DigiTAG

Web Letter

October 2007 | # 64

DigiTAG seeks to inform members and non-members about important developments in the digital terrestrial television market. Each month, DigiTAG distributes its web letter with news updates and further exploration of one topic.

To subscribe to the DigiTAG Web Letter, send an email to the DigiTAG Project Office.

HD on the terrestrial platform

HDTV services are available in many countries around the world. Australia, Japan and the United States lead in HDTV, offering services across all television delivery platforms, from satellite to cable to terrestrial. In these countries, the move from analogue to a digital terrestrial television environment coincided with the launch of HD services on the terrestrial platform (HD/DTT).

In Europe, however, the move to digital has focused on offering viewers an increased number of standard-definition television services rather than the simulcast of analogue standard-definition services in digital high-definition. HDTV services were kicked-off in Europe by the satellite service provider Euro1080 in 2004, and have been recently growing in number on the cable and satellite platforms. Debate now begins on the prospects for the delivery on HD services on the DTT platform (HD/DTT).

Viewer expectations

Viewers increasingly expect HD services across all television platforms. In a HD/DTT trial conducted in London in 2006, 98% of participants believed it is important for HD content to be available on the DTT platform. For 71% of participants, HDTV will become the standard norm for all television in the future.

The demand for HD services is driven by such factors as the growing number of households with HD-ready displays, the apparent decrease in quality of standard-definition services on flat-panel displays, the emergence of new HD-capable technologies and the desire to watch high-profile sporting events in HD quality.

The number of households purchasing flat-panel displays is increasing rapidly. It is estimated that by 2008, almost 50% of European households will have a flat-panel displays, with penetration expected to increase to 87% by 2010. Since the launch of the HD-ready logo in January 2005, nearly all available flat-panel displays sized at 28 inches or higher are HD-ready. As more households become equipped with HD-ready television sets, they will expect to be able to access high-definition services.

Unfortunately, however, flat-panel displays have an image artefact-amplifying effect compared with traditional cathode-ray tube (CRT) television sets. The inferior picture quality on a flat-panel display directly impacts viewer satisfaction with standard-definition television services especially since the purchase of a new flat-panel display brings expectations of a better picture quality.

An increasing range of HD-capable consumer devices are becoming available, from Blu-Ray and HD DVD players to camcorders and game consoles. Access to these HD-capable devices provides viewers with the opportunity to become accustomed to HD quality images and makes the switch back to standard-definition broadcast content rather annoying, if not unacceptable.

Finally, major events, especially sporting events, can help drive the uptake of HDTV services since viewers often make purchase decisions for new equipment in anticipation of taking maximum enjoyment from these spectacular events.

Frequency constraints

The terrestrial broadcast frequencies - bands III and IV/V - are a limited resource. By the time the switch-off of analogue services takes place, the gradual squeezing in of digital services will have already exploited much of the available capacity. In addition, extending DTT population coverage from perhaps 80% to more than 95% will take a significant part of the released frequencies and thus leave little capacity available for new services.

Given that HD services take up the capacity of several standard-definition programmes, and perhaps twenty or more services of the type appriopriate to small handheld displays, the competition for any released spectrum will be intense.

Technical opportunities

Advances in compression technology will help ensure the efficient delivery of HD services on the terrestrial platform. Already, only the MPEG-4 AVC compression format is used to provide HDTV services in Europe given its enhanced bit-rate efficiency when compared with MPEG-2. Further bit-rate efficiency gains are expected in the next few years making it increasingly more attractive for HD services.

The DVB Project is currently in the process of developing DVB-T2, a new terrestrial broadcasting standard that builds upon the improvements to modulation and error-protection made since the development of DVB-T in 1995. DVB-T2 is expected to provide a spectrum efficiency increase of at least 30% compared with DVB-T for a given channel profile and under similar conditions.

One of the ideas being considered would be to allow multiplexing over several 8MHz UHF channels simultaneously which could give a significant efficiency boost if used for combining several HD in one statistical multiplex. Work is currently underway to complete the DVB-T2 specification by early 2008 with a target to begin mass volume production in 2010.

HD/DTT deployment in Europe

At this stage, only limited HD/DTT services are available. A regional broadcaster in Spain, TV3, offers several hours of HD content per day in Barcelona. In Sweden, the public service broadcaster SVT has made its HD service available on a multiplex reaching over 25% of the population.

The recently launched DTT platform in Norway, which uses the MPEG-4 AVC compression format, allows television reception in both standard- and high-definition. The public service broadcaster NRK has announced plans to provide HD/DTT.

Three national HD services will be launched in France in early 2008. One slot is reserved for the public service broadcaster, France Télévisions, while the broadcast regulator, CSA, will allocate the remaining two slots by the end of the year.

Further information

To understand better how to deliver HD services on the terrestrial platform, DigiTAG has prepared a handbook that examines such issues as spectrum availability, new technologies, consumer expectations and the business opportunities for broadcasters. It also provides key recommendations to help facilitate the delivery of HD services on the terrestrial platform.

The new DigiTAG handbook can be downloaded from the DigiTAG website

Source: Natalie Mouyal, DigiTAG Project Office

About DigiTAG

DigiTAG aims to encourage and facilitate the implementation and introduction of digital terrestrial television services using the Digital Video Broadcasting Project's Standard (DVB-T). It has some 60 members from broadcasting, network operators, regulatory, and manufacturing organisations throughout Europe and beyond.

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DTT NEWS ROUND-UP

For access to the full articles archive, please go to DigiTAG News

Sweden - Analogue switch-off completed

On 15 October, Sweden completed the switch-off of its analogue terrestrial television platform, ahead of the government mandated switch-off date of February 2008.

The last areas to switch-off analogue services included Malmö, Helsing-borg, Hörby, Karlshamn and Karlskrona, along the southern end of the country.

Analogue switch-off first began in September 2005 on the island of Gotland.

Source: Teracom press release

Austria - Second multiplex to be launched at end of October

A second DTT multiplex, MUX B, will be launched on 22 October. This multiplex will use frequencies released during the analogue switch-off in the regional capitals which took place between March and October.

MUX B will offer viewers three new television programme services - Puls 4, 3 Sat and ORF Sport Plus.

Source: Horizon.at

Spain - Over 6 million DTT receivers sold

The lastest figures published by the DTT organisation Impulsa TDT show that over 330,000 DTT receivers were sold in September. The number of DTT receivers sold for the first eight months of 2007 is equivalent to the total number sold during 2006.

In the month of September, iDTVs represented 45.87% of all DTT receivers sold while DTT set-top boxes represented 38.76%. Less than 2% of DTT receivers sold are MHP-enabled.

Source: advanced-television.com

France - Candidates present HD/DTT proposals

The four candidates vying for the two HD/DTT licenses have presented their projects to the broadcasting regulator CSA. The four candidates are Metropole Television (parent company of M6), TF1, AB NT and Canal+.

It is expected that the CSA will announce its decision by the end of the year, with HD/DTT services set to begin in the first half of 2008.

A third HD/DTT license has been reserved for the public service broadcaster France Télévisions.

Source: advanced-television.com

Germany - Mobile 3.0 expected to be allocated DVB-H license

The DVB-H broadcast license is expected to be allocated to Mobile 3.0, a joint venture between the media companies Mobiles Fernsehen Deutschland (MFD) and Neva Media.

T-Systems has been allocated a license to build and operate the DVB-H network.

Services are expected to begin in time for the EURO 2008 Football Championship in June 2008.

Source: Rapid TV News

Sweden - Government against further regulation of pay-DTT platform

The government has decided to allow programme companies to decide for themselves how to organise their services on the DTT platform. They will need to agree to a consumer-friendly regulatory framework.

Last June, the government had proposed putting together new regulations for the DTT platform following the concern raised by the European Commission regarding Boxer's position as the sole provider of pay-DTT services.

Source: Boxer press release

United Kingdom - Analogue switch-off begins

At 2.00 on 17 October, the analogue channel of BBC 2 was switched off in Whitehaven, Cumbria. It was replaced by a digital signal which was switched on at 2.37.

The new digital signal, which carries Multiplex 1, includes such services as BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Three, CBBC, BBC News 24 and BBCi Next month, the remaining analogue channels will be switched off to make room for further DTT services.

Source: Arqiva press release

Croatia - Subsidies for DTT set-top boxes

To help speed digital switchover on the terrestrial platform, the government has decided to introduce subsidies to be used towards the purchase of DTT set-top boxes as part of a DTT pilot in the coastal region of Istria.

Special coupons worth HRK 200 (€27) will be distributed to viewers until 20 November and will need to be used by 30 June 2008.

Source: advanced-television.com