Advanced Television

Standards

UK MNOs ‘hamper growth’ by delaying 4G auction

The head of Ofcom Ed Richards has accused mobile networks of “holding back innovation and hampering growth” because their threats of litigation mean that the UK will be the last major European economy to hold a 4G auction. Control of the spectrum sell-off, which is meant to deliver the high-speed mobile broadband needed to keep […]

November 30, 2011

DVB approves CI Plus v1.4, liaises with 3D@Home

At the 69th meeting of the DVB Steering Board, the Commercial Requirements for CI Plus v1.4 were approved thereby allowing the technical work on the specification to progress. These Commercial Requirements build on top of the current CI Plus v1.3 specification with two main features: support for dual-stream operation with a single module, intended for […]

November 28, 2011

Spain selects HbbTV standard

Following the example of Germany, France, Holland and Austria, Spain has agreed to adopt HbbTV as the standard for connected TV. The Ministry of Industry has approved a formal text backed by the whole electronic industry and TV broadcasters including 54 companies to adopt the HbbTV standard to develop new connected TV services. With the […]

November 25, 2011From David Del Valle in Madrid

STMicro MoCA certification for STB IC

STMicroelectronics, a global semiconductor expert serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications and a supplier of set-top box ICs, has obtained MoCA 1.1 certification for its STi7108M video decoder, enabling HD STBs or DVRs to share content and services easily throughout the home. The MoCA (Multimedia over Coax Alliance) standard for home-entertainment networking uses […]

November 23, 2011

Spain trials DVB-T2

Spanish telco operator Abertis Telecom is trialling DTT tests using the European standard DVB-T2 in the city of Barcelona, north of Spain, for a six month period. The pilot test aims to assess the benefits of the new standard for broadcasting of services for the fixed and mobile reception through a single multiplex, one signal […]

November 22, 2011From David Del Valle in Madrid

DVB approves next step for 3DTV

The DVB announced that its Steering Board approved the Commercial Requirements for a second 3DTV delivery system. Termed ‘Service Compatible’, the second system is a solution required by content deliverers that enables the 2D and 3D versions of a programme to be broadcast within the same video signal, so that new 3D televisions and next-generation […]

October 20, 2011

ITU agrees UHDTV specs

ITU (International Telecommunication Union) – the United Nations specialised agency for information and communication technologies – has revealed that Ultra High Definition Television (UHDTV) is a step nearer becoming reality.   A group of experts have reached agreement on most of the pertinent technical characteristics of the new standard for television. UHDTV marks a leap […]

October 17, 2011By Colin Mann

ITV: Targeted advertising standards, please!

ITV the UK’s leading commercial TV broadcaster, has called for industry-wide harmonisation of ad targeting technologies, ahead of a micropayments push. “If everyone develops their own customised targeting approach, which is happening, things are going to get needlessly messy and confusing, it starts to not make any sense,” ITV commercial and online MD Fru Hazlitt […]

October 14, 2011

Ofcom delays 4G auction

Plans to auction off radio spectrum for 4G mobile services have been delayed by UK watchdog Ofcom. The auctions, which were due to be held in early 2012 after a consultation, will now take place at the end of 2012. Ofcom said the arguments in the responses to its consultation had persuaded it to delay […]

October 10, 2011

Everything Everywhere, BT commence Cornwall 4G trial

Everything Everywhere and BT have confirmed the start of a trial of 4G technology in Cornwall in which some 200 residents will consume services over both fixed and mobile network connections. The trial is designed to provide the firms with insights into how 4G services perform in rural areas, with the technology set to start […]

October 7, 2011