GMA Network in celebration of their 70th anniversary rolls out the new GMA Affordabox which is their own digital TV receiver. Finally after so much speculation and anticipation from the public, they finally revealed and are now selling the Affordabox in key areas in which digital signal is present.
Though digital TV has been in the country for quite some time now, having a digi-box for a network helps in getting more viewers. GMA also expanded their frequency with 3 channels for the Kapuso network - GMA Network, GMA News TV, and Heart of Asia. For only P888, the Affordabox also has some other features along with the digital TV reception. And these are:
- Multimedia Player - plays audio, video, and pictures via USB
- Personal Video Recorder - records your TV broadcast and can be replayed
- Nationwide Emergency Warning Broadcast System - shows national warning messages
- Functional Auto-on Alert Feature - Automatic turns on in case of national emergencies
- Digital Display - it is the digital reception displayed better than analog tv
- Info Display Enabled - shows the show information, schedule, and more.
Coverage Areas include:
- Metro Manila
- Benguet
- La Union
- Pangasinan
- Bulacan
- Pampanga
- Nueva Ecija
- Tarlac
- Batangas
- Cavite
- Laguna
- Quezon
- Rizal
- Cebu
- Bohol
- Leyte
- Davao de Oro
- Davao del Sur
- Davao del Norte
We tried and unboxed the GMA Affordabox for its gestures and here is what I have observed:
- The price is really affordable as most digital boxes come in an average of P1000-P1500.
- The unit is similar to many digital TV boxes thus the affordability.
- It is recommended to have a dedicated USB flash drive for the Affordabox to serve as a storage for the media file and also video recordings.
- Depending on the area, it can also get other digital channels. This should be a priority to expand their coverage to get to more viewers especially in the provinces.
- The digital info display is too generic but hopefully it can also be customized so it can stand out and can also be adjusted to place ads or additional graphics.
- The digital TV recording is very useful and it comes in a different format which prevents shows to be pirated.
- I hope GMA also expands to more channels such as Children’s channel, Music channel to give viewers more viewing content choices.
In conclusion, The GMA Affordabox comes in an unexpected time but comes with great timing at a good price point. Although there is still room for improvements, this seems like an experiment which is now yielding large demands. GMA may have come late in the digital TV box race, they must use this opportunity to improve it and retain new viewers to the network, get more advertisers, open new channels and probably follow up with another version soon.
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