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!