further technology innovations.

The 2008 Olympic Games are viewed as an important opportunity for the growth of HDTV in China. The Olympics will be delivered live via HDTV to audiences around the world.

On 1 January '08, CCTV launched DTTB in the Beijing area in preparation for the Olympics.

Other Olympics host cities, including Tianjin, Shanghai, Shengyang, Qingdao and Qinhuangdao along with Guangzhou and Shenzhen, will introduce free HDTV programming before the Olympic Games start in August.

Local residents will be able to watch the Olympics live through many types of HDTV reception devices.

Legend Silicon and Intel have begun working with laptop computer manufacturers and USB dongle receiver manufacturers to build an ecosystem that promotes "HDTV on your Laptop", providing viewers with a portable HDTV viewing experience.

The Intel Centrino platform allows speedy decoding and smooth displaying of HDTV, and is capable of running multiple tasks while displaying a TGV program.

The Centrino platform's low power consumption technology makes the laptop thinner, lighter and offers a longer battery life, as well as improved mobile reception.

Centrino's advanced wireless technology offers an upstream channel, allowing audiences to interact with programmes that they are watching.

The HDTV viewing feature is expected to be a stimulus for laptop sales.

Consumers in China will be able to purchase Intel Centrino platform-based laptops bundled with the USB Dongle DTV receivers by June '08.