CAN BROADCAST THRIVE IN THE DIGITAL DOMAIN?
DVB extends its focus
BY DR PETER SIEBERT
A
s we marked our 25th anniversary
during 2018, there was plenty to
be proud of, but also considerable
work still to be done. Our most recently
published suite of broadcast-related
specifications covers the full range of
Ultra HD (UHD) elements: 4K resolution,
high dynamic range (HDR), high frame
rate (HFR), wide colour gamut (WCG)
and next-generation audio (NGA). We do
not anticipate developing new broadcast
specifications anytime soon — it is up
to broadcasters, network operators
and manufacturers to implement our
specifications and give the end-user the
best TV experience.
Instead, DVB’s focus is now on
interactive hybrid broadband/broadcast
applications and delivery. On this,
we cooperate closely with our sister
organisation HbbTV, which provides
specifications for interactive applications
and services relying on bi-directional IP
connectivity.
One area where we work together
is on specifying a targeted advertising
(TA) solution. The system will focus
on the necessary interfaces between
the broadcaster, network operator and
end-user device. The specification work
is in full flow, having brought several
new members to DVB. We expect the
specification to be available in 2019.
Another major focus for DVB is our
work towards making over-the-top
(OTT) Internet-based delivery of audio-
visual content as user-friendly as our
classical delivery solutions, DVB-T2,
DVB-S2, DVB-C, and more. A new suite of
specifications, DVB-I (where the I stands
for Internet), will offer a similar user
experience to linear broadcast TV and will
provide an additional deployment option
for broadcasters and operators. The focus
of new specification work will be on service
discovery and the necessary signalling.
We are expecting the DVB-I
specification for service discovery to be
available later in 2019. This will be a major
milestone for DVB.
The starting point for locating DVB-I
service offerings in different locations,
territories and access networks, including
cross-border service access, is the
bootstrap mechanism. As one potential
solution, the commercial requirements
propose that a centralised registry and/or
infrastructure would be set up. Of course,
this is only one approach to tackle the
challenge of bootstrapping.
When it comes to the other building
blocks of DVB-I, the underlying
technology is either already well advanced
and implemented, or in the final phases
of standardisation. The first version of
DVB-DASH was published in 2015. It
defines a profile of the MPEG-DASH
specification dedicated to OTT delivery
of broadcast content. As compared to the
quite comprehensive MPEG specification,
the profile of DVB-DASH facilitates
implementation and conformance testing.
Recently, DVB published an updated
version of its DASH profile, adding UHD
and related advanced features, including
XML-based subtitles.
One annoying aspect of DASH delivery
today is the extensive delay experienced
when viewing live content, especially
when key moments in sports events arrive
later than the broadcast signal received by
a neighbour. Here, DVB is working on a
low-latency DASH solution. The approved
commercial requirements for this specify
a maximum delay of 3.5 seconds for
encoder to screen latency, which restricts
the maximum segment size. The technical
group is charged with identifying the
sweet spot between the maximum delay
and related increases in the data rate
needed while still guaranteeing reasonable
Streamline your
Broadcast Workflow
“DVB’s
focus is
now on
inter active
hybrid
broadband /broadcast
applications and delivery.”
— Dr Peter Siebert
Head of Technology, The DVB Project
& an APB Panellist
throughput and scalability of the content
delivery network (CDN).
Another building block for DVB-I
will be adaptive media streaming over
IP multicast. The technical specification
will address managed networks in the
first edition, before considering possible
extension to OTT Internet delivery. This
work aims to provide broadcast-like
scalability, without requiring existing
clients — set-top boxes, smart TVs, and so
on — to be replaced or modified.
Specifications for both low-latency
DASH and adaptive media streaming over
IP multicast are on track to be approved for
publication when our Steering Board meets
in the middle of 2019.
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An
Supplement
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