Sales in the ASEAN home appliance market have grown in recent years with TVs accounting for one-third of the sales. The digitization of national TV signals (format DVB-T2) in Malaysia in 2019 has led to an increased amount of consumers demanding replacements. Malaysia’s GDP ranks second compared with other ASEAN members and TV sales in Malaysia have always been at the forefront.
Due to COVID-19, more people now use TVs at home for gaming, working, or teaching. Our dependence on these products has increased significantly over the years. Although the market is still growing, there are still things manufacturers cannot ignore when trying to enter the Malaysian TV market, such as MCMC/SIRIM certification.
SIRIM – The Only Official Certification in Malaysia
Since 2015, all digital TVs shipped to Malaysia must pass the SKMM MTSFB TC T004 Specification. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) will have the Standard and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia (SIRIM) take care of regulations and supervision of these TV products.
- MCMC = Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission
- SKMM = Suruhanjaya Komunikasi dan Multimedia Malaysia
- SIRIM = Standards and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia
- MTSFB = Malaysian Technical Standards Forum Bhd
Allion, an ISO-17025-certified testing laboratory, has begun conducting TV signal testing in Southeast Asia since 2010. We officially passed the SIRIM audit in 2015 and became the first company in the world that could conduct product verification testing in Malaysia at the time. Our overseas testing lab ran tests specified by the SKMM MTSFB TC T004 Specification such as radio frequency (RF), service information/program-specific information (SI/PSI), and over-air download (OAD).
In other words, obtaining our certification report has the equivalence to obtaining an SIRIM certification. Our clients can use our certification report as one of the supporting documents for importing TV products.
Carefully Selecting Testing Environments
Many product verification testing projects are susceptible to interference from the testing instruments themselves or environmental noise, ultimately affecting the test results.
- Allion has invested in the Broadcast Test Center and our testing instruments are sent for calibration and inspection, ensuring quality and accuracy of our test results.
- Allion has a dedicated chamber for verification testing for projects that could be easily affected by its environment, avoiding external interference and inaccurate results.
Submission→Testing→Certification: Allion’s Comprehensive Services
1. Certification Process and Services
Not only can Allion provide professional testing services, but we can also assist clients at all phases of product development. Our services can be provided for DUT development, product verification, pre-test preparations, submitting test reports, and others. We can help manufacturers with their diverse needs.
2. Testing Contents
Allion regularly updates the testing contents according to the latest specs, conducting comprehensive product verification tests for clients.
*Refer to Test Spec: MCMC MTSFB TC T011: 2020
TV Certification Tips: Case Study
1. Allion has conducted data analysis on more than 100 projects and 500 issues since 2015 and found:
The number of issues in the SIPSI projects adds up to around 60%. RF and OAD projects add up to around 20%.
2. After further analyzing the SIPSI project, it was found that issues often occur due to the language settings.
Example 1
There is a large amount of Chinese people in Malaysia. SPEC defines that the TV language must have a Chinese option, but manufacturers often don’t know whether to display it as Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, or just Chinese. The table below is the official reply from the authorities.
| Chinese | Suggestion |
| Simplified Chinese | Yes |
| Traditional Chinese + Simplified Chinese | Yes |
| Traditional Chinese | No |
Example 2
Language A is selected but the audio output is in language B. Issues like this occur very frequently, so it’s recommended that our clients pay more attention to these issues.
3. RF is also an issue that clients often face.
If the cause is not due to the software, in our experience, we will advise clients to debug the circuit design and test for leakage for optimal efficiency.
4. Clients should understand and prepare the required data rates for OAD testing in advance.
This is because the OUI code is unique to each manufacturer and can only be provided by the clients.
| No. | *OUI Code | Model Version | Package Version | Criteria |
| 1 | Correct | Correct | Newer | Can conduct TV updates and/or upgrades |
| 2 | Incorrect | Correct | Newer | Cannot conduct TV updates and/or upgrades |
| 3 | Correct | Incorrect | Newer | Cannot conduct TV updates and/or upgrades |
| 4 | Correct | Correct | Same/Older | Cannot conduct TV updates and/or upgrades |
*OUI = Organization Unique Identifier
5. Another frequently asked question is “What is a good time to re-send model series products for verification testing and certification and what is a bad time?”
If the SIRIM specifications meet the following four criteria for model series simultaneously, there is no need to certify once more.
For the chassis, here are five detailed definitions:
If you have any further needs for testing, verification, or consulting services, please feel free to contact us through the online form.