Benefits for broadcasters and users

Broadcasters wish to make their TV and radio programmes available also over the Internet, receivable by means of a variety of connected devices (both TV sets and devices, such as smartphones and tablets, not equipped with a terrestrial or satellite TV tuner), with the aim of enlarging their traditional offering, reaching new users and providing access to the services even outside the home.

DVB-I services may be a copy of broadcast programmes (simulcast) or may be additional ones, i.e., available only over the Internet: this will allow an agile activation of niche or temporary programmes (e.g., during sports events) which might not easily find room in the traditional broadcast offering.

In the context of a horizontal market, without the need of downloading a new app related to a specific operator, users will be able to discover and consume the new DVB-I services with the same ease of use of today’s traditional services (i.e., with an installation procedure functionally equivalent to a frequency scan), perceiving them as part of the broadcaster’s wider offering.

In particular, on connected TV sets, a consistent channel list will be presented to the user, including both broadcast services (DVB-T/T2, DVB-S/S2) and DVB-I services, with a harmonised Logical Channel Numbering (LCN). Like today, navigation among programmes will be via the remote control (e.g., by typing numbers, or using P+/P- keys, or from the EPG). Other kinds of devices will leverage the same service discovery functionality to provide a familiar and coherent user interface.

DVB-I programmes may include live/linear services, VOD (Video On Demand) services or a personalized mix of linear and on-demand content.

Current activities

The DVB CM-I Group has recently completed its first phase, with the preparation of the main commercial requirements for the DVB-I services. The DVB Technical Module (TM) is now asked to write a technical standard meeting those requirements.

RAI CRITS has participated in the definition of the use cases from which the commercial requirements have been extracted, with focus on the “broadcast-centric” use case, where the DVB-I services, authorized by a National body, represent an extension of the broadcaster’s existing offering and are included in the TV programmes list with their own LCN.

Some aspects have been left to a second phase, currently in progress. Among them:

• Electronic program guide (schedule), to be prepared and distributed so as to minimize differences with the EPG of broadcast channels, in order to facilitate its integration into a common user interface;
• Receiver ‘bootstrap‘ with a central management of the DVB-I service list: although there are many ways to achieve the initial scan of DVB-I services (for instance, a preloaded URL in DVB-I terminals or apps, metadata sent over broadcast channels, etc.), it would be helpful if, during the installation, each receiver could access to an up-to-date list of legitimate DVB-I services (i.e., based on transmission rights for a specific geographical area, e.g., Italy), together with their harmonized LCN. This list could be maintained centrally (e.g., by the National Regulator or a similar official control body, such as AGCOM for Italy). The opportunity to arrange and maintain a unique central registry, i.e., a global entry point (e.g., a URL on the DVB site or another recognised body), which in turn references the most appropriate list of DVB-I services (e.g., on a country basis), is currently under discussion.

In order to provide an adequate Quality of Experience, DVB-I services will adopt new techniques, currently under study, capable of reducing latency and zapping time of audio/video streams delivered over the Internet with respect to current values which are not yet aligned with broadcast services.