That’s if MediaQuest President and Chief Executive Officer Ray Espinosa gets his way. According to him, “Analog cable providers are going to be out of business very soon.” The forward thinking CEO was present for the Cignal TV press conference held for the press today, and looking at what his company is offering, it seems that way to us too. Cignal aims to provide 100% digital content to anywhere in the country, including HD content. The company’s lineup also includes HD channels that include HBO and National Geographic.
Cignal’s hook here is their all digital transmission and technologies. Even if the signal isn’t a digital one, ie free channels like TV5 and the like, they automatically convert it to a digital one from their end which coincidentally, also improves picture quality.
Their set-top boxes are compatible with both legacy CRT systems and newer LCD flatscreens, but of course you’ll only get to enjoy HD on HD ready devices. Their HD signal transmits up to 1080i depending on the source, and channels like HBO also have digital 5.1 surround embedded in the signal.
As you see in the photos here, the set-top box isn’t substantial and can easily integrate into whatever home theater set-up you currently have at home.
Here you can see that Cignal’s tech is able to run on CRT TVs as well.
A closer look at the set-top box.
Cignal will be offering both postpaid and prepaid plans for their service. You can start enjoying digital broadcasts for as low as Php 250 per month before additional fees (like the Cignal kit) but expect to shell out Php 590 before additional fees to enjoy HD channels.