German DTT to transition to DVB-T2 with HEVC compression

The Cush · 03-06-2014 11:57pm #1

It was announced today that Germany's DTT network will begin the transition from DVB-T/MPEG-2 to DVB-T2/HEVC from 2016 and to be completed by 2020. I believe they will be the first country to use the new compression standard. France have also indicated their intention to transition to DVB-T2/HEVC by 2020.

On the new network the German commercial broadcasting networks RTL and ProSiebenSat.1 channels will be mainly encrypted while the ARD and ZDF PSB channels will remain FTA.

http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2014/06/03/german-commercial-channels-to-encrypt-on-dvb-t2/
http://www.die-medienanstalten.de/presse/pressemitteilungen/die-medienanstalten/detailansicht/article/die-medienanstalten-pm-032014-aktueller-programmbericht-der-medienanstalten.html

HEVC High-Efficiency Video Coding (H.265): highly efficient video compression format, which requires only about 50 percent of the data rate, compared to the previously used standard, MPEG-4 AVC / H.264, for the same level of video quality.

TV households in Germany (mid-2013) 70.214m people in 39.676m households

11% of German households use DTT - 4.2 million households (2.1 million use DTT exclusively)
46.3% use cable - 17.656m households
46.2% use satellite - 17.624m households
4.9% use DSL - 1.872m households

Source: Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Landesmedienanstalten (Association of State Media Authorities)

watty · 04-06-2014 11:36am

Hmm. 1st Gen DTT has been short lived compared to 625 Analogue TV.

The 50% is of course the usual marketing hype, that is under ideal conditions and suitable content. Also that will be comparing at the lower end of quality on MPEG4 compression. But it does give an improvement and the point is that their SD is currently all MPEG2 and DVB-T. DVB-T2 and MPEG4 of course give a big saving.

But will this be done so as to have 1920 x 1080p or 1440 x720p or 1440 x 1080i or
so that MORE spectrum can be sold off crippling the ability to ever have sensible progress frame rates forever?

I'm afraid it's about selling spectrum, not about better TV services.

The Cush · 04-06-2014 12:35pm

watty wrote: »

But will this be done so as to have 1920 x 1080p or 1440 x720p or 1440 x 1080i or
so that MORE spectrum can be sold off crippling the ability to ever have sensible progress frame rates forever?

Of course it's about releasing spectrum for DD2, same for the UK, France, Italy who are also looking at DVB-T2/HEVC to free-up spectrum. According to German news articles no decision has been made on what mix of HD and SD channels will be carried, only in the network planning stage yet.

watty · 04-06-2014 6:14pm

We don't even really need the 800MHz for Mobile. Mobile Spectrum is very badly used so as to reduce capital (almost once off) expenditure for Mobile Operators.

Instead the Greed of "Captured" Regulators and Politicians and Mobile is destroying the ability to have Terrestrial TV for our Grandchildren.

We know Comreg and Ofcom are committed (with no proper democratic input) to total abolition of Terrestrial Broadcast TV. DD2 is the next step in the plan.

It will be too late when the ordinary public discover that Fibre, Cable, Satellite, Internet are complementary, not a universal replacement for Terrestrial Broadcast.

Pay TV on Cable will have better than current HD (perhaps 2K) and perhaps 96 FPS progressive. Any remaining Terrestrial will be overly compressed 1440 x 1080 i (25fps interlaced 50Hz). Or 1440 x 720p.

icdg · 04-06-2014 6:37pm

I'm not sure what makes RTL and Sat1 think they can sell a new pay-DTT platform in Germany where pay-TV (and terrestrial TV for that matter) has traditionaly massively under-performed, next perhaps only to Italy in the the continent of Europe. As long as their channels remain free to air on satellite the only effect would be to push viewers to other platforms.

The Cush · 04-06-2014 10:39pm

icdg wrote: »

As long as their channels remain free to air on satellite the only effect would be to push viewers to other platforms.

The HD versions of their channels on satellite are encrypted (HD+). By the time the MPEG-2 terrestrial channels are switched off the SD versions on satellite may be gone too.

STB · 05-06-2014 12:13am

That new broadcom chip (BCM 7445) is the only chipset that supports H265 as far as I know. They must be going down the Ultra HD route so they will need all the savings on bandwidth! The French are testing it at the moment in Paris.

icdg · 05-06-2014 8:51am

The Cush wrote: »

The HD versions of their channels on satellite are encrypted (HD+). By the time the MPEG-2 terrestrial channels are switched off the SD versions on satellite may be gone too.

So they claim the subscription charge is an ongoing charge for the receiver and the channels themselves are actually free????? I've heard it all now. Pay TV is pay TV, no matter which way you look at it.

Impetus · 15-06-2014 11:03am

Netflix is using H.265 for UHD programming in North America, and it is only a matter of time before they will use H.265 for "ordinary" HD and other content too - to save pumping as many bits down the pipe. Google has its VP9 compression technology (open source, no royalties) which competes with H.265.

PC browser support for H.265 and VP9 is critical, and probably will not take long. While a 50% drop in bits (compared with H.264) is aspirational, they are already in the 45% range, even with low definition content.

It seems to me that to keep your options open (“future-proof”) you need a PC with HDMI 2.0 out and a 4k TV with HDMI 2.0 in to transport the UHD content from the PC to TV screen. Sub 2,000 € UHD TVs with H.265 and or VP9 browsers will follow soon after - offering direct Ethernet connections and a remote control to navigate through programme offerings from the couch, probably with speech recognition.

The future of television is on demand (Netflix style), rather than everybody managing their diaries to jump to the orders of broadcasters to watch a specific programme at a specific time, which is one of the main reasons why broadcast audiences are falling off in developed countries.

There is no reason why other Netflix type companies don’t spring up offering specialist content funded by advertising (like twit.tv) or subscription based. A TV station becomes a website with videos (on demand and/or live). 8K TV can follow, but it will need an even better screen.

A video discussion on HEVC and related technologies:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUK9FE0GFM4

HDMI 2.0
http://www.cnet.com/uk/news/hdmi-2-0-what-you-need-to-know/

Impetus · 15-06-2014 11:10am

Astra and Eutelsat have started their first broadcasts using HEVC

http://www.eutelsat.com/en/services/broadcast/ultra-high-definition.html

http://www.ses.com/4233325/news/2013/15034396

Eutelsat overview presentation on technologies:

http://www.worldbroadcastingunions.org/wbuarea/library/docs/isog/presentations/2013B/1.8%20Eutelsat%20-%20WBU-ISOG%20Forum%20Rio%20Nov%202013.pdf

watty · 15-06-2014 11:48am

Impetus wrote: »

The future of television is on demand (Netflix style), rather than everybody managing their diaries to jump to the orders of broadcasters to watch a specific programme at a specific time, which is one of the main reasons why broadcast audiences are falling off in developed countries.

Audiences are dropping because content is poor.

The "We don't need Broadcast" mantra is Ofcom & Comreg propaganda because they want to sell the entire Broadcast UHF band.

Many niche stations can be replaced by Internet, but only when there is universal fast broadband.

Broadband needs fixed infrastructure and for Mainstream channels is more expensive than even DTT (Satellite much cheaper than terrestrial).

Physical video rental shops are pretty doomed because people either want to buy a DVD/Bluray or rent online. Not everyone wants to rent or download for ever.

Also there will be PVRs that record EVERY terrestrial channel on a rolling 2 week basis. GIVING people one of these in the future would be cheaper than Catch up / Download TV for mainstream channels.

Abolition of Broadcasting or physical discs isn't going to happen. They and Broadband streaming are complementary.

Also Cable TV & Satellite can't replace Terrestrial TV.

I don't wish a future on my Grandchildren where all TV viewing is tracked and only available on broadband and nothing is "off-line".

Sheldons Brain · 15-06-2014 12:28pm

Broadcast makes admirable sense for things like the World Cup, having 3bn individual transmissions for the same thing would make no sense whatsoever and 90% of the places receiving the transmission had no infrastructure for broadband.

Impetus · 15-06-2014 2:01pm

watty wrote: »

Audiences are dropping because content is poor.

.

Broadcast content is too generalised for large audiences who are used to web sites and prior to that magazines and books specialising in their topics of interest. Dummed down content for the mass audience will attract people with poor purchasing power (unable or unwilling to pay subscriptions even small ones, and not interesting to many advertisers due to lack of spending power).

You could have high quality content which many mass audiences might consider poor or whatever. eg a live concert in 4K or 8K from with 22.2 high bit rate sound from Teatro alla Scala in Milano*. But most people who are interested in this stuff would gladly pay €€€ to watch it live or on demand in their living room - saving admission tickets, flights and hotel, meals etc. The theatre would still be sold out.... they would generate extra cash for the multi-media rights and the actors etc would benefit with potentially higher income etc.

Or you might have a broadcast technology channel, aimed at a global audience, which I suspect would have no problem selling advertising of related products and services, and no problem selling various types of subscription. Delivered over the web like http://twit.tv/shows.

As for "World Cup" type type content distribution, this can be streamed, using local cacheing (eg an SSD in each local VDSL2 street cabinet, or FTTP street cabinet) - so one copy of the product is shipped to the edge of the network, and every house served by that local hub is drawing the content of mass interest over the short link to their home from the street box. Alternatively a hybrid solution 4K or 8K DTT with a limited number of channels to carry content of wide public interest, with a browser built in to display everything else, mainly on demand.

For this to flourish one has to take monopolies like NTL (who has a snout in the conventional broadcast pay TV trough, as well as broadband, sort of), out of the loop and replace them with a national FTTP platform open to all comers (content sources and end users). The US cable monopolies like Comcast and Time Warner seem to be doing everything to block or slow down Video on Demand services, and UPC comes from the same stable.

*http://www.teatroallascala.org/en/

watty · 15-06-2014 4:24pm

Fantasy and patronising to the majority of viewers.

Technically it's possible to mass broadcast via Internet, but even if every home had fibre (a pre-condition) it still is inflexible in delivery compared to Radio Broadcast. Also more expensive.

The two technologies are complementary. Only a "Captured Regulator" or Google/Netflix/Amazon/Apple would believe in a purely wired, monitored, controlled and EXPENSIVE subscription only future.

Your "broadcast free" future would only benefit large multinational corporations, cost consumers more and be the death of quality and relevant national PSB output.

Impetus · 15-06-2014 4:34pm

watty wrote: »

Fantasy and patronising to the majority of viewers.

Technically it's possible to mass broadcast via Internet, but even if every home had fibre (a pre-condition) it still is inflexible in delivery compared to Radio Broadcast. Also more expensive.

The two technologies are complementary. Only a "Captured Regulator" or Google/Netflix/Amazon/Apple would believe in a purely wired, monitored, controlled and EXPENSIVE subscription only future.

Your "broadcast free" future would only benefit large multinational corporations, cost consumers more and be the death of quality and relevant national PSB output.

A few hours ago you admitted that the existing content inflicted on viewers is poor. One of the reasons is because the market is closed and insular. I am saying open it up by removing the broadband "bouchon" - a chain is as strong as its weakest link scenario. You can buy a 4K camera for about 2,500 € - eg http://www.sony.ie/electronics/interchangeable-lens-camera-products/t/interchangeable-lens-cameras?bestfor=expert-capability
less if you shop around. Make your own content about anything you are expert in and offer it to the world over IPTV. Use subscription or advertising or hybrid models to remunerate yourself. The one thing you will not want is pipeline monopolists trying to prevent one from delivering the product or mafia style taking a 60% cut of your revenues.

The Cush · 15-06-2014 5:51pm

The latest subjective video performance comparison between HVEC and H.264/MPEG-4 AVC HP was conducted by the BBC and the University of the West of Scotland. The report was published in May this year.

Report on HEVC compression performance verification testing
Document: JCTVC-Q1011

---Executive Summary---

A major goal for the development of the HEVC standard was to achieve a substantial improvement in compression capability relative to its predecessor, the AVC standard. This document reports the results of a verification test to confirm that this goal was achieved and to estimate the magnitude of that achievement.

A subjective evaluation was conducted comparing the HEVC Main profile to the AVC High profile. The test compared visual quality for twenty video sequences with resolutions ranging from 480p to Ultra HD (UHD) that were encoded at various bit rates or quality levels.

Analysis of the subjective test results show that HEVC test points at half or less than half the bit rate of the AVC reference were found to achieve comparable quality in 86% of the cases.

Estimation of the bit rate savings from these results confirmed that the HEVC Main profile achieves the same subjective quality as AVC High profile while requiring on average approximately 59% fewer bits.

The bit rate savings are similar for the different resolutions tested, with higher resolution sequences having slightly more savings. The average bit rate savings for test sequences with UHD, 1080p, 720p and 480p resolutions are estimated at approximately 64%, 62%, 56% and 52%, respectively.

---Conclusions---

Analysis of the subjective test results show that HEVC test points at half or less than half the bit rate of the AVC reference, were found to achieve comparable quality in 86% of the cases.

By applying the MOS BD-rate measurement on the results of the subjective test, it was found for the investigated test cases that the HEVC Main profile achieves the same subjective quality as AVC High profile while requiring on average approximately 59% fewer bits.

It can therefore be concluded that the HEVC standard is able to deliver the same subjective quality as AVC, while on average (and in the vast majority of typical sequences) only requiring half or even less than half of the bit rate used by AVC. This means that the initial objective of the HEVC development (substantial improvement in compression compared to previous state of the art) has been successfully achieved.

- Joint Collaborative Team on Video Coding (JCT-VC) of ITU-T SG 16 WP 3 and ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 29/WG 11
17th Meeting: Valencia, ES, 27 March – 4 April 2014

http://phenix.it-sudparis.eu/jct/doc_end_user/current_document.php?id=9089
http://phenix.it-sudparis.eu/jct/doc_end_user/documents/17_Valencia/wg11/JCTVC-Q1011-v1.zip

watty · 16-06-2014 10:30pm

AVC reference were found to achieve comparable quality in 86% of the cases.

So 14% it's worse? Also what quality was reference?

For example AAC at 64kbps joint stereo is similar subjective quality to 128Kbps MP2 Joint Stereo, i.e. a 50% saving. But at similar or better to good FM quality there is very little bitrate saving. In fact though the norm for DAB and Irish Radio on DTT is now 128K MP2 and 64K AAC on DAB+, it's terrible quality. Especially if the listener has any hearing impairment.

Sceptic Me?

YES. Because all new tech is always oversold and caveats underplayed. Currently channels like ITV4 SD are abysmal with artefacts.

I've no doubt that under particular conditions 50% can be achieved. This is mainly a cost saving for providers to give us the same dumbed down quality as before. I'd like to see SD broadcast have DVD quality instead of being worse than decent PAL, and HD have BD quality instead of someplace only slightly better than a good DVD upscaled.

Meanwhile YET AGAIN consumers are forced to upgrade to get the same quality as before. More Electronics is junked. So that Broadcasters can save maybe 5% of their budget (Transmission costs are only a fraction and real world bandwidth savings for really same quality won't be quite as good as 50%, nor will this be a 50% cost saving in transmission).

I'm sure there is some advantage and cost saving but I'd be surprised if any saving for viewers.

We don't really know what is the benchmark quality being used. In any case even if data saving is 70% is the overall economic and ecological cost to consumers and environment of change so soon justified?

The Cush · 16-06-2014 11:34pm

watty wrote: »

So 14% it's worse?

"at half or less than half the bit rate of the AVC reference", so safe to say comparable quality at more than half the bitrate of the AVC reference bitrate.

watty wrote: »

We don't really know what is the benchmark quality being used.

International Telecommunication Union Standardization Sector; Recommendation ITU-T P.910 “Subjective video quality assessment methods for multimedia applications”

The Cush · 17-06-2014 2:07am

This graphic is from a current Ofcom consultation on the future of the 700 Mhz band.

Capacity per DTT multiplex under different technology
DVB-T mux (MPEG-2) - 24 or 27 Mbit/s
DVB-T2 mux (MPEG-4 or HEVC) - 40 Mbit/s

Ofcom had no plans to introduce HEVC compression at the time the consultation was published but the following week Germany announced they were to transition their DTT network to T2/HEVC, starting mid-2016. TV manufacturers now have 2 years notice to begin incorporating HEVC decoders into their receiver ranges.

Although the platform may have the option to upgrade to more efficient technologies, e.g. HEVC, we do not consider that this is a feasible option in the timescales proposed for change of use of the 700 MHz band.

marno21 · 17-06-2014 11:55am

60 SD channels on a 40Mbit multiplex?

There was me thinking SD quality couldnt get any worse

watty · 17-06-2014 11:31pm

But Ofcom's (and Comreg's) REAL plan is sell off ALL the UHF band.

That Ofcom table is fantasy and wishful thinking. Fact is the 800MHz shouldn't have been sold off.

watty · 17-06-2014 11:34pm

The Cush wrote: »

International Telecommunication Union Standardization Sector; Recommendation ITU-T P.910 “Subjective video quality assessment methods for multimedia applications”

That's the methods. It doesn't tell us what they regarded as acceptable in the first place.

The Cush · 18-06-2014 1:36am

watty wrote: »

It doesn't tell us what they regarded as acceptable in the first place.

As it was a subjective test obviously the viewers in the test decided what was acceptable to each of them and scored it accordingly. Have you read the document?

The Cush · 24-06-2014 6:53pm

German PSB "ARD" announced today that they will accelerate the transition to DVB-T2/HEVC and complete it by mid 2019, 18 months earlier than originally planned. The German government wants the 700MHz band frequencies available from mid 2019 for mobile use.

The transition period will be shorter now as it can't start earlier than 2016/17 because suitable cheap HEVC receivers won't be available before that time.

http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2014/06/24/ard-to-speed-up-dvb-t2-transition/
http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2014/06/24/media-broadcast-welcomes-ards-dvb-t2-acceleration/

The Cush · 26-08-2014 1:01am

The transition to DVB-T2/HEVC is being accelerated, the german website Teltarif.de is reporting that the federal network agency BNetzA (BNA) wants to speed up the release of the 700MHz band making it available by early 2017, more than 2 years earlier than originally planned (http://www.telecompaper.com/news/germany-could-use-700-mhz-for-mobile-from-2017-report--1032302). That means broadcasters, manufacturers and consumers will be required to upgrade in a shorter time-frame.

The german network operator Media Broadcast recently announced that they're to being testing using the new DVB-T2/HEVC standard in Berlin and will continue until summer 2016 at which time regular DVB-T2/HEVC transmissions will start (http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2014/08/23/media-broadcast-to-launch-dvb-t2hevc-trial-in-berlin).

The Cush · 08-10-2014 12:10am

DVB-T2 tests underway in Berlin with the new compression standard HEVC/H.265 - http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2014/10/06/media-broadcast-kicks-off-dvb-t2hevc-trial-in-berlin/ , http://advanced-television.com/2014/10/06/media-broadcast-tests-dvb-t2-standard/

TAFKAlawhec · 15-10-2014 1:26am

marno21 wrote: »

60 SD channels on a 40Mbit multiplex?

There was me thinking SD quality couldnt get any worse

The idea of fitting 60 SD video streams on to a 40Mbit multiplex relies on using HEVC. You wouldn't use MPEG2 to do it. :eek:

At the end of the day it's down to the the lossy codec being used and the efficiency of it in use. Even MPEG2 encoders are still being improved upon - for example some recent encoders put in place a couple of years ago in the UK for the ITV/C4 multiplex gave better efficiency that allowed for the resolution of all video streams to be upgraded to 704x576 - prior to that most TV channels on the multiplex were 544x576.

Kensington · 15-10-2014 10:12am

The Cush wrote: »

As it was a subjective test obviously the viewers in the test decided what was acceptable to each of them and scored it accordingly. Have you read the document?

Well there's the big problem "subjective".
Many would tell you that "subjectively", crackly, staticy vinyl sounds better than CD, but technical fact goes against that "subjective" belief.
VHS was "acceptable" back in the day but woefully bad in comparison to today's technical capability.

Unfortunately though, in cases like this, money wins out (more for less), not technical excellence (better for less).

The Cush · 19-11-2014 2:02am

In a press event last week the network operator, Media Broadcast, presented its plans for the transition from DVB-T/MPEG-2 to DVB-T2/HEVC.

The company is currently test broadcasting a multiplex of six HD channels using HEVC encoding on DVB-T2. At the moment, three public channels are carried live on channel 42, ARD HD, ZDF HD and Arte HD using 720p/50, as well as loops for three private broadcasters, who are set to use 1080i.

The test signals are broadcast on UHF Ch. 42 from the Alexanderplatz and Schäferberg transmitter sites as an SFN (each at 50 kW ERP). Data rates between 18 and 28 Mbps are being achieved within the multiplex enabling up to seven HDTV channels or 16 SD channels to be broadcast in future.

The broadcasts also include additional data, including HbbTV, EPG data, Teletext, audio description as well as data for the hybrid Multithek service.

CI Plus will be part of the new standard in Germany in order to allow premium and other pay services over terrestrial transmitters. The encryption system has yet to be chosen.

The provisional transition plan
- Commercial broadcasters start regular DVB-T2 transmissions mid-2016 and cease DVB-T transmissions early 2018
- PSBs start regular DVB-T2 transmissions early 2017 and cease DVB-T transmissions mid-2019
- First consumer receivers for the new standard will be shown at the IFA 2015 in Berlin, including TV sets, set-top boxes and other devices.

http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2014/11/15/media-broadcast-prepares-for-hd-on-dvb-t2/
http://www.media-broadcast.com/en/startpage/news/press/en-artikel/article/media-broadcast-tests-digital-terrestrial-television-of-the-future/

The Cush · 23-11-2014 2:19am

With the new DTT standard still in testing mode the Germans are wasting no time in preparing for the transition to DVB-T2/HEVC.

This week they published a tender to operate the 3 nationwide private/commercial multiplexes

http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2014/11/18/germany-seeks-dvb-t2hevc-platform-operator/

Gerry Wicklow · 23-11-2014 12:03pm

Is this HEVC simply a codec that could be installed on a HTPC or would it need a change of hardware?

German DTT to transition to DVB-T2 with HEVC compression

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