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Bertha HarianBertha Harian

News Reports

Set-top setback

Frankly, I thought the biggest news of the day was the demise of the universal set-top box that had been so so hyped. Today and BT had the story on Page 1 but ST went instead with Bidadari turning into a housing estate. I guess the attraction is an ex-cemetery for the dead turned into homes for the living? Then again, as ST said, Bishan had led the way.

A pity I think since ST did a good job on the set-top box fiasco (which is not even a lead and put on Page 6!) – if it is read together with the Opinion piece by its Technology correspondent. (now why wasn’t this packaged together coz it had looked as tho ST intended P2 and 3 to look like one package of stories in its revamp/refresh…or given up?) In any case, Irene Tham was pretty good at backgrounding the proposal, and more importantly, catalogueing Government-led efforts to get one standard set of hardware for banking and payment by cellphones. Now I wait with bated breath to see if the cellphone payment platform will come through – supposed to be mid this year. SOON. She made a good point: maybe the private sector should lead the way technology-wise than by Government fiat.

Also, she was the only journalist who referred to the cross-carriage regulations – which compels pay-TV operators to carry some of each other’s content – and how this might really render the one set-top system moot. What I wish I had more of was the one Japanese success at this set-top box. BT had some reference to it.

Had a look at how Today ran the story – and again, I was disappointed. So much fodder for a real edgy story and it turned out bland, bland, bland.

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An ex-journalist who can't get enough of the news after being in the business for 26 years

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