DTT articles in Sunday Tribune

SPDUB

http://www.tribune.ie/article.tvt?_scope=Tribune/Business/Technology&id=74702&SUBCAT=Tribune/Business&SUBCATNAME=Business

At a digital disadvantage

Ken Griffin

THE Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) has admitted that it is unclear whether Ireland will be able to introduce digital terrestrial television (DTT) in time to meet a European Union deadline of 2012.

The BCI's director of broadcasting, Celene Craig, said that although it seemed possible to achieve the 2012 target, "it is obviously dependent on a number of factors including interest from operators, whether it is possible to build the infrastructure on time and potential legal challenges".

Craig admitted that the BCI would miss a statutory requirement introduced in April's Broadcasting Act to start licensing operators this October.

However, she said it should be in a position to start the process early next year.

"The date in the act is not an absolute stipulation and you have to remember that a significant piece of policy development can usually take 12 to 15 months and, to start the process next year, we have compressed this into seven and a half months, " she said.

DTT involves the use of digital signals to offer more channels and better picture quality, including high definition (HD) broadcasts, using a conventional TV aerial.

It will also allow broadcasters to cease transmitting standard terrestrial television signals and dedicate the spectrum to other purposes. Ireland has lagged behind other European countries on the DTT issue, particularly Britain, which is due to start switching off its analogue TV signals next year.

Last month, the BCI announced that it was postponing the licensing process for three local radio stations to focus on DTT. Under the DTT process, the BCI will award licences to three digital operators, which will each provide four to eight channels to the state's DTT service.

Under the DTT scheme, RTE will automatically receive enough spectrum to broadcast between four to eight digital TV channels. The station is already starting to plan for its DTT service.

According to Anne O'Connor, special advisor to RTE's director general, the state broadcaster believes that DTT will offer significant advantages to viewers over standard analogue broadcasts.

"In particular, we see a significant HD opportunity in Ireland. In the UK, they don't have enough DTT spectrum space to allocate HD channels whereas HD will be available from the start in Ireland, " she said.

O'Connor said that RTE also hoped to offer interactive services, video on demand and a listing guide as part of its DTT service. "We're also looking at improving accessibility by looking at offering audio description and possibly signing, which are possible on digital TV but not analogue."

The Department of Communications is currently operating a DTT trial in Dublin and Louth, which is due to end next year. Last week, Setanta Ireland and Setanta Golf were added to the selection 16 TV channels, 12 radio channels and one High Definition TV channel running in the pilot programme.

The Minister for Communications, Eamon Ryan, has said he wants significant progress towards introducing a national DTT service by the end of the trial.

"We don't want to put it off until 2012 because that would put Ireland at a significant disadvantage compared to our European neighbours in terms of telecommunications, " he said.

Tony Killeen, minister of state for Communications said last week that Ireland must complete the transmission from analogue to digital broadcasting before the EU's 2012 deadline.

"I expect the development of a national public service and commercial deployment of digital terrestrial TV services in mid 2008, " he said.

What is Ireland doing about the big switchover to digital TV?

What will the switchover to digital TV mean?

For the approximately 300,000 Irish households who still receive BBC, ITV and Channel 4 on the free-to-air analogue system or via an aerial, in five years' time the 'big bang' introduction of digital TV across Europe means that overnight they will be cut off.

The EU Commission has deemed 2012 as the year when the old analogue system of TV transmission will be switched off across Europe. The expectation is that by then every country will have the replacement, Digital Terrestrial Television or DTT, rolled out which will allow hundreds of TV stations to be beamed into your sitting room.

While countries can avail of a two-year derogation from the big analogue switch off, speaking before his departure to Transport the then Communications Minister Noel Dempsey said that the UK was well advanced in the switchover to digital TV and would easily meet the 2012 deadline. This means that overnight a lot of Irish people will lose their free TV pictures from the UK, so Ireland has to be ready by 2012 or sooner if possible, Dempsey warned.

What will it mean for RTE?

If we fail to get national DTT rolled out in time for the big shutdown, the national broadcaster, RTE, will ultimately be relegated down the programme guide of a foreign multiplex provider like Sky, who would see little commercial benefit in offering RTE to its customers.

The real upshot of digital TV is that it makes the EU one big open TV market.

This means people can buy the 'menu' of TV stations they want. The reality is that while most Irish people would probably take RTE, nobody else across Europe will and so it would not make commercial sense for a platform provider to offer RTE or TV3 to the mass European market.

Unless we have a national digital transmission network to relay RTE at the top of the dial, our national broadcaster could disappear altogether.

"The roll-out of DTT in Ireland is imperative in ensuring the continued availability of free-to-air Irish public broadcasting to Irish television viewers, " Dempsey said earlier this year.

So what are we doing?

Last month, Communications Minister Eamon Ryan launched the first terrestrial broadcast of an Irish sporting event in HD when the Leinster GAA final between Dublin and Laois was broadcast in such glorious detail from Croke Park.

This was part of the government's DTT trial which is half-way through its two year run. One thousand households were selected in Dublin and Louth to receive DTT broadcasts.

The idea of this high-tech pilot project is to see exactly what the problems are or will be in the national roll-out of digital TV and critically, how it will dovetail with the overnight switch-off of the analogue system.

Technically speaking, the benefit of digital TV is that much more information can be relayed down one wire which means that you can receive literally hundreds of stations. The same wire can relay information the other way, thereby facilitating interactive TV and broadband. Also, reception and picture quality is vastly improved and will not be subject to the vagaries of weather or the proximity of the aerial.

It will also be possible to watch programmes when you want rather than at the time specified by the channel.

What's the cost and who is going to pay?

Precise details as to how much DTT roll out will cost is unclear at this stage, but it is likely that the viewer will have to pay some additional cost.

The DTT trial in Dublin and Louth requires a set-top box, and former minister for communications Noel Dempsey admitted that will involve a "limited" extra cost. Assuming they are ready in time, the new national digital platform is likely to carry RTE, TG4 and TV3 and will be free. A second platform will be allocated to RTE for HD programming. New multiplexes will be added as the market requires, said Dempsey earlier this year, adding that the experience from the Dublin/Louth DTT trial suggests these multiplexes will be "in high demand."

There is also the potential extra cost of buying the right TVs and equipment.

While all TVs are now capable of receiving digital transmissions, people who have older sets will have to buy a new TV.

Similarly, if you want to avail of the increasing number of high definition programmes, you have to buy a HD TV which currently is considerably more expensive than an ordinary TV.

RTE will also have to invest a considerable amount of money in technology such as cameras and studio equipment to enable it to broadcast on the DTT network.

With regard to the actual cost of building up the digital transmission network, this is likely to be borne by the taxpayer.

Currently, RTE makes TV programmes and transmits them through its own transmission network, albeit run by a separate company.

But DTT will probably see RTE give up its transmission network (possibly involving some compensation for the state broadcaster) and the government can use it for the new DTT network.

What about commercial TV stations?

While Minister Eamon Ryan will no doubt be aware of the political storm that can erupt when the state interferes with a citizen's TV such as happened with the MMDS dispute in the west, he will also be aware of the radical transformation that has already taken place in people's TV viewing habits.

There will be protests if people are forced to pay any more for digital TV or for what they can now get for free.

But as Sky's success in Ireland will testify, the protests would be all the louder if the government's failure to roll out digital TV means they are denied the opportunity to buy in even more channels.

Charles Slane

While all TVs are now capable of receiving digital transmissions, people who have older sets will have to buy a new TV.

Really?

watty

There is a lot for nonsense in both these especially:

If we fail to get national DTT rolled out in time for the big shutdown, the national broadcaster, RTE, will ultimately be relegated down the programme guide of a foreign multiplex provider like Sky, who would see little commercial benefit in offering RTE to its customers.

The real upshot of digital TV is that it makes the EU one big open TV market.

This means people can buy the 'menu' of TV stations they want. The reality is that while most Irish people would probably take RTE, nobody else across Europe will and so it would not make commercial sense for a platform provider to offer RTE or TV3 to the mass European market.

Esp. the bit in Bold. Digital TERRESTRIAL....

Satellite has all been available Europw wide Digital for years. It's due to Rights Holders and Sky's virtual Monopoly, the limit on Europe wide stations. DTT here or not has no effect.

byte

If we fail to get national DTT rolled out in time for the big shutdown, the national broadcaster, RTE, will ultimately be relegated down the programme guide of a foreign multiplex provider like Sky, who would see little commercial benefit in offering RTE to its customers.

That also doesn't sound right.

Interestingly, RTE say that HD will be available on Irish DTT from the start.

lucernarian

Dare I say it, but would it be an international first to have a HD channel publicly available on a DVB-T network??

There will be unbelievable takeup if the 4 main UK stations are broadcast unencrypted, but there'll be rights issues with that happening I presume. But there will have to be UK channels offered to make it worthwhile, regardless of cost.

Sponge Bob

We only do international firsts in TOTAL FAILURE.

Slovenia and Norway are live with the tech we are trialling , ie MPEG4 AVC, and are rolling out not trialling and pulling wires .

JohnC.

To_be_confirmed wrote:

Dare I say it, but would it be an international first to have a HD channel publicly available on a DVB-T network??

I could be wrong, but I think it exists in Australia.

flogen

The second article seems to confuse DTT with digital TV in general - especially when it says a failure to set up an Irish DTT system would mean RTÉ would no longer be available on Sky.

The only effect DTT will have on RTÉ on Sky is that a national DTT system might include Interactive services, which would probably be made available on Sky as a result.

byte

Kahless wrote:

I could be wrong, but I think it exists in Australia.

Yes it does.

lucernarian

Ah. I was was getting "notions" for a moment.

That bit about Sky is crazy. I can't understand why RTÉ would be any less desirable to Irish viewers on account of analogue switchoff.

dgently

To_be_confirmed wrote:

Ah. I was was getting "notions" for a moment.

That bit about Sky is crazy. I can't understand why RTÉ would be any less desirable to Irish viewers on account of analogue switchoff.

It seems to all be about the EPG. Many homes (esp border & SE) in Ireland get their UK tv via aerial - so one arial gives them IRL & UK tv.

Once the UK shut down analogue, these homes will lose their UK channels. UK DTT will be unavailable to the vast majority as (AFAIK) the signal doesn't carry nearly as far as analogue.

The logical choice for these homes is expected to be Freesat. Freesat offer/will offer all the major UK channels, and is likely to offer HD service from more than one of them.

That seems to scare the hell out of RTE, because if they lose their primacy on the customers "EPG", they expect their influence and market share to be quickly eroded.

See this article from 2003 http://archives.tcm.ie/businesspost/2003/04/27/story46676753.asp

If RTE did find a way through the maze of rights issues & bailed out to Freesat, I'm not so sure Sky would demote them on their Irish EPG. Certainly, RTE would have no guarantees.

It seems almost as though RTE needs the UK channels on Irish DTT as much as the public want them.

Curiouser and curiouser...

Sponge Bob

but its up to the BCI to knock the 3 multiplexes out on which we may have the UK channels and TV3 . The BCI are doing nothing .

RTE is free right now to launch its own single mux on which it must carry rte1 rte2 and tg4 ( and on which there is therefore a bit of space for bbc1 and bbc2 and bbcnews) ...should they choose to do that I see no issue.

..and the BCI has no remit over the RTE mux , none that I can see.

and UPC can go **** themselves as the Spanish put it so elegantly when they feel like it

SPDUB

Sponge Bob wrote:

but its up to the BCI to knock the 3 multiplexes out on which we may have the UK channels and TV3 . The BCI are doing nothing .

RTE is free right now to launch its own single mux on which it must carry rte1 rte2 and tg4 ( and on which there is therefore a bit of space for bbc1 and bbc2 and bbcnews) ...should they choose to do that I see no issue.

Except as Watty has pointed out RTE management don't want any of the BBC radio services on DAB.

It would be a strange state of affairs if they wanted BBC TV services on their mux

byte

I agree that it would be incredibly unlikely that RTE would carry a rival broadcaster on their own mux (unless they got paid handsomely for doing so).

However, it shouldn't be a big job to roll out 3 muxes, compared to rolling out just one.

dgently

byte wrote:

I agree that it would be incredibly unlikely that RTE would carry a rival broadcaster on their own mux (unless they got paid handsomely for doing so).

However, it shouldn't be a big job to roll out 3 muxes, compared to rolling out just one.

The additional cost would surely be low. But no matter how low it is, it can't be funded publicly (or UPC will contest it) and commercial funding => charged/bundled service => encryption => much slower takeup.

Maybe the government were hoping that a HD service would be a key driver for adoption.

lucernarian

And would UPC have any success in challenging a public rollout beyond a single mux? From what I can tell, the DTT rollouts in various parts of europe (though I'm not sure exactly what the state involvement is) are valid under the state aid rules.

So long as it complied with the European Commission, then UPC could be disregarded, right?

zilog_jones

dgently wrote:

It seems almost as though RTE needs the UK channels on Irish DTT as much as the public want them.

IMO, as someone who has never experienced being able to receive terrestrial UK channels (except for when I lived in England ), I don't think it is necessary nor being demanded by the majority of terrestrial-only viewers of the country. In the mid-west you either get the 4 Irish channels, or you have to get Chorus, Sky or FTA satellite. There are thousands of households which only choose the first option, especially in the case of students and holiday/second homes/mobiles/whatever. Many people have no interest in getting the UK channels.

Having just Irish channels on FTA DTT is more than enough. It's pretty unreasonable to expect them (whoever it ends up being) to carry the UK channels unless they're encrypted. BBC World or News 24 or something would be nice though.

sesswhat

dgently wrote:

It seems to all be about the EPG. Many homes (esp border & SE) in Ireland get their UK tv via aerial - so one arial gives them IRL & UK tv.

Once the UK shut down analogue, these homes will lose their UK channels. UK DTT will be unavailable to the vast majority as (AFAIK) the signal doesn't carry nearly as far as analogue.

At the moment the Freeview signals are not strong because it is a temporary compromise. Large parts of NI cannot receive Freeview as it is now.

I believe that when the old channels are switched off the Freeview signals can then be boosted so anyone receiving their UK channels this way now should be able to get them, with a small investment in a STB and perhaps an aerial upgrade, after the switchover?

As for RTE disappearing, if it means the licence fee going as well then the sooner the better.

watty

USA and Japan also have DTT HD (Though a different system, not DVB-t).

dgently

sesswhat wrote:

As for RTE disappearing, if it means the licence fee going as well then the sooner the better.

I personally value RTE's service far above the license fee. I beleive in public service broadcasting, and that RTE gives good value for money. If anything, I'd like to see their funding raised so that they could de-commercialise. Cbeebies is one of the most potent anti-globalization weapons to date.

Whatever the outcome of this digital dilemma, I hope it doesn't weaken their position as a national broadcaster.

I should say my opinions are that a viewer - I don't work with them and don't know anyone who does.

biologikal

dgently wrote:

I personally value RTE's service far above the license fee. I beleive in public service broadcasting, and that RTE gives good value for money. If anything, I'd like to see their funding raised so that they could de-commercialise. Cbeebies is one of the most potent anti-globalization weapons to date.

Whatever the outcome of this digital dilemma, I hope it doesn't weaken their position as a national broadcaster.

I should say my opinions are that a viewer - I don't work with them and don't know anyone who does.

I agree with most of what you're saying. However, I would like to know what proportion of the licence fee goes towards paying for Fair City, and would be even more delighted with the service RTE provides if that proportion was returned to me. I find this programme one of the biggest wastes of the Earths resources ever.

flogen

biologikal wrote:

I agree with most of what you're saying. However, I would like to know what proportion of the licence fee goes towards paying for Fair City, and would be even more delighted with the service RTE provides if that proportion was returned to me. I find this programme one of the biggest wastes of the Earths resources ever.

At least it's Irish.
What annoys me is when licence fee money is spent on imported programming like US drama and British soccer rights.

I'm largely happy with RTÉ and I think it's an easy target - there's huge room to improve but it has come on leaps and bounds in the last few years. I just don't think airing highlights of British sport is much of a public service.

Sponge Bob

one football league is all they highlight , nary a smidge of cricket the bastids ....or of rugbahhh league.