DVB-I and RTÉ

Johnboy1951 · 08-12-2023 12:36pm #1

I have searched for and failed to find a discussion thread on DVB-I but maybe it exists and this thread could be deleted.

Anyway I wondered if some of those 'in the know' are tracking developments in DVB-I and how it might impact consumers in Ireland. It would be good to see what others think, as I don't have sufficient knowledge to even have an opinion!

https://dvb.org/news/dvb-i-capabilities-tested-in-proof-of-concept-at-irelands-rte/

https://dvb-i.tv/services/#ireland

icdg · 10-12-2023 7:36am

Even after reading the website I’m not quite sure what DVB-I is. From what I can make out it appears to mainly about streaming linear tv over the internet, that has been done for years? Might be helpful to know exactly what the applications are.

The one RTE-related project mentioned, putting the player on the EPG, isn’t novel even in Ireland - VM have had Netflix listed on their EPG (channel 300 IIRC) for years, if you select the channel the app launches.

butwhynot · 10-12-2023 9:49am

There was a webinar held in July about DVB-I. It mentions a public trial next year. (42:57 for the Saorview part) https://youtu.be/7Y_XIg-Ixio?t=2577

The current method of streaming linear TV (HbbTV) displays a loading screen for 5 seconds before the channel starts playing. From my understanding DVB-I will avoid this and start playing instantly as if it was a proper DVB-T channel.

You can see how it currently works on Freeview here at 11:28. It's quite slow https://youtu.be/kDj6CJ0p-f8?t=686

For comparison, here's a recent DVB-I trial from November https://youtu.be/DkWzeEy5ORU

I presume the end goal is not needing an aerial at all and that Saorview will be fully delivered over IP, with a similar channel lineup to Freeview.

JDxtra · 19-12-2023 9:15am

Thanks for sharing the video links, very interesting.

Time is off the essence, and hopefully RTE don't drag it out for years. There is a real need for an Irish based IPTV service. Using the individual players is painful, and many more people these days don't have a cable (of any type) or a box connected to their TV. They rely entirely on streaming, especially in bedrooms, kitchens etc.

Fingers crossed for Jim Higgins and the rest of the team at RTE/Saorview to deliver.

The Cush · 09-01-2024 1:32am

Italy deploys internet fall-back for TV signal > RXTV info

In Italy, some viewers can enjoy internet fall-back if their TV signal fails thanks the arrival of DVB-I. At the same time, the country’s public broadcaster RAI is preparing to upgrade its signal.

In November, the first major market trial got underway of a TV platform that could offer more channels, better picture quality and access to channels even if a viewer is outside of the terrestrial coverage zone.

Using the new pan-European DVB-I standard, the first smart TVs manufactured by Vestel are now geared up to access commercial broadcaster Mediaset’s new service. The broadcaster is trialling how DVB-I could complement the existing terrestrial TV service.

As in many countries with hilly or mountainous terrain, terrestrial coverage can be variable. In places reception of the full set of channels is not possible. DVB-I can kick in where terrestrial reception is absent, or where the household doesn’t want to use an aerial.

In the trial, viewers with compatible smart TVs can access four HD channels from Mediaset on channel 504-506 and 520 via their broadband connection. But it’s only a small drop in the ocean to what DVB-I could be used for in the future, as new hybrid platforms take shape.

The Cush · 21-09-2024 12:35pm

Saorview DVB-I at IBC2024

Irish DVB-I tests continue
Another popular demonstration, available on both the DVB and EBU booths at IBC2024, was the second phase of the DVB-I proof-of-concept from Ireland’s free-to-air platform Saorview. The PoC, which it is hoped will pave the way for a later public trial, integrates several features that could be important for a next-generation hybrid platform: seamless inclusion of the RTÉ Player app within the EPG, deep linking to catch-up viewing and box sets, accessibility features, etc. Accessibility was also a key element of the DVB-I demo from Catalonian broadcasters 3Cat on the EBU booth.
Conversations on the DVB booth and elsewhere pointed to considerable interest and activity among TV set vendors in integrating DVB-I clients in future models. Vestel has up to now been the primary supplier of TV sets for demonstrations and trials, having DVB-I compliant sets available on the market in several European countries already. It seems likely that Vestel will soon be joined by several other manufacturers, which would in turn provide a greater incentive to those interested in launching services.
https://dvb.org/news/ibc2024-dvb-i-and-dvb-native-ip-ready-for-prime-time/

Saorview demonstrates DVB-I capability
Ireland’s DTT platform, Saorview, is working towards a public trial of a hybrid platform featuring DVB-I.
Its latest iteration that was demonstrated at last week’s IBC 2024 event in Amsterdam includes deep linking to the RTÉ Player app within the EPG. It means viewers can enter and leave the Player environment without the waiting time often associated with such apps. It’s also possible to link shows from the EPG to their place in the RTE Player library.
It’s anticipated a closed trial will be followed by a later public trial, in Ireland, of the technology.
The DVB-I standard is the internet-centric mechanism to signal and discover television services, whether they are delivered over IP networks or broadcast networks.
https://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2024/09/20/saorview-demonstrates-dvb-i-capability/

2024_dvb-i_ibc_FINAL.pdf

with thanks to butwhynot and Gordon Maynard Director, OnScreen Publishing (Linkdin)

DVB-I for Saorview: a proof of concept demonstrating the user benefits that can be gained by implementing DVB-I on Ireland’s DTT network, showing hybrid channels, an enhanced content guide, deep linking, boxed sets and easy access to the RTÉ Player
Gordon Maynard Director, OnScreen Publishing (Linkdin)

The Cush · 21-09-2024 1:42pm

EBU Presentation, May 2023 DVB-I, the basis of future TV-services?

Includes presentation by Jim Higgins (RTÉ) - DVB-I Pilot and Proof of Concept at RTÉ

DVB-I, the basis of future TV-services? | EBU Technology & Innovation

https://dvb.org/news/dvb-i-capabilities-tested-in-proof-of-concept-at-irelands-rte/

The Cush · 21-09-2024 1:48pm

Who is testing DVB-I?

SERVICES – DVB-I

NEWS – DVB-I

The Cush · 21-09-2024 3:02pm

Results of Germany DVB-I Pilot

https://dvb-i.tv/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Report-DVB-I-German-pilot-phase1_EN.pdf

German DVB-I Project publishes conclusions (broadbandtvnews.com)

The Cush · 21-09-2024 3:08pm

DVB-I and the future of television distribution - DVB

Is DVB-I about to save public service media? | IBC

Ireland’s free-to-air platform Saorview is running a second DVB-I PoC as part of a wider examination of what a next- generation hybrid broadcast–broadband platform should look like. Jim Higgins, Brand Compliance and Business Development Manager, says: “We want to stay with our audience and serve them where they are with something they are familiar with. DVB-I is a technology that allows a continuity of universal access and prominence, and gives broadcasters the ability to reach audiences in a competitive landscape.”

The Cush · 21-09-2024 3:30pm

The UK goes a different route

In the UK, where regulator Ofcom has set out three possible scenarios for the future of television distribution, including full DTT switch-off, Freely provides the broadcaster-friendly, linear- first UX where each LCN can be served with either a broadcast or streamed version of the same channel, albeit without using DVB-I. This new service shares the same objectives as continental broadcasters, including a roadmap for IP- only homes or an all-streaming country.
Freely is a unique beast, however, backed by an operating company (Everyone TV) that is owned by four public broadcasters and creating a platform and UX (using HbbTV OpApp) that runs on smart TVs. Other markets could ‘do a Freely’, using DVB-I, if broadcasters wanted to group together as a platform and were allowed by regulators. The alternative model is to organize themselves to create a broadcaster-friendly DVB-I service list that is the basis for programme guides developed by device manufacturers.
https://dvb.org/news/dvb-i-and-the-future-of-television-distribution/

TV operators are today focused on seamlessly integrating a hybrid broadcast–broadband user experience in an appealing package for consumers. The German DVB-I pilot and the UK’s recently announced next-generation hybrid free-to-air TV platform – branded Freely – illustrate different, but not necessarily incompatible approaches. While the German pilot is based on the DVB-I specification, Freely will use HbbTV’s Operator Application (HbbTV OpApp). The former relies on a TV set’s native user interface, while the latter is based on privileged access to the connected TV’s user interface and other sub-systems.
First showcased as an operator user interface on some TV sets for the HD+ service from SES in Germany in 2019, the HbbTV OpApp has been around for a while. The specification itself has been heavily updated of late, with significant input from UK colleagues like BBC and EveryoneTV (the entity formed by the free-to-air broadcasters, previously known as DigitalUK, and that is behind the launch of Freely). A recent HbbTV webinar on Freely revealed that the service’s OpApp is launching with two TV-set vendors. HbbTV OpApps require bilateral agreements between operators/ platforms and manufacturers, and some vendors are less willing than others to facilitate platform customization.
A plausible scenario combining DVB-I with a HbbTV OpApp envisions a TV set supporting both DVB-I service discovery and HbbTV OpApps. In such a scenario, DVB-I provides a list of channels and related applications (which could be HbbTV OpApps) with the consumer choosing whether to install them.
It comes down to DVB-I versus HbbTV OpApp, right? Wrong! - DVB

Vogel had been attracted to the new UK platform Freely, which is an HbbTV operator app.
“The preparation of Freely was a kind of difficult discussion with OFCOM, but what I see and want to point out is that the Freely operator approach fits with DVB-I as well. If you use Freely on open devices, this gains us opportunities for further developments,” he says.
https://www.ibc.org/features/is-dvb-i-about-to-save-public-service-media/11225.article

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