Veena Rawaat, Communications Research Centre Canada, Digital TV Transition and New Video Distribution Technologies

1. Digital TV Transition and
New Video Distribution
Technologies
Veena Rawat
President,
Communications Research Centre Canada

2. CRC is Canada’s Primary Federal Laboratory for R&D in
Advanced Telecommunications
Wireless and
Satellite Networks
Internet Broadcasting
CRC is right in the middle of the
telecommunication convergence!
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3. Agenda
Traditional Broadcasting
Transition to Digital TV
Digital Dividend
Emerging Video Delivery Technologies
Summary
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4. Traditional Broadcasting
Now: Traditional broadcasting in Canada
Over-the-air (OTA) (10 % of Household for NTSC)
CATV (64%)
Satellite (26%)
Future: Emerging delivery technologies
Improvement to ATSC DTV Transmission
IPTV
Internet TV
Mobile TV: ATSC M/H, DVB-H, MediaFlo, ISDB-T…
Wi-Fi/Wimax
5% of video viewing in 10 years?
10 %? 20%? 50%?
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5. Traditional Broadcasting
Transition to DTV and HDTV well
under way in Canada: Virtually
complete for Satellite and Well
advanced for Cable
Canada decides to let the market
forces dictate the transition for
digital terrestrial TV transmission
End of Analog TV Transmission:
Transition Completed
United States 12‐6‐2009 Transition for Full‐Power only. LPTV analog
Canada 31‐8‐2011 Transition in Progress
Mexico 1‐1‐2022 Transition not started yet
No transition plan
Europe Recomm. 1‐1‐2012
No information was available
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6. Terrestrial Digital Television Transition in Canada
In 2002, the CRTC set out the regulatory
framework for licensing DTV stations, market
would drive transition
In 2007, the CTRC revised its transition policy
(of allowing the market to determine when
the analogue switch‐off begins) and indicated
a tentative date to shut‐down analog TV by
August 31, 2011 except in northern
communities
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7. CRTC Announcement on March 22, 2009
(CRTC 2010‐167)
There is no change to the August 31, 2011 analog TV
switch-off date
CRTC requires mandatory DTV conversion for the 31
largest markets by Aug. 31, 2011 – 165 stations
The 31 largest markets:
300,000+ population
Provincial/territorial capitals
Markets served by multiple originating stations to convert to DTV
by 2011
TV stations outside the major markets and on channels
52-69 (700 MHz Band) to vacate their channels by
2011 - 20 stations
Remaining analog TV operations are “secondary” to
DTV after 2011
Altogether about 185 stations out of a total of 750 need
to convert to DTV by August 2011
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8. DTV Arrangements with the USA
Exchange of letters between Industry
Canada and the FCC is in place
Formalizes our respective post‐transition
allotments/assignments in the border area (360 km)
Provides guidelines on the coordination of new allotments
and changes to the plan during Canadian transition
A Treaty Agreement is being finalized:
To replace the existing TV agreement and the transitional
arrangements
To come into force after both countries complete
transition to DTV
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9. Television Market
(in ,000) World Mexico USA Canada
Households 1,800,00 25,000 115,760 13,731
TV households 85 930 23,175 114,500 13,593
Penetration (TV %
65.3 % 92.7 % 98.9 % 99%
of households)
Penetration (HDTV
6 % ? 44.6% 37%
% of households)
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10. FCC Broadband Plan (USA)
FCC hoping to free 120 MHz from digital
television broadcasting spectrum
Voluntary basis
Broadcasters to share auction revenue with
government (if approved by US Congress).
US Broadcasters claimed that they need this
spectrum to support Mobile TV (ATSC‐M/H),
3D‐TV and Emergency Alerting
12 major US TV groups to aggregate spectrum
to offer national mobile TV service
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11. Transition Issues
Has many objectives
Technical
Cultural
Consumer interests
Public interests
Need to know various jurisdictions/legislations
in a given country
Need firm timelines and roadmap for
transition and post transition
Urban/Rural phased‐in approach provides
flexibility
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12. Transition Issues (continued)
Rules for broadcasters to use extra capacity available
within their channel (e.g. mobile, TV, Data) ??
Support for Set‐top boxes ??
Simulcast period during transition
Termination of availability of analog equipment ??
Timing for use of Digital Dividend ??
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13. Digital Dividend
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14. The 700MHz band: TV Channels 52‐60
Commercial Services and Public Safety
Band Range 52 Lower 700 MHz 59 60 Upper 700 MHz 69
Commercial Public Commercial Public
Future Services 52 Future Communications Services 59
60 Mobile Services 62 63 Safety 64 65 Mobile Services 67 68 Safety 69
Commercial Services and Public Safety
Band Range Lower 700 MHz Upper 700 MHz
Channel Number 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69
Analog TV and DTV NTSC
Existing Services Analog TV and DTV Simulcast (NTSC + DTV) PS PS
Simulcast (NTSC + DTV) + DTV
Future Services Future Communication Services CMS PS CMS PS
Licensing Process Auction CMS ‐ Auction PS ‐ FCFS CMS ‐ Auction PS ‐ FCFS
Auctioned in the US in 2006
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15. US and Canadian TV White Space Band Plans
(TV Channels 2‐51)
54 72 MHz 76 88 MHz 174 216
VHF
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Fixed (4 W) low
Fixed (4 W) low
power devices
power devices Fixed (4 W) low power devices
470 512 MHz
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Fixed (4 W) low power devices in areas not used by PLMRS
Fixed (4 W) low power devices in areas not used by PLMRS
or CMRS (licensed in 13 metropolitan areas)
or CMRS (licensed in 13 metropolitan areas)
512 608 MHz
UHF
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36
Fixed (4 W) and portable (100 mW) low power devices
Remote Rural Broadband Systems (light licensing)
608 614 668 698 MHz
37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51
Fixed (4 W) and portable (100 mW) low power devices
Remote Rural Broadband Systems (light licensing)
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16. Digital Dividend: Steps Taken In Canada
June 2006: RP‐06: Policy for the use of Television Channels 2 to 59 for
advanced communications services in remote rural communities.
(Focus licensing in Channels 25, 34, 35 and 43 initially to help manufacturers
keep costs down and minimize broadcast coordination.)
A number of applications were filed (see Figure)
Interim Technical Guidelines for Remote Rural Broadband Systems (RRBS)
Operating in the Band 512‐698 MHz
(TV Channels 21 to 51) GL‐05 (March 2007)
Completion of the Radio Standard Specification: RSS‐196 (March 2010)
Publication of the Standard Radio System Plan: SRSP 300‐512 (March 2010)
Minimum distance from Canada/US border: 121 km until agreement is
reached between FCC and IC.
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17. Applications for Rural Broadband In Channels 2‐59
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18. Emerging Video Delivery Technologies
Improvement to ATSC
IPTV
Internet TV
Mobile TV
Wi‐Fi/Wimax
Placeshifting
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19. Broadcasting and telecommunications platforms
Supplier Platforms Customer
Over the air
Broadcasting
Traditional
Satellite
Wholesale Traditional BDU Services Video/Radio
Cable
BDUs
Content Technology/ IP Driven
Providers Telephony/Internet
Converging
platforms
Broadband Video/Radio
Wholesale Services Telephony
Convergence
Internet
Content Consumer
Internet/BDU
Internet/BDU Internet Web
Wholesale
Wholesale Sites
Wireless
Telecommunications
ILECs/
CLECs
Traditional
Telco Wholesale
Telco Wholesale Resellers
TSPs
Traditional Telephone Service
Traditional Telephone Service Telephony
Source: CRTC, Communications Report 2009
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20. Improvements to ATSC
(Digital TV Over‐the‐Air Transmission Standard)
Better Video Compression: MPEG‐4/AVC
Better quality : 1080P/60 Hz (BlueRay)
More Robust Transmision Mode
Higher Capacity
Transmission to Mobile/Handeld: ATSC‐H/M
Adding IP data
Adding interactivity
Adding non‐real‐time services
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21. IPTV: Main Features
To broadcasters,
IPTV (or Broadband Television) is simply “a new emerging platform for distributing
digital television channels to home consumers using a TV screen”
To telecom industry,
IPTV is synonymous with a new opportunity to take part in an attractive and dynamic
media market
To content producers,
A new way to reach consumers and generate increased revenue and profits
Broad range of IPTV services:
Standard Def. Television (SDTV) Interactive information
High Def. Television (HDTV) Content portability
Video‐on‐Demand (VOD) Video clips on‐demand
Interactive program guid3e Video calling/conferencing
Web browsing on TV Video messaging
Music channels Network‐based time & placeshifting
Local programming Peer‐to‐Peer Video
Voice services Home automation
Emergency services On‐line dating
Information services Personalized advertising
Personal Video Recorder (PVR) Wireless/Wireline Integration
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22. IPTV: Challenges
Business challenges
Need to define successful business models
Telcos being new players in the TV market
Competition for content
Technology challenges
Bandwidth availability
System integration (interoperability issues between
network elements)
QOS & QOE
Regulatory challenges
Now regulates as Cable‐Satellite
Needs for restriction on content (since all channels
are on demand thus no capacity restriction)
Need for National Regulations (since IPTV could be
distributed internationally like voice)
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23. Internet TV
Video/Television distributed via the
Internet (IP protocol)
Point to point connections
Not ideal for video delivery (real‐time
constraints)
Downloadable software players for PC’s
Streaming ‐ client/server model
Download: iTunes, Bittorrent, Napster
On demand: You Tube
Peer‐to‐peer (P2P) (e.g. Hulu and others)
Network capacity often challenged!
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24. Internet TV: Challenges
Delivery on a best effort basis, no QoS
Network congestions causes:
Latencey due to need to buffer
Packet losses
Jerkiness in video
Limits bit rate ~200‐600 kbps range
Link capacity fluctuations
Client‐server mode does not scale up very well
Multicast: the Internet is not yet multicast enabled
“The Web infrastructure, even Google’s [infrastructure], does not
scale. It is not going to offer the quality of service that consumers
expect.” Head of TV technology at Google
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25. Internet TV Improvements:
Network capacity increasing
More consumers have access and subscribe
to broadband connections
Using Peer‐to‐Peer connections (P2P):
Video makes up a significant portion of P2P traffic
(more than 60 percent according to CacheLogic)
Good for “popular content”
Issues: latency, asymmetrical connections…
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26. Mobile TV
Video/Television delivery to portable,
handheld and mobile devices
Mobile IPTV or Mobile internet TV
Several competing technologies
3G‐4G wireless networks
DVB‐H (TV band)
ATSC H/M (TV band)
Qualcom/MediaFlo (TV band)
DMB (DAB‐TV Band)
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27. Example of Mobile TV Services
HBO Movies: $5/month
Episodes from 16 TV channels: $8/month
Plus applicable Mobile Browser usage:
300 minutes/month + 1GB: $65/month
Unlimited web Bronze 30 (Olympic Special)
100 local minutes
browsing Unlimited nights & weekends (6 p.m. ‐ 7 a.m.) local calling
Unlimited 2010 Winter Games content including live TV events,
and video
video highlights, live radio coverage of hockey games, text
Starting at $15 a message alerts, medal standings and schedules
Minimum monthly fee
month $30.00
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28. Mobile TV: Limitations
Size/Weight
Small display size
Power consumption
Limits picture quality/resolution
Limited network capacity
Limited choice of programs
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29. New Aggregators
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30. Most Popular User Generated Content Distribution Via
Broadcasting Networks
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31. Summary of Video Distribution Techniques
Production Distribution Viewers
Distribution Rights !
Cable TV
TV Transmitters IPTV
Satellite
Placeshifting
WI‐FI • Wimax
Internet • Cellular
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32. Summary
The transition to Digital TV is moving along around the world.
The end of analog TV will free some spectrum in the Broadcast
bands which will be used for new services.
Video is now being distributed by many various means: Cable,
Satellite, IPTV, Moble Phone networks, Internet…
It opens many interesting issues:
How will video delivery shift from traditional to new distribution techniques in the
next 5-10 years?
Many business, technology and regulatory issues continue to be addressed
What will be the impact of this shift on the New Media and Entertainment business?
Which priorities do we use to allocate the Digital Dividend spectrum?
Different choices by different countries
Using DTV for more programs not for more quality (e.g. HDTV)
Combining TV and radio services on the same transmitters
Offering basic internet access using Data Broadcasting
Directly jumping to a mobile internet infrastructure and by-passing a transition to
Digital Broadcasting
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34. Merci, Thank You
Veena.Rawat@crc.gc.ca • www.crc.gc.ca
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35. A List of Countries that Have Completed Transition to DTV
USA: June 12 2009. No more analog except for LPTVs
Germany: Nov 2008
Switzerland: Nov 2007
Belgium: March 2010
Denmark: Nov 2009
Norway: Dec 2009
Other countries that have completed transition and
switched‐off analog: Sweden (2007), Netherlands,
Finland (2008), Andorra and Luxembourg
EC recommendation: Jan 1, 2012
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36. Transition In Progress with Completion Dates Between 2010 and
2016 ‐ Switch‐off Dates
Argentina: July 9, 2016.
Australia: December 31, 2013. Australia
OTA TV viewers about 35%.
Brazil: June 29, 2016.
France: November 2011.
Ireland: 2012.
Italy: December 31, 2012.
Mexico: 2022.
Russia: 2015.
United Kingdom: end of 2012
Spain: April 3, 2010.
Japan: July 24, 2011.
Malaysia: 2015.
Taiwan: December 2012.
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