Www.cba.org.uk [email protected] Alan B Downie for CTU Port of Spain, Trinidad, 2Apr2012 DTT Broadcasting Ecosystem Alan B Downie Broadcast Engineering Consultant

www.cba.org.uk [email protected] Alan B Downie for CTUPort of Spain, Trinidad, 2Apr2012

DTT Broadcasting Ecosystem

Alan B Downie

Broadcast Engineering Consultant

Commonwealth Broadcasting Association


Ecosystem

a living community of plants and animals sharing an environment and interacting with non-living elements such as climate and soil


Broadcasting Ecosystem

a living community of sound image text and moving-pictures creators and distributors (electronic media) who share an environment and interact with national and international regulations and consumers


How did we get here?


A very short history of television


Guglielmo Marconi

Italy

1901

Transatlantic transmissions


John Logie Baird Scotland

(1888 - 1946)

First public demonstrationJanuary 1926, London

( 1920, Santa Cruz, Trinidad )


Mechanical scanning Paul Gottlieb Nipkow Jan 1884

Cathode ray tube Karl Ferdinand Braun 1897

“Distant Electric Vision” Campbell Swinton June 1908

First images John Logie Baird 1920

Public Demonstration John Logie Baird 27 Jan 1926

First transmission, 40 lines Kenjiro Takayanagi Dec 1926


First public service, 30 lines John Logie Baird 22 Aug 1932

120 lines service, New York Vladimir Zworykin 1933

180 line service, Berlin Mar 1935

405 line service, UKBBC 2 Nov 1936

525 line service, USA 1941

1000 line system German Forces, Paris 1940 - 44


1200 line system UK late 1940’s

819 lines service, France early 1950’s

625 lines service, Europe mid 1960’s

1125 lines service, Japan NHK early 1980’s

1250 lines system, Europe late 1980’s

1080 line system Common Image Standard late 1990’s


Evolution

Not

Revolution


If you can’t beat them, join them

Go digital ………..Fund the change

Make the change

Keep it going

Decide to change


• Digital content available in the home. In particular educational content

• Ability to connect schools and other public entities

• Promotion of e-government services

• Bringing the internet to the people

• Open standards facilitating new entrants

DTT Opportunity


DTT is an infrastructure project

National network providing a media / communication gateway into the home



Public Perception


EdinburghTrams


Petrol Shortage


Climate Change


Regulation


Michael Starks


Transmission



Congestion in The Spectrum


25

The UK spectrum band – 470-862MHz

112 MHz of cleared spectrum (14 x 8 MHz)

ChannelFrequency(MHz)

Channel 36 – currently used mainly for airport radarChannel 38 – currently protected for radio-astronomy in UK and Netherlands

Channel 69 – currently used for equipment such as wireless microphones

854-862

69

846-854838-846830-838822-830814-822806-814798-806790-798782-790774-782766-774758-766

686766656463626160595857

750-758742-750734-742726-734718-726710-718702-710694-702686-694678-686670-678662-670

565554535251504948474645

654-662646-654638-646630-638622-630614-622606-614598-606590-598582-590574-582566-574

444342414039383736353433

558-566550-558542-550534-542526-534518-526510-518502-510494-502486-494478-486470-478

323130292827262524232221

854-862

69

846-854838-846830-838822-830814-822806-814798-806790-798782-790774-782766-774758-766

686766656463626160595857

750-758742-750734-742726-734718-726710-718702-710694-702686-694678-686670-678662-670

565554535251504948474645

654-662646-654638-646630-638622-630614-622606-614598-606590-598582-590574-582566-574

444342414039383736353433

558-566550-558542-550534-542526-534518-526510-518502-510494-502486-494478-486470-478

323130292827262524232221

256 MHz already assigned to six DTT multiplexes (32 x 8 MHz - but some ‘white space’ available within this)


26

The UK spectrum band – 800 MHz clearance plan

ChannelFrequency(MHz)

854-862

69

846-854838-846830-838822-830814-822806-814798-806790-798782-790774-782766-774758-766

686766656463626160595857

750-758742-750734-742726-734718-726710-718702-710694-702686-694678-686670-678662-670

565554535251504948474645

654-662646-654638-646630-638622-630614-622606-614598-606590-598582-590574-582566-574

444342414039383736353433

558-566550-558542-550534-542526-534518-526510-518502-510494-502486-494478-486470-478

323130292827262524232221

854-862

69

846-854838-846830-838822-830814-822806-814798-806790-798782-790774-782766-774758-766

686766656463626160595857

750-758742-750734-742726-734718-726710-718702-710694-702686-694678-686670-678662-670

565554535251504948474645

654-662646-654638-646630-638622-630614-622606-614598-606590-598582-590574-582566-574

444342414039383736353433

558-566550-558542-550534-542526-534518-526510-518502-510494-502486-494478-486470-478

323130292827262524232221

Channel 69: to be cleared of PMSE

Channel 38: to be allocated for PMSE

Channel 61 & 62:to be cleared of DTT

Channel 39 and 40: to be allocated for DTT

PMSE = Programme Making and Special Events



Spectrum is standards agnostic


UK switch-over planThe network is based on 16 multiple-frequency networks (MFNs). the Use of UK-wide single-

frequency networks (SFNs) was ruled out because of the different programme services required in the 16 different regions

The frequencies, ERPs, radiation patterns and other characteristics of the transmitting stations were calculated largely by prediction using software tools

As far as possible, public-service digital signals are transmitted on the same frequencies from the same stations as analogue, to minimise changes to receiving antenna installations

Digital ERPs (average power) are generally 10 dB lower than PAL (peak-sync) power, but transmitters require 6 to 10 dB back-off for DVB-T … so power amplifiers need to be rated for similar powers to analogue

A DTV multiplex with 6 channels will require greater electrical power than the equivalent analogue channel but the power per digital channel will be less

All 1150 existing transmitting stations will be used


The Digital Dividend

What exactly does the broadcaster get ?•Extra work

•Extra Cost

•All the blame

•The government gets cash and the telcos get cash and all the kudos

•The Telcos get the cash from users interacting with broadcasters ………online news, reality programme phone-ins, twitter comments to friends and “second-screen”

What exactly do the others get ?


The Digital Dividend

It is the broadcaster who delivers the message free to all

In an emergency situation it is the broadcaster who delivers the message

Allocating Spectrum

Fair Play for everyone

Broadcasting is essential national infrastructure


Programmes


The BroonsGrampa

Hen, Joe, Daphne, Maggie

Ay twin, Ither twin

Maw, Paw , Horace

The Bairn

The Digital Family

©D C Thompson Ltd The Sunday Post


Lots of Programmes

BBC 1,2,3,4,Alba CBBC, Cbeebies, Red Button News

ITV 1,2 C4 E4 Five Sky HD variants Parliament

Shopping ++++ Sports ++++ +1 channels Community

Teachers Nostalgia Religious Factual

“Adult” Mobile phone chat Music ++ Film

Comedy Foreign Pay / Subscription Radio ++++++

108 TV 35 Radio


Lots of Options16:9 14:9 letterbox

pillarbox Safe area HD

SD 3D Hi-vision

Red button EPG Mobile

Subtitles Radio Languages

Closed captions Signed Descriptive


Consumer


www.cba.org.uk [email protected] Alan B Downie for CTUPort of Spain, Trinidad, 2Apr2012 38

Communication is the key!(Source: OFCOM, UK)

Consumer awareness plan in UK

Countdown:

‘Switchoveris

happening!’

Switchoverto 100%digital

“How toget

ready!”

“Are youready?”

“Get ready!”

Countdown: ‘Switchover

is here!’

3-Years 2-Years 1-Year <12 months 1 month Switchover

National Launch

of SwitchCo


Cooperation is a must!Get everyone involved in ALL process

Governments and regulatorsPublic Service Broadcasters

Private and commercial broadcastersCable and satellite platforms

Manufacturers of professional and consumer equipmentRetailers and antenna installers


Vanilla STB - cheap and cheerful

Basic box of tricks

Just a tuner unit

Probably no CAM for pay-tv

Capable of 12volt battery power

Has UHF and maybe SCART output


Strawberry STB – a bit better

A tuner unit

Maybe with CAM for pay-tv


Has UHF and SCART outputs

Has USB port for memory stick


Chocolate STB – a whole lot better

A tuner unit

With CAM for pay-tv


Has UHF and SCART outputs


Has USB port for Mobile phone dongle


Whisky STB – top of tree

A tuner unit

With CAM for pay-tv


Has UHF and SCART and HDMI outputs


Has USB port for Mobile phone dongle

Has hard disk for recording


Support is vital!

EducationTechnicalFinancial

Policy/legal


• NOT A BIG ISSUE – STILL A BIG TASK.• You will be judged by perception as much as technical success. Therefore

advance communication and engagement in the field is crucial.• Make your communications engaging.• Regard switchover as an opportunity to enhance the reputation of the

broadcasting industry – not a threat that may damage it.

PRACTICAL LESSONS FROM THE FIELD


The CBA

Sally-Ann Wilson, CBA Secretary General


OBJECTIVES OF THE CBA

To support freedom of expression and the ideals of public service broadcasting.

To facilitate information and knowledge exchange between media organisations and their employees.

To provide assistance to member organisations via training, bursaries, consultancies, networking opportunities and content sharing initiatives.


Digital Switchover Workshops and Forum

CBA CTO CBU CTU et al

August 2012, Antigua


Thank You

Alan B Downie

Broadcast Engineering Consultant

Commonwealth Broadcasting Association

And thanks to my many colleagues who have given help and shared their knowledge with me of which some is incorporated into this presentation

Documents

Www.cba.org.uk [email protected] Alan B Downie for CTU Port of Spain, Trinidad, 2Apr2012 DTT Broadcasting Ecosystem Alan B Downie Broadcast Engineering Consultant