Figure 1: Digital TV standards

The introduction of digital broadcasting heralded the biggest shake-up to British TVs since the introduction of colour in 1967.

Digital TV is a system for sending and receiving sound and vision via digital signals, as opposed to analogue signals, traditionally used by TV.

Using digital modulation data, which is digitally compressed and requires decoding by a specially-designed TV or a digital set-top box, digital TV was first launched in the late 1990s. TV broadcasting corporations and consumer electronics businesses saw digital TV as an avenue to be monetised to drive further profits.

Cable and satellite TV provider Pace Micro is just one company who is riding on the popularity of digital TV. With the company’s coffers swelling more than 50 per cent thanks to the North American market, the continent is the largest consumer of digital TV, according to the company.

Further evidence of the broadcasting technology’s success is provided by the market research company Display Search that predicted global digital TV demand to hit 87 million units by the end of 2007 and to reach 147 million units by 2011.

According to industry watcher iSuppli, semiconductor firms will benefit from the surge in digital TV sales, with chip company profits expected to double from 2006 to 2011. The world market for digital TV chipsets is expected to soar to $14.2bn by 2011, expanding from $7.1bn in 2006.

The good news for the major players in the digital TV market doesn’t stop there. Bluetooth manufacturer CSR predicts $2bn revenues by 2012, with the rise of the use of the wireless technology in the digital TV marketplace at least partly responsible.

The Government and Digital TV

The British Government will offer free receivers for the digital TV switchover to the disabled, partially-sighted and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds as part of a £600m plan.

Whitehaven in Cumbria, north-west England, was the first place in Britain to undergo the change from analogue to digital broadcasts in October 2007.

The Government initially faced opposition from those who claimed the jump from analogue broadcasting would severely disadvantage those groups who could not afford to upgrade their TVs.

A specially-designed set-top box known as a “Help Box” features an energy efficient design, sub-4W, incorporating an audio commentary feature.

In America, Washington also appears keen to want as many people as possible to go digital. The US Government is offering digital TV coupons worth $40 to help some Americans meet the cost of set-top boxes.

The digital TV row escalated in Europe after EU telecoms commissioner Viviane Reding called for a single mobile TV standard in Europe based on DVB-H. Third-generation (3G) mobile lobby group the UMTS Forum has responded to Reding’s submissions with several recommendations for the rollout of mobile TV across Europe.

The UMTS Forum believes it would be unrealistic to impose a single standard right through the EU and wants market forces to shape the rollout of digital broadcasting across Europe.

One recommendation from the UMTS includes a suggestion that nations release a minimum of one MUX (i.e. 8MHz) of UHF spectrum (470 – 862 MHz band) for mobile TV transmission effective immediately and for clear goals to be announced for the release of further UHF spectrum space well in advance of the analogue switch-off.

However, major players in the American digital TV field echo Reding’s sentiments. US broadcasters want a single digital TV standard, according to the Open Mobile Video Coalition (OMVC).

The OMVC is an American lobby group comprised of major broadcasters who have urged the electronics industry to adopt one standard as it believes this will lead to healthy competition within the industry as well as help digital TV to be absorbed faster into the households who still receive analogue transmissions.

Further abroad, Europe and China are cooperating on a new digital TV venture named MOBIDEC. The two-year, European Union-funded effort aims to increase cooperation between governments, industry bodies and the private sector. With the Beijing 2008 Olympics just around the corner, the digital TV project will focus on bringing China’s broadcasting technology and processes in line with European standards.

Other digital TV movers and shakers

The US-based Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) announced it is developing another standard for mobile TV.

“The ATSC-M/H standard will facilitate broadcasters’ use of their digital TV broadcast channels to provide new services directly to small handheld receivers, laptop computers and vehicles moving at a high rate of speed,” said ATSC president Mark Richer.

This new standard will compete with current mobile TV standards, including the European DVB-H, DVB-SH and DAB-IP, Korean T-DMB and Qualcomm’s MediaFLO.

Samsung’s digital TV receiver chip has been developed to permit TVs in the American market receive both vestigial sideband (VSB) and quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) signals.

The energy-efficient chip is expected to be installed in digital TVs headed for American shores for the third quarter of 2007, strengthening Samsung’s position in the North American market.

Consumer electronics manufacturer Fujitsu has developed a digital TV dual decoder that will allow personal video recorder (PVR) programs to include two video decoders, hardware DMA and encryption.

Digital TV will soon be able to run third party applications delivered over cable connections thanks to the OpenCable platform. Intel will support OpenCable in its system-on-a-chip products marketed at consumers.

Electronics giant Toshiba revealed its plans for high definition TVs over the next two years. The planned digital TV chip will integrate MPEG and H.264 compression, demodulation and scaling functions in a single device.

American media giant, Capital Broadcasting, has announced one of the first channels to only broadcast digitally. In some nations, such as Finland, some people are reluctant to embrace digital TV. Time will tell if this trend will be reflected in the UK.

Digital TV on Electronics Weekly

Latest stories on digital TV

Previous stories to note

Mobile TV must be free-to-air service
Mobile TV is not happening in Europe and will not happen until it is a free service for the user.

Digital TV rollout is power opportunity, says Carbon Trust
Nujira claims that high efficiency RF power amplifier technology can cut power consumption in digital TV and mobile TV handsets.

Digital TV - the UK analogue switchoff begins
The small hamlet of Whitehaven is the first place in the UK to undergo the switchover from analogue to digital TV broadcasts.

Big in North America: Pace Micro grows with Pay TV
As more and more Americans devour personalised digital broadcasts, satellite and cable TV specialist Pace Micro’s 2007 earnings proved it is making headway into the continent.

Government offers free receivers for digital TV switchover
The British Government will offer the disabled and elderly free set-top boxes when the digital switchover commences in October.

US broadcasters push for one mobile TV standard
Major US broadcasters have urged component manufacturers to adopt a single standard for digital TV.

EC wants single standard for mobile TV
In the hope that mobile TV will be as successful as GSM, the European Commissioner for telecommunications has recommended the industry take up one standard.

Mobile TV standards row escalates in Europe
Wireless industry group the UMTS Forum has come out with several recommendations for the rollout of digital TV after the EU called for a single standard to be adopted.

EU and China bid to standardise mobile TV broadcasts
The EU is funding a two year digital TV project called MOBIDEC to align China’s broadcasting technology with European standards.

CSR boasts of $2bn revenues by 2012
Bluetooth technology manufacturer CSR estimates a 15 to 20 per cent jump in revenue to $2bn in the next five years.

How many mobile TV standards do we need?
Despite several options already on offer, the US-based Advanced Television Systems Committee is developing another mobile TV standard.

Digital TV chip sees power benefit of 65nm
American TVs will soon be able to receive both vestigial sideband (VSB) broadcasts and quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) signals thanks to Samsung’s digital TV chip.

Is digital TV the killer app for chip firms?
Market analyst iSuppli predicts semiconductor manufacturers will reap in the rewards of digital TV’s soaring popularity, with chip revenues expected to double from 2006 to 2011 figures.

Fujitsu has dual decoder for digital TV
Fujitsu has developed a digital TV MPEG decoder chip which supports personal video recorder applications (PVR) application including two video decoders, hardware DMA and encryption.

Intel SoC products connect to OpenCable platform
Intel has agreed to include OpenCable capabilities in its system-on-a-chip (SoC) products. OpenCable allows digital TVs to run third-party applications over cable.

Toshiba plans HDTV in a single chip
Toshiba has plans for single chip designs that dramatically alter the design and price of high definition TVs over the next two years.

Further digital TV information

Feds pick IBM for digital TV coupons (TG Daily)
The US Government has signed a $120m with IBM to issue $40 coupons to help meet the cost of digital set-top boxes.

MOBIDEC
Project to bring Chinese digital broadcasting technologies in line with European standards.

Are you ready for digital TV? (Local Tech Wire)
The Retro Television Network has been launched, exclusively broadcasting digitally, with content mostly comprising of retro TV programs.

Only 73 per cent of homes are able to watch digital TV broadcasts (Helsingin Sanomat)
Nearly three-quarters of homes are prepared for the switchover; some have not purchased digital TV-ready equipment yet, others are out of the broadcast range and a few even refuse to upgrade.

Digital TV on Wikipedia
Digital TV technical information as well as details about the analogue switch-off.