ITV

Tag: DTV

  • Next-gen TV transmission standard proposed by US panel, to foster innovation

    MUMBAI: The Federal Communications Commission (U.S.) has sought comment on a proposal that would allow television broadcasters to use the “Next Generation” broadcast television transmission standard, called “ATSC 3.0,” on a voluntary, market-driven basis.

    ATSC 3.0 has the potential to greatly improve broadcast signal reception on mobile devices and television receivers without outdoor antennas. It is also intended to enable broadcasters to offer enhanced and innovative new features to consumers, including Ultra High Definition picture and immersive audio, more localized programming content, an advanced emergency alert system capable of waking up sleeping devices to warn consumers of imminent emergencies, improved accessibility options, and interactive services.

    A coalition of broadcast and consumer electronics industry representatives petitioned the Commission to allow the use of the new standard. The upgraded technology is intended to merge the capabilities of overthe-air broadcasting with the broadband viewing and information delivery methods of the Internet using the same 6 MHz channels presently allocated for digital television (DTV).

    Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) proposes and seeks comment on rules that will allow broadcasters the flexibility to deploy ATSC 3.0-based transmissions while minimizing the impact on – and costs to – consumers and industry stakeholders. Among other things, the NPRM:

    Voluntary Use: Proposes to authorize voluntary use of ATSC 3.0 transmissions and to incorporate the relevant portions of the new standard into the Commission’s rules. The NPRM tentatively concludes that a Next Gen TV tuner mandate for new television receivers is not necessary at this time.

    Local Simulcasting: Proposes to require “local simulcasting” for stations that choose to deploy Next Gen TV so broadcasters can continue to provide DTV service using the current ATSC 1.0 standard at the same time that they offer ATSC 3.0. This approach will minimize disruption to consumers by ensuring that they will still be able to use their existing TV sets, which have only current-generation DTV and analog tuners.

    MVPD Carriage: Proposes to require that MVPDs continue carrying broadcasters’ DTV signals, using ATSC 1.0, but not to require them to carry ATSC 3.0 signals during the period when broadcasters are voluntarily implementing ATSC 3.0 service. The NPRM also asks about issues related to the voluntary carriage of ATSC 3.0 signals through retransmission consent.

    Service and Interference Protection: Asks for comment on whether Next Gen TV transmissions will raise any interference concerns for existing DTV operations or for any other services or devices that operate in the TV bands or in adjacent bands.

    Consumer Protection and Education: Tentatively concludes that television stations offering ATSC 3.0 should be subject to the public interest obligations that currently apply to television broadcasters and asks for comment on whether broadcasters should be required to provide on-air notifications to educate consumers about Next Gen TV service deployment and ATSC 1.0 simulcasting.

    Taken together, the proposal starts the rulemaking process to facilitate private sector innovation and promote American leadership in the global broadcast industry.

    Also Read:

    TRAI extends time for views on opening up DTT to private players

    Small US broadband businesses relieved from needless regulation, piracy protection mooted

     

  • Three out of 10 rural Americans do not have access to high-speed internet: FCC

    Three out of 10 rural Americans do not have access to high-speed internet: FCC

    NEW DELHI: Cable is down, DBS and telcoTV is up, and more than 80 per cent of American broadcast TV signals are now high-definition, says the latest Federal Communications Commission’s annual Video Competition Report. 

    “As of the end of 2011, 1,501-82.2 per cent-of full-power stations were broadcasting in HD, up from 1,036 stations in 2010,” the report said.

    Household adoption of HDTV sets also rose. As of 2012, 85.3 million (74.4 per cent) of US TV households had sets capable of displaying HD signals, up from 75.5 million (65.1 per cent) in 2011. DVR adoption rose as well, from 46.3 million households (40.4 per cent), to 50.3 million households (43.8 per cent).

    However, Acting FCC chairwoman Mignon Clyburn said she was concerned because “Not all of our citizens are realising the promise of these competitive benefits. Nearly three out of 10 rural Americans do not have access to high-speed internet, sufficient to receive online video distributors’ services, and I sincerely hope that these consumers are not forgotten.”

    Reliance on over-the-air TV has remained steady at around 11.1 million households, according to the report. This figure is in agreement with one proffered by Nielsen in January, but far short of another published last month in GfK’s Home Technology Monitor, an annual survey that found 19.3 per cent of U.S. TV households rely exclusively on over-the-air reception. 

    Broadcast TV station revenue followed the political cycle-$22.22 billion in 2010; $21.31 billion in 2011; and a projected $24.7 billion for 2012, a rise in part attributed to retransmission consent fees. However, TV stations were said to make about 88 per cent of their revenues through advertising, “A slight decline from the last report.”

    Prime-time ad rates for a 30-second spot in the top 100 TV markets, based on composite figures, rose from $26.76 CPM (cost per thousand households) in 2010, to $28 in 2011, and $32.08 in 2012.

    Local news is said to account for 35 to 40 per cent of advertising revenues. In 2011, the average TV station aired 5.5 hours of local news per weekday, up from 5.3 hours in 2010.

    Network compensation, once paid to TV station affiliates by the networks, has “All but disappeared,” the report said. Network compensation dipped from $48.2 million in 2010 to $25.1 million in 2011, according to SNL Kagan numbers cited in the report. The 2012 figure is projected at $287,000. Networks have reversed the compensation model by taking a percentage of retransmission fees from stations.

    Retrans fees comprised 8.1 per cent of TV station revenues in 2011, or $1.76 billion; and 9.4 per cent or $2.36 billion in 2012.

    Ancillary DTV revenues were nearly negligible. Broadcasters can use a portion of their spectrum for revenue-generating activities such as subscription video or data transfer, but they must pay the FCC five per cent of those revenues. In 2012, 81 licensees made total ancillary DTV revenue of $499,970. The peak year was 2010, when 99 licensees brought in more than $7.1 million in ancillary revenues.

    Clyburn said she was “Encouraged by the pro-consumer trends it reveals,” adding “Options for accessing video programming are swelling,” she said. “Nearly all consumers now have a choice among three. MVPDs, and today, more than one-third of all households can choose from four or more providers. I note that broadcast TV remains one of the most affordable sources of entertainment and news,” she continued. “As the report shows, 11 million American [households] still rely on free, over-the-air broadcast signals as their exclusive source for TV viewing.”

    While the commission has been bullish on reducing the spectrum available for TV broadcasting, it did give stations props for public service: “Since the last report, full-power television stations have continued to take advantage of digital broadcasting technology to offer improved service to the public. In addition to high-definition content, broadcasters are using multicasting to bring more programming to consumers by expanding the availability of established networks and adding new startup digital networks-including networks targeting minorities and programming targeting niche audiences-and Spanish language offerings.”

    Multicast diginets include Bounce TV, which now has 154 affiliates, This TV, with 133, and Retro TV with 44 affiliates. Established networks have also benefited from multicasting. The CW is on 115 multicast channels; MyNetworkTV, on 92.

    Total day audience share for the network affiliates held steady between 2011 and 2012 at 28, per cent with the total broadcast share at 33 per cent, compared to 52 per cent for ad-supported cable networks. In prime time, network affiliates held 33 per cent of the audience; all broadcast, 38 per cent; and ad-supported cable, 51 per cent.

    The availability of mobile DTV grew between reports, from 60 stations in 2010 to 105 stations at the end of 2011. 

    The National Association of Broadcasters said the total now stands at 130 stations in 30 states delivering 150 channels.

    Despite ongoing reports of cord-cutting, the FCC found that pay TV subscriptions rose slightly between the end of 2010 to June 2012, from 100.8 million to 101 million households. Cable’s share fell however, from 59.3 per cent to 55.7 per cent as of June 2012. Direct broadcast satellite TV providers picked up 600,000 subscribers in the time period to end June 2012 with 34 million, or 33.6 per cent of all pay U.S. pay TV subscribers.

    TelcoTV grew by 1.7 million subscribers during the period, to 8.6 million, according to the report. However, it noted that the total comprised “AT&T’s Uverse and Verizon’s FiOS services,” but not other small telcoTV providers around the country.

    Technologically, cable systems are catching up with telcoTV, which delivers only the channels being watched at a given time versus the entire package a la traditional cable. At the end of last year, more than half of the footprint of the top eight cable providers was all-digital, with 43 per cent of that portion using switched digital video delivering only those channels watched.

    The average price of a basic cable subscription increased by 6.2 per cent to $20.55 between 2011 and 2012, with expanded basic up 4.8 per cent to $61.63. The basic price-per-channel was up 1.5 per cent to 63 cents, while expanded price-per-channel fell one-tenth of a penny in the 50 cent range.

    The Video Competition Report divides TV distributors in to three types-broadcast, multichannel video programming distributors (cable, satellite and telco pay TV), and online video providers, or OVD. The commission cited SNL Kagan numbers indicating that the number of internet-connected TV households grew from around 26.6 million (22.8 per cent) at the end of 2011, to an estimated 41.6 million (35.4 per cent) by the end of 2012.

    The commission said OVD accounted for a growing portion of internet traffic during peak hours, and noted that most major cable operators imposed bandwidth caps or metered pricing during the first half of 2012. Phone companies are said to be following suit.

  • France to set pace for digital TV in Europe: Study

    France to set pace for digital TV in Europe: Study

    MUMBAI: France has set a new benchmark for European digital television (DTV) policy.

    Strategy Analytics Broadband Media and Communications service has come out with a study Digital TV Transition: Europe Watches France’s Mandates As Terrestrial HDTV Arrives.

    France’s new ‘TV of the Future’ law has taken an important step towards high definition television (HDTV) on the digital terrestrial television (DTT) platform by allocating capacity for HD channels and mandating HD tuners in HD-Ready TV sets.

    These decisions will have ramifications for other countries in Europe, which will watch these developments with interest. There will also be important lessons from the French approach to licensing HD channels that takes place over the next few months.

    According to this report, the decisions made in France will put increased pressure on other European countries to accelerate their own policies towards HD on DTT platforms.

    Strategy Analytics principal analyst David Mercer says, “Most other European countries are still at the discussion stage regarding the introduction of HDTV on their DTT platforms.

    “France has taken an important lead by allocating the capacity for HDTV and ensuring that future HDTVs will be able to receive these new channels. The industry will be satisfied that France has set clear policy goals on these important issues.”

    Also according to the report, France’s plan to switch off analogue television broadcasts by 30 November, 2011 remains an ambitious goal, given much of the country’s still heavy dependence on those signals. But the country’s aggressive top-down approach to policy setting gives much-needed clarity to industry decision makers, which will allow technology vendors and service providers to plan with confidence.

  • Most Americans are unaware of Digital TV transition: Study

    Most Americans are unaware of Digital TV transition: Study

    MUMBAI: The majority of US households that receive their television signals over the air are still unaware of the digital TV transition.

    This is despite the fact that an estimated 22 million over-the-air homes need to make some kind of digital decision by 12 February, 2009, according to a Association of Public Television Stations (APTS) survey.

    The bulk of the survey participants—61 per cent—had no idea that the DTV transition was taking place. 10 per cent said they had limited awareness, while 25 per cent said they were somewhat aware or very aware. While some respondents were aware of the digital transition, 53 per cent had no idea when analogue transmissions were scheduled to be turned off.

    In order for the DTV transition to be successful, consumers must be well-informed and primed to adapt successfully to the new technology. This cannot occur unless there is a comprehensive, coordinated national consumer outreach effort. Therefore, APTS is urging Congress to designate targeted funding for consumer outreach on the switch from analog to digital. During APTS Capitol Hill Day 2007 from 13-14 February more than 200 executives and volunteer board members of local Public Television stations are scheduled to ask Congress to recognise Public Television’s unique outreach ability in the community and provide funding for those efforts.

    APTS president and CEO John Lawson said, There are more than 21 million US households that get their TV exclusively free and over the air, and we know these homes are heavy viewers of Public Television. That puts us, working with our partners, in a strong position to provide information about the digital transition to the people who need it most.”

    APTS is spearheading a coalition of trade and interest groups to compete for the $5 million Congress set aside for consumer education in last year’s DTV transition bill. The diverse group includes the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, Consumer Electronics Association, American Library Association and Women Involved in Farm Economics. In addition, APTS is now a part of the DTV Transition Coalition, a separate but related effort led by the National Association of Broadcasters.

    The need for vigorous outreach efforts is evident when looking at analog consumers’ attitudes and awareness toward their options for digital TV reception after the transition. Roughly 45 per cent of respondents to APTS’ survey said they will either “do nothing” or “don’t know” what option they will take to obtain digital signals. 19 per cent will purchase a converter box, 17 per cent are likely to sign up for cable TV service, and nine per cent will sign up for satellite TV. Another nine per cent indicated they would buy a digital television set so that they can continue to receive over-the-air broadcasts.

    The survey also found that at least 38 per cent of analog households would “definitely not” or “probably not” select a particular video service provider if they didn’t offer Public Television channels after the DTV transition. This suggests that the lack of Public Television offerings by video providers will cause a serious barrier to these analog households in choosing cable or satellite to receive digital television.

  • Samsung strengthens DTV position in the US

    Samsung strengthens DTV position in the US

    MUMBAI: Electronics major Samsung captured the number one market share position for digital televisions in the US in 2006, according to The NPD Group’s retail tracking service.

    NPD VP industry analysis Stephen Baker says, “The industry’s overall DTV unit sales have grown 54 per cent and three million more digital TVs were sold in 2006 than 2005; and within 2006, Samsung sold more digital televisions than anyone else in the industry.

    “Samsung is the only television manufacturer that demonstrates market strength in all four digital TV categories, which includes LCD, plasma, Microdisplay and Flat Tube. According to NPD’s monthly sales data Samsung’s share position improved throughout the year with Samsung leading the market in units and dollars within the second half of the year.”

    Samsung became America’s choice for digital TVs in 2006 with total Digital TV unit share of 20 per cent, which is a significant lead on the competition. In addition, Samsung demonstrated strong category leadership in Flat Panel TVs with number one unit share of 21.5 percent and number one dollar share of 25.1 percent; Samsung grew its LCD market share (10″ and larger) to the number one position in 2006 (from the number four position in 2005) with a market share of 15.1 per cent; and its SlimFit™ line of flat tube CRT TVs claimed an overwhelming 46.1 percent unit share and a 43.7 per cent dollar share in 2006, according to NPD data.

    Samsungsays that it is the only manufacturer that produces, and is committed to leading, in all four major digital television technologies: LCD, Microdisplay, Plasma, and Flat Tube. Strong 2006 sales across each category catapulted Samsung to the number one position.

    Samsung Electronics America executive VP, consumer electronics division Tim Baxter says, “Achieving a number one market position is a significant milestone for Samsung and we are very proud that for the first time, the American public has made us their first choice for digital televisions.

    “Samsung has demonstrated its growth to demand-brand status within the highly competitive Digital TV landscape. We attribute our success to a combination of manufacturing strength, commitment to all four digital television technologies and our leading product designs.”

    In 2006, Samsung launched its 51/52 series of LCD HDTVs, which the company nicknamed Bordeaux for its wine-glass curve at the bottom of the sets. For the first time, Samsung’s TVs offered consumers a choice of luxurious lacquer-like piano-black or smooth white-pearl exterior that not only complemented consumers’ home design but enhanced it as well.

    People the firm says no longer had to hide their TVs inside bulky, space-consuming furniture; Samsung provided them with design choices that accented their home décor.

    Samsung adds that it is one of the largest panel manufacturers in the world. In fact, the company consistently increases its R&D investments each year. In 2005 alone, Samsung’s R&D investments reached 5.41 trillion KRW. Recently, Samsung SDI (one of Samsung’s group affiliates) expanded the capacity of its plasma development facility in Cheonan, Korea.

    Samsung Electronics is currently planning to open a Gen8 LCD manufacturing facility in TangJeong, Korea. Because the company designs and manufactures most of its own components, it can maintain the utmost control over production quality and manufacturing costs, giving the company a distinct market advantage.

    About five years ago, Samsung decided to focus its TV resources almost exclusively on its digital television product line. The company recognized that each of the four digital TV technologies brought different advantages – and price points – to consumers and it decided to invest in each of them.

    The firm says that due to its manufacturing strength it is able to bring price-competitive televisions to market while maintaining our profitability. So its early decisions and investments are paying off.

    Samsung attributed its success to a combination of manufacturing strength, commitment to all four digital television technologies and product designs

  • Digital TV conversion impacting TV market

    Digital TV conversion impacting TV market

    MUMBAI : The international migration from analog broadcasting to digital terrestrial television (DTT) marches on with a significant impact on the television set market, reports market research firm In-Stat.

    Many nations have announced an analog broadcast shutoff date, but how they implement this change varies, In-Stat says. Some countries are allocating spectrum so they can transmit analog and digital broadcasts concurrently for a number of years. Other countries are rolling out DTT regionally and shutting down analog service as the rollout is completed.

    “There are now four main standards for digital television (DTV) broadcasting, with some similarities between these standards in audio and video compression, but the demodulation schemes are all different,” says Chris Kissel, In-Stat analyst. “Consumers that wish to receive free, over-the-air broadcasts must buy either a digital television with a digital tuner, or must have a set top box or converter box to receive the signal.”

    Among the findings in the study are:

    *DTV tuner integration is happening faster in North America and Japan than it is in Europe or other parts of Asia.

    *In-Stat anticipates that flat-panel displays will overtake CRTs by 2007.

    *11.6% of all respondents to an In-Stat US consumer survey plan to buy a new DTV set within the next six months.

  • FCC to allow new low power devices on vacant TV spectrum

    FCC to allow new low power devices on vacant TV spectrum

    MUMBAI: US media regulatory body the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has adopted a First Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.

    This marks the first step towards allowing new low power devices to operate in the broadcast television spectrum at locations where channels in that spectrum are not in use by television stations or other authourised services.

    This action will enable the development of new and innovative types of devices and services for businesses and consumers in the US.

    The FCC has concluded that fixed low power devices can be allowed to operate on TV channels in areas where those frequencies are not being used for TV or other incumbent licensed services.

    The marketing of such devices may commence on 18 February, 2009, after the digital television (DTV) transition is complete and all TV stations are in operation on their permanent DTV channels.

    The FCC has also invited further comment on a number of issues that were raised in response to the Notice of Proposed Rule Making. It has solicited additional information that is needed to determine whether personal/portable devices can operate in any of the TV channels without causing harmful interference. It also invited comment to explore whether low power devices should be permitted on TV channels 2-4, which are used by TV interface devices such as VCRs, and whether fixed low power devices can be permitted on TV channels 14-20.

    The FCC has made technical proposals to facilitate use of a dynamic frequency selection (DFS) mechanism to ensure that TV band devices operate only on vacant TV channels. In addition, it sought further comment on implementation details for the geo-location and control signal interference avoidance approaches.

    The FCC says that it has reaffirmed its commitment to developing a complete record to ensure that the final rules will protect TV broadcasting and other service against harmful interference. In particular, it has invited parties to submit test results showing that TV band devices will not cause harmful interference. In addition, the FCC plans to conduct extensive testing itself to assess the potential interference from low power devices operating in the TV bands before adopting final rules.

  • DTV, IPTV growth to boost Set-Top Box, Chipsets & Flat Panel industries

    DTV, IPTV growth to boost Set-Top Box, Chipsets & Flat Panel industries

    MUMBAI: The anticipated growth of digital television (DTV) and high-definition television (HDTV) is expected to positively influence the development of a range of support industries. These include those of flat panel displays, broadcasting, telecommunications, chipset design and production, set-top box manufacturing, and software or middleware development, according to a Frost & Sullivan – Technical Insights study.

    The flat panel display industry, in particular, has recorded huge revenue growth since the launch of DTV and HDTV services. Moreover, emerging display technologies such as organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) and field emission displays (FED) are being seen as a challenge to the market dominance of liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and with the recent advances in manufacturing techniques, the future for both OLED and FED look promising.

    With regard to the set-top box (STB) technology, new STB chipsets are steered toward the direction of providing a single-chip solution. The introduction of advanced compression standards such as Moving Pictures Expert Group (MPEG)-4 AVC has highly enhanced the video streaming capability of the high-end STBs, and future STBs will have more programmability and advanced functions such as a personal digital recorder. Future chipset designs are likely to focus on the convergence of TV and computer networks and the concept of a multimedia home platform (MHP).

    “Determined to lead the broadcast technologies, the Information Society Technologies (IST) and European Union (EU) have been funding numerous projects in the field of digital and high-definition television, driving the European companies and universities in this area,” notes technical insights (www.technicalinsights.frost.com) research analyst Dr. Jayson Koh.

    “While countries such as Greece are laying infrastructures for the digital switch over, terrestrial DTV services are already well developed in Germany and France, and Britain has also recently introduced many DTV and IPTV services.”

    In Asia, South Korean, Japanese and Taiwanese companies are leading the flat panel display industries, catering to the increasing demands for LCD and plasma discharge panel (PDP) TV from Europe, North America, and notably, China. Also there have been a significant number of IPTV and DTV deployments in Asian countries such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Singapore and South Korea.

    Amidst these positive trends, the high entry barrier and the lack of cost-effective techniques for mass production are the most critical issues that the new companies and technologies in the flat panel display industry face. Other obstacles that add to the entry barrier include competing with the low average selling price of LCD, high cost of investment, lack of customer awareness, availability of raw materials and components suppliers, and the distribution networks, the study notes.

    “The prolonged format war between HD-DVD and Blu-ray is expected to delay the integration of new DVD standard in high-end STBs and manufacturers would prefer to wait till a common format arises,” says Koh. “In the case of new video compression standard, the H.264 would slowly take over the MPEG-2 market but face competition from both AVS and VC-1.”

    In the near term, STB manufacturers have to decide whether to support a certain new generation DVD format or to provide a multiple format drive. Although chipset companies are providing more multiple video compression supports in their products, the high licensing fee arises from this kind of chipsets may not be encouraging.

    Global Advances in Digital TV and HDTV Chipsets, a part of the Electronics Device Subscription, provides informative insights on the progress and development of flat panel display, chipsets, compression and broadband television technologies. In this research service, Frost & Sullivan’s analysts thoroughly examine the following technologies: flat panel display, set-top box and its chipsets, compression coding and broadband television technologies. Analyst interviews are available to the press.

    Technical Insights is an international technology analysis business that produces a variety of technical news alerts, newsletters, and research services. Frost & Sullivan, a global growth consulting company, has been partnering with clients to support the development of innovative strategies for more than 40 years.

  • Harris comes out with solutions for mobile TV

    Harris comes out with solutions for mobile TV

    MUMBAI: Harris’ broadcast communications division will showacse solutions for the emerging mobile TV market at IBC2006. The event takes place from 7-12 September in Amsterdam.

    It is participating in early stage trials across Europe and Australia. It is also developing transmitters for Modeo and Qualcomm MediaFLO USA. applications (both scheduled to launch by 2007). At IBC2006, Harris will demonstrate mobile TV broadcasts for the leading standards (DVB-H, FLO and T-DMB) featuring Harris transmitters and infrastructure/networking products, as well as third-party receiving equipment.

    Harris says that a broad range of Harris content delivery solutions for mobile TV will be on display, including platforms for DVB-H, FLO and T-DMB applications. Each standard offers viable benefits for operators. IBC it says is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate these benefits and how it is equipped to offer the most complete, technically sound transmission and infrastructure solutions in the broadcast industry.

    Mobile TV transmission solutions from Harris have been used to develop and prove the effectiveness of the DVB-H, FLO and T-DMB standards for mobile broadcast television. The company will highlight its complete mobile TV product range through four separate demonstrations in the Mobile Zone. A Harris NetVX networking system will deliver content to the Mobile Zone from the main Harris stand in some demonstrations.

    DVB-H over UHF

    The Harris DVB-H UHF solutions work in both high- and low-power applications. The higher-power Atlas liquid-cooled transmitter (offered in versions from 1.25 to 9 kW) is featured in the main Harris booth. In the Mobile Zone, Harris is delivering DVB-H content to a handset via the Atlas DTV-660 air-cooled UHF transmitter, which is offered in power levels up to 1.5 kW.

    DVB-H over L-Band

    The Harris Cool Play Mobile TV transmitter offers a ‘convection-cooled’ architecture for outdoor installations. The 1670 MHz version of the transmitter will transmit video to a handset developed for Modeo, a U.S. DVB-H operator. The Cool Play 1670 transmitter is available at power levels up to 400 watts in L-Band.

    FLO over UHF

    The entire of range of Harris ATSC transmitters are now available for FLO applications, based on the new Harris Apex FLO exciter that Harris is featuring in the Mobile Zone. Harris will receive live transmissions of a multichannel FLO service on a handset. This marks the first Harris display in Europe of FLO transmission products.

    T-DMB over DAB

    Harris has a full line of VHF and L-Band DAB transmitters that can be used to deliver mobile TV over DAB. In the Mobile Zone, Harris will demonstrate the receipt of digital radio channels and multichannel TV on a T-DMB handset from a Harris DAB-660 transmitter. Harris will demonstrate how the standard’s highly efficient audio encoding allows for transmission of multiple digital radio and video channels using the same transmitter.

    The company will display its strengths in terrestrial TV transmission. The Harris Atlas transmitter family will be prominently displayed in the delivery section of the Harris stand. As a global UHF transmitter platform, the Atlas liquid-cooled transmitter family supports analog, digital and mobile television standards. Visitors can see an active demonstration of the Atlas DVB-T/DVB-H platform delivering HDTV and H.264 mobile TV content. A widescreen display will receive and broadcast the HDTV content, with the H.264 mobile content received on a handheld device.

    The terrestrial TV area also will include a demonstration of the Harris/Neural Audio MultiMerge for DTV. MultiMerge uses intelligent detection to blend any audio (mono, stereo, matrix encoded stereo (L/R), and 5.1 discrete content) into a seamless, uninterrupted 5.1 surround sound stream.

    Harris began developing terrestrial transmission platforms for mobile TV in 2004 after participating in early demonstrations and the development of the DVB-H standard. The company’s recent acquisition of Leitch Technology adds a range of servers, routers, switchers and processing equipment to Harris® NetVX video encoding and distribution systems, providing the infrastructure for bringing content into the mobile TV headend. Meanwhile, equipment from the Harris Software Systems business unit adds a complement of broadband software and distribution equipment for network management, traffic scheduling, digital asset management and ad insertion, among other applications.

  • DTV, IPTV growth set to boost Flat Panel Display, STB, chipsets industries

    DTV, IPTV growth set to boost Flat Panel Display, STB, chipsets industries

    MUMBAI: The anticipated growth of digital television (DTV) and high-definition television (HDTV) globally is expected to positively influence the development of a range of support industries.

    A study by Frost and Sullivan Global Advances in Digital TV and HDTV Chipsets notes that these support industries include those of flat panel displays, broadcasting, telecommunications, chipset design and production, set-top box manufacturing, and software or middleware development.

    The flat panel display industry, in particular, has recorded huge revenue growth since the launch of DTV and HDTV services. Moreover, emerging display technologies such as organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) and field emission displays (FED) are being seen as a challenge to the market dominance of liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and with the recent advances in manufacturing techniques, the future for both OLED and FED look promising.

    With regard to the set-top box (STB) technology, new STB chipsets are steered toward the direction of providing a single-chip solution. The introduction of advanced compression standards such as Moving Pictures Expert Group (MPEG)-4 AVC has highly enhanced the video streaming capability of the high-end STBs, and future STBs will have more programmability and advanced functions such as a personal digital recorder. Future chipset designs are likely to focus on the convergence of TV and computer networks and the concept of a multimedia home platform (MHP).

    Technical Insights research analyst Dr. Jayson Koh notes, “Determined to lead the broadcast technologies, the Information Society Technologies (IST) and European Union (EU) have been funding numerous projects in the field of digital and high-definition television, driving the European companies and universities in this area.

    “While countries such as Greece are laying infrastructures for the digital switch over, terrestrial DTV services are already well developed in Germany and France, and Britain has also recently introduced many DTV and IPTV services.”

    The report further notes that in Asia, South Korean, Japanese and Taiwanese companies are leading the flat panel display industries, catering to the increasing demands for LCD and plasma discharge panel (PDP) TV from Europe, North America and notably, China. Also there have been a significant number of IPTV and DTV deployments in Asian countries such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Singapore and South Korea.

    The Challenges: Amidst these positive trends, the high entry barrier and the lack of cost- effective techniques for mass production are the most critical issues that the new companies and technologies in the flat panel display industryface. Other obstacles that add to the entry barrier include, competing with the low average selling price of LCD, high cost of investment, lack of customer awareness, availability of raw materials and components suppliers and the distribution networks.

    “The prolonged format war between HD-DVD and Blu-ray is expected to delay the integration of new DVD standard in high-end STBs and manufacturers would prefer to wait till a common format arises.

    “In the case of new video compression standard, the H.264 would slowly take over the MPEG-2 market but face competition from both AVS and VC-1,” adds Koh.

    In the near term, STB manufacturers have to decide whether to support a certain new generation DVD format or to provide a multiple format drive. Although chipset companies are providing more multiple video compression supports in their products, the high licensing fee arises from this kind of chipsets may not be encouraging.