BEIJING, March 23 (Xinhua)-- China is expected to become the world's largest producer and consumer of digital television (DTV) receivers by 2010.

    This information was released at an exhibition on international broadcasting, which opened in Beijing Tuesday.

    By 2010, China will share 80 percent market of the global DTV receivers, a special device placed on the television set for receiving digital television signals, said sources with the exhibition.

    The global DTV receiver output in 2005 exceeded 100 million sets. STMicroelectronics, the world's largest supplier of DTV receiver chips, predicted at the exhibition that more DTV receiver facilities will open around the world this year, with about 30 percent to be produced in China.

    STMicroelectronics is optimistic about China's DTV receiver industry. An official with the company said it plans to cooperate with a firm in China's Hangzhou city during the second quarter this year to develop an advanced type of dual model receiver, which will support MPEG4-P2 STB.

    China expects to build a DTV broadcasting system by the year 2010 to replace the current analogue broadcasting system which is planned to be phased out by 2015. Enditem