The main focus on the DVB stand this year was the groundbreaking demo of DVB-T2 delivering a wide range of resolutions from 4k Ultra HD down to the smaller screen resolutions typically found in mobile devices emphasizing the power and flexibility of this second-generation standard. Using DVB-T2 transmission, a 4k service utilizing HEVC encoding, and mobile service was delivered in a single 8 MHz channel. Companies participating in this 'world's first' demonstration were 3net, Alticom, Arqiva, BBC, Broadcom, SES and Sony. This demo came one week after IFA in Berlin where DVB demonstrated 4k UHDTV over DVB-C2, another 'world's first' by the way,  and DVB-S2. This completed a hat trick for 4k UHDTV being transmitted over all three second generation DVB platforms.

Another highlight, was the debut of the new DVB-CI Plus standard and a demo which showed this new version's support for IPTV. In addition to a standard broadcast, a TV display received IPTV via its ethernet interface. The new features of CI Plus v1.4 will permit the CI Plus module to provide traditional set-top box functionality. DVB Members and partners taking part in this demo were Accenture, SmarDTV, TNO and TP Vision.

The official IBC Conference Program featured a raft of DVB related sessions delivered by experts from the DVB and its membership which included "New Concepts & Competition for Terrestrial Broadcast", chaired by Phil Laven, DVB's Chairman. In other sessions, IBC Conference attendees heard more on DVB related topics ranging from DVB-S2 Extensions to HEVC encoding for DVB standards.

On Sunday evening DVB Members joined representatives of the press and DVB executives past and present at the Passenger Terminal in Amsterdam to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the signing of the original Memorandum of Understanding by 80 Members in Bonn on September 10, 1993. The evening was a tremendous success with highlights that included 'a dramatic interpretation' of the history of DVB. Taking part were current and past DVB Chairmen, Executive Directors and Module Chairmen. They were joined by Glenn Reitmeier, ATSC Chairman, who sportingly played the evil dragon. Musical highlights included 'Helmut's Hermits', a four piece band led by David Wood on guitar and joined by IBC Daily journalist, George Jarrett on harmonica. The party was generously sponsored by DekTec, Harris Broadcast, Newtec, SES, Sichuan Changhong Network Technologies, Sky Deutschland, TeamCast and Technicolor.

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John Bigeni

In 2006 during a meeting of the Steering Board it was decided to create a form of 'lifetime achievement award' that would represent the highest honor that could be bestowed upon a participant in the work of the DVB.

The Honorary Fellowship of the DVB aims to honor, on their retirement from active participation in the DVB, significant individuals who have made sustained and substantial contributions to DVB over the years. An Honorary Fellow is asked to continue to support DVB and, where appropriate, can be consulted for advice at the Chairman's request. 

At the 20th Anniversary party held during this year's IBC, John Bigeni was awarded with this honor. John has dedicated his whole professional carrier to broadcast. As a young engineer he joined the Australian Broadcast Cooperation (ABC) where he rose to the position of Technical Director. Furthermore, being well known and very much respected in the Asian Pacific Region, the Asian Broadcast Union (ABU) made him Chairman of the ABU Technical Committee. However, this was just the first chapter of his career. Soon after his retirement at the age of 57 the DVB made him Ambassador for the APAC region. In this position John has been extremely successful. Firstly he was instrumental in the Australian decision to adopt DVB-T. After that he extended his activities to the other countries in the region. Organizing numerous workshops, conferences and tradeshows, he became the face of DVB in the region. With his encyclopedic knowledge of DVB technology, being respected and well connected he was able to convince the relevant stakeholders of the advantages of DVB standards. He successfully managed, country by country, the widespread adoption of DVB technology. It is by his achievement that the Asian region benefits from cost efficient receivers and a wide range of different services based on DVB standards.

John's support was not only limited to Asia; on behalf of DVB he also traveled to Latin America and Africa promoting DVB technology. Nobody counted the miles he traveled for DVB but he must have circumnavigated the earth several times. Now, after being Mr DVB for almost 15 years, most Asian countries have chosen their terrestrial solution, and by and large have opted for DVB. John can look back and be very proud of his achievements. He can now spend more time with his family in Sydney. Of course this does not mean that he is off the hook just yet. DVB may knock at his door once again and request his support for special activities. 

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The DVB-CI Plus specification has been approved by the Steering Board and the DVB BlueBook A165, "DVB  Extensions to the CI Plus Specification (CI Plus V1.4)" is now available for download on the DVB website.

The first DVB Common Interface (DVB-CI) specification was created in 1997. It describes the interface between a Conditional Access Module (CAM) and the host, which is typically a TV set. All the conditional access functionality is provided by the CAM module whereas the host provides the necessary tuning functionally and presents audio and video. In the first DVB-CI version the content was transferred in the clear between the module and the host. This security loophole was resolved with the introduction of CI Plus in 2007. Being mandated by a European Directive, CI Plus slots are present in all TV sets sold in Europe.

DVB will continue to work on new versions of the CI Plus specification. In addition to new features and functionality, the current PCMCIA base physical form factor will be replaced by a more compact interface solution (CI Plus 2.0).

DVB-CI Plus 1.4 adds new features such as extensions to the CI Plus browser and the handling of multiple encrypted streams (multi stream). Other new features include the ability to route high-bandwidth IP streams through the Conditional Access Module (CAM), the ability for the CAM to control those IP streams, the new "Online Service Descriptor Table" (OSDT), and support for IP Multicast. These new features enable IPTV straight to the television set without the need for a set-top box.

Though everyone agrees on the basic elements of UHDTV, IBC 2013 sessions brought to life, in words far stronger than we could print, the different perspectives on UHDTV specifics. For many in the TV set manufacturer's community, what the world needs is a UHDTV set that is very big and inexpensive. For many in the content industry, what the world needs is a UHDTV set with a larger jump in image quality than set makers propose for their launch products. The DVB is at the centre of this, with the development of DVB-UHDTV broadcasting profiles. At meetings of the CM-UHDTV, CM-AVC, and TM-AVC that followed IBC 2013, we were ready with the buckets of cold water.        

The formula that DVB is discussing is a three step approach that begins with the 8 M pixel image level and what will be practical in 2014/15 (UHD-1 Phase 1), continues with a second phase practical in 2017/18 with extra features such as higher frame rates, high dynamic range, and multichannel audio (UHD-1 Phase 2), and may continue in the more distant future with the 32 M pixel image upper UHDTV level (UHD-2). Will everyone come on board?

There are announced plans for a 'label' for UHD TVs from Digital Europe and, at the same time, the movie industry has given its requirements for home delivered content. There is wide gap between the two. The months ahead will be exciting and challenging, as we try to find the recipe for commercial success for UHDTV for our industry. The first steps were taken at the post IBC meetings.

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Reports that terrestrial television in Germany was dead now seem premature after public broadcasters ARD and ZDF confirm that they expect to commence transition to DVB-T2 in 2017 with completion planned for 2020.

ARD states that the transition to DVB-T2 will enable more channels, including HDTV, and lead to considerably reduced transmission costs for broadcasters. It also points out that the new terrestrial distribution will allow all users to receive public channels both at home and on-the-go without additional costs.

ZDF is planning to convert the terrestrial broadcasting of its entire bouquet of programs to DVB- T2 from 2017.

ZDF director, Dr. Thomas Bellut commented: "We believe in digital terrestrial television. This transmission offers a consumer-friendly and free alternative for TV content and on mobile and portable devices. The system change will also bring significant quality improvements. "   

Source: ZDF, ARD 

The new DVB website was up and running in time for IBC. If you have not already checked it out, please take a moment to appreciate its new design which features improved functionality and new elements. Our thanks to our web design agency Aerian for their hard work and dedication in producing the site. We hope you like it. 

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