Transition to Digital Television: A perspective from the Communications Research Centre Canada (CRC)

1 Presentation Order

• Background • Introduction • Why Digitize the Television System • Technologies available for the Digital Television Transition • DTV Transition Strategies • Conclusions

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 CRC’s Television Systems and Transmission

 Conduct research and development in order to provide the Government of Canada and Canadian industry with technical information to implement advanced television systems.  Share our expertise with other organizations from Canada and around the world through collaboration and contractual agreements.

4 Introduction • Analog Terrestrial TV Broadcasting has been around for more than half a century; • Most successful wireless point-to-multipoint multimedia (video, audio and data) distribution system. • It Provided a Wireless TV Service long before Wireless wireless was cool. • Over the Air Television is currently in a state of Transition from an Analog to a Digital Platform – Allow Better Spectrum Utilization • Source of Revenue – $ US 18b, 108 MHz Reclaimed • Introduction of New Services - WSD deployment, RRBA in Canada

5 Migration Analog TV Digital with NTSC - TV

SD & HD - DTV DTV Mobile

All Live My Show TV Faves s

6 Path to Transition • The problem – Migrate from analog to digital television as seamlessly as possible • Issues to be considered – Available technologies – Impact on Spectrum – Financial aspect to • Consumers (households) • Broadcasters – Duration of the transition (1, 5, 10 years?)

7 Path to Transition Continued Key Decisions must be Made for a Successful Transition • Mandatory Aspects Policy Makers Regulators/Government Decision Makers => Standard => Frequency Plan, Duration of Transition, Subsidies, Licensing Requirements minimize potential for complaints, => CSC…) Some spectrum issues: – UHF better if mobile DTV is to be implemented (antenna size) • Broadcasters/Network Operators (Equipment Type, Coverage Preservation, of Infrastructure) • Consumers (why, what, when to buy; how to set-up and use) => Inform, Educate to Gain Consumer Acceptance then Entertain

8 Scheduled Transition Dates

Migration Strategy Needs to be Created and Implemented In a Timely Manner 9 Why Digital Television • Good for the Region Socio-Economically • Enable Network Integration (Production to Consumption). • Allow Cross-Platform Distribution • One 6 MHz Channel – Multiple Programs • Improved Picture Quality • Easily adapts - Advanced Features • Enable more efficient use of the Spectrum

10 Efficiency in Use • NTSC Standard – Fixed 6 MHz for TV • Analog TV Systems – Only 1 Analog TV Channel in 6 MHZ Digital Dividend from a Spectrum Standpoint • DTV Standards using the North American Sys – 4 SDTV MPEG 2 in 6 MHz or – 1 SD - 1 HDTV MPEG 2 in 6 MHz or – 8 SDTV H.264 AVC in 6 MHz i.e. => pack more TV channels in the same spectrum that carried only 1 analog TV channel.

11 Health and Education Application.

• Make 1 of the 4/8 available SDTV programs a Public Broadcast TV Service (PBS) program available for Education, Health, e-Government services etc. • May require a return channel for classroom interactivity – PSTN => Audio return Link (Bridged)

12 DTV Channel Multiplex

STL Broadcaster Network Operator

TVJ

CVM

PBS

Source: Grassvalley

13 Digital Television Technologies

• Three (3) technologies used in the Americas – ATSC (USA, Canada, Mexico, Bahamas, Bermuda …; Trials in Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Guatemala) – DVB-T (Trinidad Tobago, Panama, Uruguay…) – ISDB-T (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica…) • All are good technologies and have their pros and cons

14 DTV Standard Comparison

Standard ATSC DVB-T ISDB-T Features

Modulation 8VSB OFDM OFDM

Bandwidth 6MHz 5-8 MHz 6MHz

14.9 – 18.1 Mbps 14.6 – 17.7 Mbps Data Rate 19.4 Mbps (64 QAM) (64 QAM) ATSC Mobile DTV 1-SEG Mobile Services DVB-H In-band In-band Single Frequency Yes Yes Yes Network

15 DTV Considerations

Standard ATSC DVB-T ISDB-T Features

Availability of: Availability of: Availability of: •Receivers √ •6MHz Receivers ? Issues •Programs ? •Programs (PSIP)√ •Programs (SI)? •Tech support ? •Tech support √ •Tech support ?

ATSC 2.0: •Higher data rate DVB-T2 Future improvements •Advanced coding ISDB-Tmm DVB-NGH •3D-TV •Non real-time data

16 Worldwide Digital Television Technologies

Courtesy of Wikipedia 17 Transition Strategies for Digital Television

Three (3) strategies: • Soft cut (similar to USA approach, some exceptions) • Hard cut • Gradual cut

Policy decision may affect broadcasters and consumers to varying degrees

18 Soft Cut

• Requires simultaneous analog and digital services • More expensive → 2 Transmission infrastructures (analog + digital) • Two 6 MHz Channels are required before cutover • Benefit =>Less population left in the dark • Disadvantage => May take longer to implement

19 Hard Cut

• Future Date set for Cut Over • Less expensive for broadcasters => Same transmission infrastructure, some new equipment • Only one channel is required => Same Channel as Analog (NTSC) TV is Uses • Receiver - New (SD/HDTV) sets (with integrated receivers) as well as Set-Top-Box for NTSC TV’s must readily available. • Some consumers left in the dark • Broadcasters and consumers have to be ready simultaneously, if not => Transition Frustrations.

20 Gradual Cut Broadcasters Advantage – Timely implementation of digital infrastructure • All digital production => D/A conversion at Tx. – Allows Broadcaster to Control Costs Only one 6 MHz RF Channel Needed for up to 8 Broadcasters Consumer Advantage – Provide enough time for population to acquire HDTV sets (ATSC, NTSC, QAM) or STB. Before cutover Enjoy the HD experience from Blu Ray + Gaming 21 Gradual Cut Continued

Policy/Regulators/Government Advantage – Time to Inform/Educate Broadcasters Re. Rule/ Regulations, FP, Channel Assignments, Transition Timing, Financial Incentives License Requirements etc. – Time to educate the consumers and phase in the sale of HDTV sets or STB. Customers must be informed and educated on a continuous basis CRITICAL – Allow Policy Decision to Schedule cutover far enough in future to minimize the pain to both the Broadcaster and Consumer.

22 Transition Considerations

• Most Important - Need to adequately Inform - Educate Broadcasters and Consumer • Requirements for subsidies – Financially stressed broadcasters – Lower income households – Lack of Subsidised may impact the timing and success of the transition

23 Conclusions

• Transition to DTV is not quite a walk in the park but does not have to be a leap of faith. • Sound technologies are available • Number of ways to transition • Subsidies may be required for lower income household • Nobody has to be left in the dark Inform – Educate – Transition - Entertain

24 Documents of interest

• Guidelines for the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting http://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-d/opb/hdb/D-HDB- GUIDELINES.01-2010-R1-PDF-E.pdf • Plan for a Digital Canada http://www.planpouruncanadanumerique.com/index.php?option=c om_content&view=article&id=2&Itemid=11&lang=en

25 Digital Television, the WOW factor!

WoW! – Wireless Digital Television is Cool

26 Communications Research Centre Canada 3701 Carling Avenue, P.O. Box 11490, Station H Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA, K2H 8S2 http://www.crc.gc.ca 27 ATSC-ATSC M/H

Source Rohde-Schwarz 28