Ana Paula Marra
Reporter - Agência Brasil

Brasília – The government has set up an interministerial work group and given it a 72-hour deadline to analyze the three existing digital TV formats (American, European and Japanese). At the end of the 72 hours they are to recommend one of them to president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

The work group consists of the ministers of Finance, Antonio Palocci; Development, Luiz Fernando Furlan; Communications, Helio Costa; and the presidential Chief of Staff (Casa Civil), Dilma Rousseff.

Costa declared that the tendency is to use the Japanese format which meets Brazil's four basic requirements on high definition, interactivity, mobility and transport. The Japanese, according to Costa, will also abdicate their right to royalties and are offering 300 million euros to assist in implanting the system.

Translation: Allen Bennett