What are the implications of DVB-T2 for countries where DVB-T services are already on air?

DVB-T is the most widely deployed DTT (Digital Terrestrial Television) system worldwide, with services on air in over thirty countries and more than 60 million receivers deployed. Economies of scale have pushed receiver prices downwards constantly, with basic receivers now readily available at a retail price of less than EUR 30.

In the years ahead, in countries where DVB-T services have become well-established, regulators will be keen to achieve full Analogue Switch-Off (ASO), and in the process release valuable UHF and VHF spectrum for other purposes. Some countries have already completed ASO.

One option at ASO will be the introduction of new services using DVB-T2 technology. This could enable, for example, the roll out of new nationwide multiplexes offering multichannel HDTV services, or perhaps innovative new datacasting services.

The transition from DVB-T to DVB-T2 will need to be carefully managed in such countries, if such a transition happens. The DVB Project fully expects DVB-T and DVB-T2 services to co-exist side-by-side for some time to come - and it's clear from the experiences in Australia (DVB-T, MPEG-2 video coding) and France (DVB-T, MPEG-4 video coding) that terrestrial HDTV services are perfectly viable without using DVB-T2.


What are the implications of DVB-T2 for countries planning to launch DVB-T services in the short to medium term?

A significant number of countries, in Europe, Southeast Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America, are planning for the launch of DVB-T services in the next 2-3 years. These countries will benefit from the use of a mature technology that is flexible enough to meet their individual market requirements. In particular they will benefit from the existence of a well-established world market both for receivers and for head-end equipment. These conditions will enable the rapid roll-out and take up of DTT services in these countries, with access to cheap receivers being the key factor. The transition from analogue to digital services is what DVB-T is designed for.

In this timeframe it is neither feasible nor advisable to consider launching services with DVB-T2. The new standard is designed for a post-ASO environment, where DVB-T services are already well-established. Products that implement the DVB-T2 standard are not likely to become widely available until 2010. Whilst prices will fall over time, in line with past experiences for DVB technologies, they can be expected to be relatively high initially. This means that DVB-T2 should not, in the short to medium term, be considered for the launch of free-to-air multichannel standard definition services targeted at migrating a general population from analogue to digital. DVB-T is ideal for these purposes.


What are the implications of DVB-T2 for countries that have not yet decided which DTT transmission system they will adopt?

In some countries, notably in Latin America and parts of Asia, debate continues as to which of the available DTT transmission systems should be adopted and deployed. The DVB Project believes that the adoption of DVB standards in such territories would bring maximum benefit for all stakeholders, including broadcasters, regulators, manufacturers and, perhaps most importantly, viewers. Regardless of which analogue transmission system is used, and regardless of the channel bandwidth used, DVB-T offers a uniquely flexible solution that will enable a smooth transition to DTT. The key factor, particularly in countries with a high penetration of terrestrial TV and relatively low average incomes, will be the price and range of receivers. It is clear that DVB-T is the ideal technology in these circumstances.

Such countries will also benefit from the future availability of DVB-T2. The DVB Project is unique in ensuring that it continues to develop state-of-the-art solutions that closely match the requirements of the individual markets. DVB-T is THE standard for transitioning from analogue to DTT; and DVB-T2 is the ideal technology to exploit opportunities after ASO.
 

Does DVB-T2 offer any opportunities for countries that have implemented non-DVB systems for DTT?

DTT is designed to facilitate the switch-off of analogue terrestrial transmissions. It’s more efficient than equivalent analogue technologies, and less wasteful of spectrum especially if you’re able to deploy single frequency networks. Not all countries use DVB-T; some, like the United States and South Korea, use ATSC and Japan has deployed ISDB-T.

But each of these countries will see analogue switch-off just as in DVB-T markets. The difference is that ATSC has no solution to exploit the better spectral efficiencies possible with modern technology, and ISDB-T has likewise not sought to exploit the unique opportunity afforded by ASO to update its systems.

Is DVB-T2 a candidate for advanced services in territories which don’t use DVB-T and which are switching off analogue television in the coming years? Of course it is!