The US broadcasts its terrestrial signals under the ATSC format, but the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has just approved a 6-month trial of Europe’s OFDM-based DVB-T2 standard. The trial will take place shortly on a Baltimore station between the hours of 1am-5am. The rationale behind the trial is to use it as a test-bed for […]
Italian public broadcaster RAI is set to launch DVB-T2 broadcasts in almost all the provincial capitals with a new dedicated multiplex (number five) on VHF channel 11. This move follows tests conducted by RAI in Palermo and in Valle d’Aosta. The new DVB-T2 transmitters will serve the regional capitals, while the composition of the new […]
DigiTAG, the broadcast industry body that promotes digital terrestrial television (DTT) and protecting broadcast spectrum for broadcasters has published a new guide on digital switchover. The guide provides a comprehensive overview of the key regulatory, business, and technical issues that must be addressed for a successful digital switchover process. It also explores strategies for analogue […]
Members of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) have agreed a new video coding standard building on the H.264/MPEG-4 AVC codec. According to the ITU, the new standard, known informally as ‘High Efficiency Video Coding’ (HEVC), will considerably ease the burden on global networks where, by some estimates, video accounts for more than half of bandwidth […]
US standards body the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) has set up new Implementation Teams for two new emerging standards – ATSC 2.0 and the Mobile Emergency Alert System (M-EAS). “Today’s announcement is a significant step in the move to expand the capabilities of ATSC broadcast TV. We want to keep the ATSC standard relevant […]
Manufacturers of DAB receivers are set to benefit from lower costs as a result of the expiry of the patents related to the DAB family of standards – generally referred to as the Philips patent pool. For manufacturers, this is important news as the patents expire in some of the largest potential target markets for […]
HGI, the global organisation for publishing requirements for the digital home, has published an updated specification for improving Quality of Service (QoS) through the Home Gateway. HGI _RD027-R3, “Home Gateway QoS Module Requirements” addresses the current evolution of the home network to an IPv6 environment, and identifies the Home Gateway requirements needed to extend the […]
The Open Mobile Video Coalition (OMVC), which has served as the principal proponent for Mobile Television in the US since 2007, is to integrate functions with the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), suggesting that the alliance reflects the maturity of Mobile TV, accelerates its commercialisation, and solidifies its role in the larger broadcast television ecosystem. […]
The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), a specialist in motion-imaging standards, and the Video Services Forum (VSF), an international association dedicated to video networking technologies, have announced the latest two standards in a series that creates a standardised framework for the transport of video over Internet Protocol (IP) networks. The documents, including […]
DirecTV has joined the Board of Directors of the Multimedia over Coax Alliance, MoCA. DirecTV, a MoCA Promoter member, joined the Alliance in 2008 and has been deploying devices integrating MoCA technology since 2009. To date, millions of DirecTV set-top boxes and adaptors integrating MoCA technology have been deployed in DirecTV customer homes in the […]