An overview on the standard of digital video broadcasting – terrestrial.

Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) es un consorcio formado por industriales de los medios de comunicación, que está integrado por radiodifusores, fabricantes, operadores de redes, desarrolladores de software y organismos reguladores. El consorcio fue creado con el fin de definir las normas técnicas para estandarizar todos los aspectos relacionados con la prestación de servicios de televisión digital. El estándar DVB ha sido adoptado en Europa, Oriente Medio, Suráfrica y Australasia. Adicionalmente, el estándar DVB fue seleccionado en Colombia y Panamá como el sistema de transmisión de televisión digital terrestre (DVB-T/T2). El estándar DVB es un conjunto de especificaciones que permiten la integración de información multimedia para proveer servicios de información, educación, negocios y entretenimiento. La implementación de DVB requiere de acuerdos entre los radiodifusores, operadores de redes y fabricantes en la definición de los parámetros de operación, además de tener en cuenta las normativas gubernamentales. Este artículo presenta un resumen de los principales elementos definidos en el estándar DVB-T/T2, basado en los documentos guía elaborados por el consorcio DVB, e incluye algunas de las acciones tomadas durante el proceso de implementación de DVB-T/T2 en Colombia

Help I'm surrounded

A dimly lit auditorium, the smell of popcorn and hot-dogs accompanied by the sound of fizzy drinks slurped through straws; the lights dim and a hush of expectation descends, sound fades in from all around, drawing the audience into the illusion of another reality. This is the world of the cinema, but is it possible to recreate this cinematic surround sound experience in the home? In order to address this question it is necessary to understand what is meant by "cinematic" surround sound and to consider some of the challenges faced by those seeking to translate it to the home environment. This article examines these issues through an exploration of the development of surround sound in the cinema and its transference to the home and concludes with a tentative look towards possible future developments

Integration of Multisensorial Stimuli and Multimodal Interaction in a Hybrid 3DTV System

This article proposes the integration of multisensorial stimuli and multimodal interaction components into a sports multimedia asset under two dimensions: immersion and interaction. The first dimension comprises a binaural audio system and a set of sensory effects synchronized with the audiovisual content, whereas the second explores interaction through the insertion of interactive 3D objects into the main screen and on-demand presentation of additional information in a second touchscreen. We present an end-to-end solution integrating these components into a hybrid (internet-broadcast) television system using current 3DTV standards. Results from an experimental study analyzing the perceived quality of these stimuli and their influence on the Quality of Experience are presented

Access to public broadcasting services across national digital delivery systems

Traditionally broadcasting and telecommunications have been regarded as completely separate sectors Broadcasting as a transmission system was inseparable from the broadcast content Alternatively, telecommunication networks were the sole providers of voice and basic data telephony services But as technology developed and both markets began to offer similar services, the regulatory dividing lines between Internet, broadcasting and telecommunications services have begun to blur Broadcasting as a transmission system is becoming detached from the broadcast content Even though these markets are technically converging the issue of access to content and the licensing of content providers over these new delivery platforms to carry their services remain unresolved The liberalisation of both markets may make a significant difference to the production o f content and the access of such programming content to pay-television and Free-to-Air viewers. The transmission of similar services over previously distinct delivery systems has been categonsed as convergence This term is generally considered as a suitable representation of the hazy combination of different broadcast and point-to-point services that were once considered the domain of the telecommunications incumbent Equally, the broadcast network was considered an indispensable part of the public broadcasting organisation in its provision of a single content service such as television programming Today, digital technology and the liberalisation of the cable and telecommunications networks have allowed multiple content service providers to offer many different services over several networks. Such technological convergence is delivering different services within each network In the past, the analogue broadcast relationship involved the content provider, network operator and customer Now, there are additional market players between the customer and the network operator called service providers who control different parts of the downstream and upstream dynamics This paper hopes to highlight the potential impact of telecommunication liberalisation on broadcasting as network operators begin to provide video and broadcast services while broadcast network operators transmit unicast and point-to-point services alongside their traditional broadcast service

Standards, IPR and digital TV convergence: theories and empirical evidence

none1Media convergence presents a few noticeable dimensions, and requests an interdisciplinary research approach. We conduct a long-run analysis of the main initiatives of technological standardization carried out in the realm of “traditional” (cable, satellite and terrestrial) digital TV, focusing on Europe, to assess the technological determinants of its apparent trends to convergence. This analysis inevitably calls into question IPR strategies and policies. In particular, we investigate how private incentives and the public agenda for interoperability have shaped the on-going convergence of the TV sector toward an “IP-based” meta-platform. Despite the widespread usage of open standards and formats, the real potential for interoperability along the digital TV filière has been modest, and mostly limited to the transmission segment. This is mainly due to the strong proprietary features characterizing the TV sector, where viable content production and provision rests on effective control of content IPR. Further, patent portfolio strategies and control of crucial copyrights become increasingly central for competing in the converging TV sector, where former telecom companies, traditional TV operators and new OTT players strive to become gatekeepers of essential layers of the new IP-based delivery platforms. To sum up, while technological opportunities today do enable pervasive media interoperability and affordable convergence at the user-level, private incentives relentlessly push the industry toward standards fragmentation and the construction of walled gardens.MPRA Working paper series n. 59359, Munich Personal RePEc ArchiveMatteucci NMatteucci, Nicol

Power play in television: a political economy analysis of power balances in broadcasting markets

In this dissertation, the focus is on the (evolving) configurations of power and control in broadcaster-to-distributor markets. Technological developments, as well as changes in the institutional framework, are in the process of fundamentally transforming legacy TV business models and have transferred power to ‘gatekeepers’ which derive a dominant position by controlling competitive bottlenecks. Since technology shocks might disrupt established power relationships in television, interactions between TV broadcasters and distributors incur tensions and conflicts of interests. It is argued that each party controls crucial platform resources and that the broadcaster-to-distributor market is organized around two converging TV platforms that unfold enveloping strategies and thus provoke power conflicts. One of the major assumptions of this dissertation is the mutual dependency between broadcasters and distributors, which leads to the conclusion that the market is marked by bilateral bargaining power, and needs to deal with double-marginalisation problems. Although both parties may have bargaining power, relationships between broadcasters and distributors are often characterised by power asymmetries, either in favour of the broadcaster or distributor. In the ever-increasing complex TV ecosystem, broadcasters as well as distributors are looking for outside opportunities to lessen dependence on their counterparty, and build strategic advantage during carriage negotiations. However, pricing power usually remains with the distributors, which eventually decide about the possible carriage and the package (basic or upgraded), and the position of the channel in that package (or in the electronic programming guide). A gatekeeping position allows distributors to pressure broadcasters to demand lower wholesale (input) prices. On top, distributors leverage bargaining power through the ownership of affiliated channels that directly compete access-seeking broadcasters. In a similar vein, owners of premium rights or must-have channels leverage their popularity and exclusivity in order to bargain higher retransmission payments from distributors. Whereas existing frameworks hold that competitive advantage essentially rests on the activities a firm performs within the value chain, it is claimed here that a firm’s position in the value chain does not adequately explain why different firms with similar activities have different levels of bargaining power. Rather than sticking to hollow aphorisms like ‘Content is King, but Distribution is King Kong’, it is assumed that the allocation of power between broadcasters and distributors crucially depends on the politico-economic context of broadcasting and its distribution, including the set of complex relationships between different parties in the business ecosystem. Since bargaining power in the broadcaster-to-distributor market tends to be context-specific and varies between different local settings, it is determined by the allocation of scarce resources in the industry, the individual nature of the broadcaster-to-distributor relationship and potential path dependencies in media and telecommunication policies. Hence, the major research objective is to study the interactions between broadcasters and distributors, and identify, in a qualitative way, those contextual variables that define bargaining power in broadcaster-to-distributor relationships. Although Porter’s model is still relevant for analysing the industry environment, the complexity of broadcasting and distribution markets and the speciality of carriage negotiations demands for a more specific framework to examine relationships and power conflicts between broadcasters and distribution. Following a resource-centric perspective, the ownership and control of strategic assets are considered determinants of bargaining power. Based on a literature review and interviews with 36 media managers and experts, it was possible to come up with a multidimensional and multilevel approach to bargaining power and to construct a complex of interrelated power attributes (clustered in five dimensions) that influence a firm’s competitive position in carriage negotiations. On the macro level, a number of legal provisions and regulatory requirements strongly affect the carriage negotiations. Reference is made to telecommunications rules, competition law, media-specific regulation and copyright law. On the meso level, the model suggests that the market structure forms an important factor in the creation of bargaining power. Industry concentration, number of business partners, entry barriers and the threat of technological progress are identified as critical parameters. On the micro level, the structure of the negotiating firms needs to be taken into account to assess bargaining power. Hence, firm-specific characteristics of broadcasters and distributors involved in a carriage negotiation include relative firm size, conglomerateness, vertical integration and financial resilience. Next to firm characteristics, emphasis is put on product differentiation as a source of a bargaining power. Product characteristics are related to the market and industry structure, and predominantly refer to product differentiation, exclusivity, bundling and switching costs. On the individual level, psychological, emotional and interpersonal issues play a decisive role in carriage negotiations