Digital TV Group

Last updated

DTG
IndustryDigital TV, technology, television, standards
Founded1995
HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom,
Vauxhall, London, England
Area served
UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ghana and Europe
Key people
  • Simon Fell (Chairman)
  • Richard Lindsay-Davies (CEO)
Website dtg.org.uk
DTG - The centre of UK digital TV DTG Blue, with icon & strapline.png
DTG - The centre of UK digital TV

The DTG (Digital TV Group) is the association for British digital television broadcasters and annually publish and maintain the technical specifications for digital terrestrial television (DTT) in the United Kingdom, which is known as the D-Book [1] and is used by Freeview, Freeview HD, FreeSat and YouView. The association consists of over 120 UK and international members [2] who can participate in DTG activities to varying degrees, depending on their category of membership.

Contents

About

The DTG is the UK's centre for digital media technology. Since 1995, it has been vital to the distribution of TV in the UK – digital TV, interactive TV, the digital TV switchover, on-demand TV, HDTV and UHD TV. The DTG supports the development of pay-TV and other platforms.

History

The DTG was formed in 1995 by the BBC, BSkyB, BT Group, Channel 4, ITV, NTL Incorporated, Pace and Sony to set technical standards for the implementation of digital terrestrial television in the UK.

From these initial eight members, the DTG has grown to include over 120 UK and international members and played an important role in the success of the UK television industry. [3]

Current work

The DTG, working with its members, has identified six priority television technologies. These are:

Membership

The DTG is a membership association with four categories of membership: [10]

  1. Full Member for organisations who are active in the UK market.
  2. New Entrant for new organisations in their first two years of operation.
  3. World Member for organisations who are interested in, but not active, in the UK market.
  4. Affiliate Member for charities, governments and regulators with an interest in the UK market and/or technical aspects of the television industry.

DTG Testing

DTG Testing - Orange with Icon DTG Testing - Orange with Icon.png
DTG Testing - Orange with Icon

DTG Testing is a vital resource for the TV and IP industries and a trusted partner to the regulators. The team works to maintain standards across digital TV platforms. Each year DTG technicians produce real-world test reports, white papers, practice guidelines and the D-Book, a list of specifications for UK digital TV. The Zoo at DTG Testing is the UK's only comprehensive testing and accreditation centre for digital TV devices and services.

The DTG owns and operates DTG Testing, an ISO 17025 accredited test laboratory in Central London. [11] DTG Testing ensures that digital television products in the United Kingdom conform to the D-Book specification [12] – a requirement of obtaining the Freeview trade mark licence. [13]

DTG Testing also provide access to:

The D-Book

The first edition of the DTG D-Book was written in 1996 when DVB-T was new and untried. From the outset, the D-Book was an implementation guideline and referenced fundamental standards where possible. But many of the component parts of the document had not then achieved stable international standards and the UK implementation was, therefore, reproduced in full. In subsequent editions, it has become possible to reference ETSI or other standards and the previous D-Book section simplified. However, the D-Book as an implementation guideline has become more important as non-UK based manufacturers have sought to introduce products to the UK market.

DTG Testing Ltd was established as an independent testing facility where manufacturers can bring prototype products for verification of their interoperability. Many manufacturers, both small and large, have discovered the advantage of revealing problems at this stage, rather than when they have large numbers of products in the shops or in peoples homes. As the complexity of the platform increases, the importance of interoperability and test and conformance is bigger than ever. The success of Freeview and Freeview Play continues and is largely down to the reliable products and services on the UK DTT platform.

The D-Book has successfully introduced High Definition and DVB-T2, in addition to supporting the transition of the DTT Platform out of the 700 MHz band which is planned for completion in 2020. D-Book 9 introduced HbbTV references for Freeview Play and the MHEG to HbbTV transition which included the introduction of support for HEVC and High Dynamic Range (HDR) for IP delivered services. D-Book 10 continued to support the developments of products and services with the introduction of Single Frequency Network (SFN) support for the migration of COM 7&8 T2 multiplexes into the 700 MHz band. In addition, through an analysis of broadcaster requirements, we removed HD/SD LCN switching and Broadcast Record lists.

D-Book 11 adopts a number of corrigenda to D-Book 10, defining the profile of UHD to be supported in compatible receivers for broadcast and bringing the HbbTV requirements up to date with recent work by the HbbTV Association and DVB. In recognition that Standard Definition receivers are no longer provided with a Trade Mark License in the UK, the SD receiver and recorder profiles have been removed and the chapter describing SCART and HDMI connectivity have been removed. Additionally, in the RF chapters (9 and 10), 700 MHz coexistence testing has been adopted in place of the 800 MHz coexistence testing to reflect future spectrum allocations. Overall the number of RF tests has been rationalised, by removing tests no longer required due to developments in receiver design.

The D-Book continues to be the foundation of every television in the UK and all UK DTT based platforms including Freely, Sky Glass, Freeview Play, Freeview HD, YouView, EETV and NowTV and the UK DSAT platform, Freesat, as well as several international adaptations. The DTG continues to ensure European harmonisation wherever possible, while meeting the needs of the rapidly developing and highly successful UK TV market.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freeview (UK)</span> British digital terrestrial television platform

Freeview is the United Kingdom's sole digital terrestrial television platform. It is operated by Everyone TV and DTV Services Ltd, a joint venture between the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky. It was launched on 30 October 2002, taking over the licence from ITV Digital which collapsed that year. The service provides consumer access via an aerial to the seven DTT multiplexes covering the United Kingdom. As of July 2020, it has 85 TV channels, 26 digital radio channels, 10 HD channels, six text services, 11 streamed channels, and one interactive channel.

Television in the Republic of Ireland is available through a variety of platforms. The digital terrestrial television service is known as Saorview and is the primary source of broadcast television since analogue transmissions ended on 24 October 2012. Digital satellite and digital cable are also widely used.

MHEG-5, or ISO/IEC 13522–5, is part of a set of international standards relating to the presentation of multimedia information, standardised by the Multimedia and Hypermedia Experts Group (MHEG). It is most commonly used as a language to describe interactive television services.

DVB-T, short for Digital Video Broadcasting – Terrestrial, is the DVB European-based consortium standard for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television that was first published in 1997 and first broadcast in Singapore in February, 1998. This system transmits compressed digital audio, digital video and other data in an MPEG transport stream, using coded orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing modulation. It is also the format widely used worldwide for Electronic News Gathering for transmission of video and audio from a mobile newsgathering vehicle to a central receive point. It is also used in the US by Amateur television operators.

Digital terrestrial television is a technology for terrestrial television where television stations broadcast television content in a digital format. DTTV is a major technological advance over analog television, and has largely replaced analog television broadcast, which had been in common use since the middle of the 20th century. Test broadcasts began in 1998 with the changeover to DTTV, also known as the Analog Switchoff (ASO) or Digital Switchover (DSO), which began in 2006 and is now complete in many countries. The advantages of digital terrestrial television are similar to those obtained by digitizing platforms such as cable TV, satellite, and telecommunications: more efficient use of radio spectrum bandwidth, provision of more television channels than analog, better quality images, and potentially lower operating costs for broadcasters.

Digital terrestrial television in the United Kingdom encompasses over 100 television, radio and interactive services broadcast via the United Kingdom's terrestrial television network and receivable with a standard television set. The majority of digital terrestrial television (DTT) services, including the five former analogue channels, are broadcast free-to-air, and a further selection of encrypted pay TV services are also available.

Freesat is a British free-to-air satellite television service, first formed as a joint venture between the BBC and ITV plc and now owned by Everyone TV. The service was formed as a memorandum in 2007 and has been marketed since 6 May 2008. Freesat offers a satellite alternative to the Freeview service on digital terrestrial television, with a broadly similar selection of channels available without subscription for users purchasing a receiver.

Freeview is New Zealand's free-to-air television platform. It is operated by a joint venture between the country's major free-to-air broadcasters – government-owned Television New Zealand and Radio New Zealand, government-subsidised Whakaata Māori, and the American-owned Warner Bros. Discovery.

DVB-T2 is an abbreviation for "Digital Video Broadcasting – Second Generation Terrestrial"; it is the extension of the television standard DVB-T, issued by the consortium DVB, devised for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television. DVB has been standardized by ETSI.

There are four major forms of digital television (DTV) broadcast in the United Kingdom: a direct-to-home satellite service from the Astra 28.2°E satellites provided by Sky UK, a cable television service provided by Virgin Media ; a free-to-air satellite service called Freesat; and a free-to-air digital terrestrial service called Freeview. In addition, an IPTV system known as BT TV is provided by BT. Individual access methods vary throughout the country. 77% of the United Kingdom has access to HDTV via terrestrial digital television. Satellite is the only source of HDTV broadcast available for the remaining 23%.

Television in Northern Ireland is available using, digital terrestrial, digital satellite and cable.

YouView is a hybrid television platform in the United Kingdom developed by YouView TV Ltd., a partnership of four broadcasters, the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5; and three telecommunications operators, Arqiva, BT Group and TalkTalk Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV</span> Industry standard for hybrid digital television

Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV) is both an industry standard and promotional initiative for hybrid digital TV to harmonise the broadcast, Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), and broadband delivery of entertainment to the end consumer through connected TVs and set-top boxes. The HbbTV Association, comprising digital broadcasting and Internet industry companies, has established a standard for the delivery of broadcast TV and broadband TV to the home, through a single user interface, creating an open platform as an alternative to proprietary technologies. Products and services using the HbbTV standard can operate over different broadcasting technologies, such as satellite, cable, or terrestrial networks.

Freeview is the name for the collection of free-to-air services on the Digital Terrestrial Television platform in the United Kingdom. The service was launched at 5 am on 30 October 2002 and is jointly operated by its five equal shareholders – BBC, ITV, Channel 4, BSkyB and transmitter operator Arqiva. This article documents the history of the Freeview service, from its inception up to the present.

Saorview is the national digital terrestrial television (DTT) service in Ireland. It is owned by RTÉ and operated by 2RN.

The D-Book is the UK technical specification for digital terrestrial television (DTT).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MYTV Broadcasting</span> Malaysian digital terrestrial television provider company

MYTV Broadcasting Sdn. Bhd. or simply MYTV is a Malaysian television broadcasting private company providing free digital terrestrial television (DTT) in the country, considered a first of its kind in the country. The DTT service is officially branded as myFreeview since August 2015, though the legal name of the company remained unchanged A billion MYR deal have been signed with Telekom Malaysia to distribute the services. The set top box has been available for sale as of February 2017, after long delays of building infrastructure and other issues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ultra-high-definition television</span> Television formats beyond HDTV

Ultra-high-definition television today includes 4K UHD and 8K UHD, which are two digital video formats with an aspect ratio of 16:9. These were first proposed by NHK Science & Technology Research Laboratories and later defined and approved by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

References

  1. ↑ "What is the D-Book?". Digital TV Group, Technical, DTT. 12 August 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  2. ↑ "Current DTG Members". Digital TV Group membership website. 12 August 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  3. ↑ Vaizey, Ed (20 May 2014). "Ed Vaizey Speech to Digital TV Group Summit 2014". Ed Vaizey MP announcements. Department for Culture, Media & Sport and Ed Vaizey MP. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  4. ↑ "DTG :: Technical :: Ultra HD". Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  5. ↑ "DTG :: Technical :: DTT". Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  6. ↑ "DTG :: Technical :: Mobile devices". Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  7. ↑ "DTG :: Technical :: Spectrum". Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  8. ↑ "DTG :: Technical :: Connected/IP". Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  9. ↑ "DTG :: Technical :: Accessibility". Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  10. ↑ "DTG Membership categories". Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  11. ↑ "Home | DTG Testing". Dtgtesting.com. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  12. ↑ "Conformance product testing | DTG Testing". Dtgtesting.com. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  13. ↑ "Obtain Freeview logos | DTG Testing". Dtgtesting.com. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  14. ↑ "Over-air downloads | DTG Testing". Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  15. ↑ "The DTG Testing Receiver Collection: Welcome to the Zoo! | DTG Testing". Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  16. ↑ "Wireless Test and Innovation Centre". DTG Testing.
  17. ↑ "GTEM Cell Hire | DTG Testing". Dtgtesting.com. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  18. ↑ "Consulting Services | UK TV Industry". DTG Testing.
  19. ↑ "DTG Testing Training | DTG Testing". Ddtgtesting.com. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
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