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Satellites, science and success The DVB story D. Wood (EBU) The European DVB Project is seen as something of a model for the development of new systems in many parts of the world. In this article, the author describes the lessons learned in the 1980s 1. Introduction which led to the foundation of the DVB Project in 1993, and the Success is a science. If the conditions are right, the successes it has since achieved. results will come. The DVB Project is probably the major success story in European broadcast technology of the last broadcasting, the MAC/packet system was to twenty years. It will provide our television future sweep away the old PAL and SECAM divisions and more besides, possibly for the next fifty years. which had cost the European consumer a lot of real A confluence of the right events and the right money and inconvenience. The MAC/packet sys- people made it all happen, resulting in a unique set tem was elegant and well-designed; it was a mix of of specifications for the broadcast systems of the best analogue and digital technology available tomorrow. DVB systems also look like being used at the time. beyond Europe – in fact the first broadcast services were in the Far East. The EBU invited the European consumer elec- tronics industry to take part in the standardization 2. The past is a foreign of the MAC/packet system, but participation was country modest. Maybe the invitation was not forceful enough. Or maybe industry realized too late what In the early 1980s, various internal working groups was happening. In any event, no matter how good of the EBU developed the MAC/packet television the MAC/packet system was, a subtle but impor- system. The hope was that this system would form tant element was missing – European industry, and the unique standard for satellite broadcasting in indeed some broadcasters, did not feel they Original language: English Manuscript received 14/12/95. Europe. In the (then) new domain of satellite “owned” the system. 4 EBU Technical Review Winter 1995 Wood The news, in the mid 1980s, that the European right conditions for a massive sales take-off! Nor Commission was preparing a Directive which were they the right conditions for European broad- would bind the European states to use the MAC casters, ever more pressed by competition, to in- system for satellite television services was initially vest in HDTV and to start new services. Hence, greeted with enthusiasm at EBU headquarters. But they did not do so. smiles faded when the final Directive appeared. It limited the use of the new “universal” system to The MAC/packet system was put together in only part of the band likely to be used for television something over a year. This meant that, at the end satellite delivery. The future of satellite delivery of the development stage, the technology used was was now going to be made more complex by the still relatively state-of-the-art. HD-MAC, on the introduction of the MAC family, rather than more other hand, took a lot longer to develop – about five simple. The intention was being defeated, prob- years. When the project began, the digital broad- ably by that old enemy – the over-compromise casting of video – at the bit-rates possible for satel- needed to achieve complete consensus. lite transponders and terrestrial television chan- nels – was just a dream. During the five years of In the mid 1980s, the giants of the European con- the project, however, digital compression tech- sumer electronics industry were beginning to feel niques improved many times over. In the time it that many European broadcasters were not entirely took to develop HD-MAC from a highly-original on their side. They thought that EBU Members technical concept, large technological strides had were not helping enough to prevent a US- been made. The development cycle had been long- promoted 1125-line HDTV broadcast system from er than the new ideas cycle. gaining a foothold in Europe. They also thought By the early 90s, the European broadcast business there was a real risk of European industry falling had learned – the hard way – a whole series of badly behind other parts of the world, in the devel- lessons about the introduction of new technology. opment of HDTV. European industry had only Next time it would have to be done right. modest know-how in the technology of HDTV at the time. 3. The light of experience A bold and imaginative plan was drawn up by European industry to develop an extension of the There is a very elegant model for data interchange EBU’s MAC system which would provide HDTV – the ISO-layer model – which sees the process of pictures, i.e. the HD-MAC system. But this time data exchange as a stack of elements, one on top of it was not the EBU groups who were offering the the other. Each layer builds on the previous layer manufacturers the chance to join their studies. and the complete process is the sum of the layers. Now the manufacturers were in charge; on the HD- Similarly, the broadcast industry has a set of layers MAC Steering Committee, there were only which form a value chain. As shown in Fig. 1, it manufacturers (at least at the outset). begins with a content provider, then a programme service provider, then a delivery system operator, A few years earlier, something had been developed then the consumer electronics manufacturers and which the manufacturers did not “own”. Now finally, the viewers. The lesson from the eighties something was being developed which the broad- is that all elements of this stack must find concrete casters would not “own”. benefit in changing to, or adopting, a new system. Each layer must be sold on the idea. If they are not Once again, the system (HD-MAC) represented all “on board”, a new technology will not happen. the cutting edge of technology. It might have had No one will succeed unless everyone succeeds. a chance of succeeding, if the predictions made in the early 1980s – concerning the time-scale for Today, we increasingly see just one organization in HDTV displays to become available – had come control of several layers of the broadcast chain – a true. In fact, even by the time HD-MAC was de- process known as vertical integration. In this case, veloped, you would still have needed a large bank the introduction of new technology becomes more loan to buy an HDTV receiver – and it would have “controllable”. But, as far as the public is con- been a dim screen at that. These were hardly the cerned, there are also traditional “downsides” to Figure 1 Programme Delivery Consumer Content Principal layers which service system electronics Viewers provider form a value chain in provider operator manufacturers the broadcast industry. EBU Technical Review Winter 1995 5 Wood General Figure 2 Assembly Organization of the DVB Project P. Kahl (DT/D) CA specialist group (December 1995). R. Crossley (BSkyB/UK) Steering IPR Conditional Regulation aspects T. Peek (Philips/NL) Access Board S. Temple (DTI/UK) C. Elzroth (FilmNet/B) E. Lalor (CEC/B) P. Kahl (DT/D) Rules of procedure Budget B. Cottin (Canal+/F) G.T. Waters (EBU/CH) Terrestrial Cable Satellite Commercial Module Commercial Module P. Levrier (GRF/F) J. Forrest (NTL/UK)) AHG commonality AHG user AHG Data Broadcasting with TM report requirements Services P. Melberg (TC/S) A. Baget (TDF/F) A. Arcidiacono (Eutelsat/F) AHG liaison between AHG transition TCM/TM scenarios T. Long (UK) P. Meunier (TM/F) Communications & Interactive Services Promotion Module Commercial Module H. Stein (Nokia/D) M. Cubero (BetaTechnik/D) A. Ziemer (ZDF/D) G. Mills (BT/UK) Technical Module U. Reimers (TUB/D) Terrestrial TV Code of Practice Cascading of frequency planning MPEG-2 test signals Audio Service Information transmission links D. Sauvet-Goichon K. McCann I. Childs (BBC/UK) U. Schmitz (SES/L) J. Johann (DT/D) (TDF/F) (Symbionics/UK) Physical layers for Physical interfaces Storage media Interactive systems the return channel Satellite modulation R van Dootingh interoperability W. Dobbie (BT/UK) J. Seseña (Hispasat/E) M. Cominetti (RAI/I) (Philips/NL) D. Gillies (TM/F) G. Bensberg (ITC/UK) Test and Terrestrial TV Cable systems MMDS/MVDS Multiplexing measurement systems (DTTV–SA) (DTVC) V. Brown (RA/UK) B. Marti (CCETT/F) J. Lauterjung (R&S/D) R. Schäfer (HHI/D) C. Schaaf (DT/D) H HD-Divine DTVT dTTb DigiSMATV Euro-Image 6 EBU Technical Review Winter 1995 Wood vertical integration, including the adverse effects The DVB Project is organized in a tree structure. on the competition for services. Many EBU Mem- As shown in Fig. 2, there are groups (Modules) bers would like to see a separate, thriving, and in- which deal with commercial matters, and a Mod- dependent consumer product industry maintained, ule dealing with technical issues. Sub-groups, acting on its own initiative and taking its own risks. which report to the Modules, tackle the more- While the DVB Project has not made it certain that detailed questions. The Modules report regularly this will be achieved, it has made it more possible. to a Steering Board. Bringing all the key partners together for pre- There are currently about 180 Member organiza- competitive development was the dream of the tions in the DVB Project. Most are European, but “European Launching Group”, the precursor of a good number now come from the Far East, the DVB Group in the early 1990s. The intention North America, and Australasia. The DVB Project was to bring together the four main constituents of Office is organized by the EBU, from its Head- the broadcast industry: quarters in Geneva, and the DVB Steering Board is managed by staff at the Federal Department of – broadcasters; Communications in Germany.

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