Contents

FOREWORD 2

SERVICES freesat 4 Interactivity for HD 6 Digital Video Recorders 8 Metadata Publishing for an On-demand World 11

DELIVERY Digital Switchover 12 Digital Radio Mondiale 13 Beyond HD 14 Another Look at the Fundamentals 16 Human Media Interaction 18 Audience Research 21

PRODUCTION Production Magic 22 3D Content Generation 24 Prestospace 25 Programme Production 26 Radio Spectrum for Production 28

CORE TECHNOLOGIES Dirac 30 Audio Developments 32 QESTRAL 33 Networks for Programme Production 34 Digital Rights Management 37 Radio Developments 38

WORKING WITH US Innovation Culture 40 Collaborative Projects 43 Standards 44 More Information 47

Credits 48

BBC RESEARCH & INNOVATION ANNUAL REVIEW 2007 – 2008 1 Foreword by Colin Whitbread

In a challenging year for the Research & Innovation team I am What’s pleased to report a number of significant successes, for which happening in I want to thank all those in BBC R&I for their excellent focus Future Media and commitment during an uncertain and difficult period. We R&I are in the early stages of a migration process, which involves by Nick Wells leaving Kingswood Warren and becoming an integral part of the BBC’s FM&T divisional home at White City. This year we have welcomed two new teams We have made significant changes to the organisational into BBC R&I, the BBC’s Innovation Culture structure and now have two functional groups within BBC R&I team and, more recently, the Rapid Application Development Unit. The Innovation Culture – namely Broadcast and Future Media. team supports a wide range of BBC divisions, not just BBC R&I, in undertaking collaborative Future Media’s long term focus is the new Media City at Salford work. It helps to transfer ideas, prototypes and in 2011/2012, where we will be an integral part of a Future knowledge into the business, and takes part in Media Research institute together with partners from industry early stage research projects, as well as engaging and academia. directly with the wider external community of software and applications developers through a So, by mid-2009, if all goes to plan, we will have left Kingswood series of successful events such as ‘Mashed’, the ‘Backstage’ initiative and collaborative projects Warren, the home of the BBC’s technology research for the such as ‘Participate’. past 60 years and moved to the BBC’s campus in White City, London W12. Over the years Kingswood Warren has been The Rapid Application Development Unit was synonymous with BBC Research, and either name is as well established recently and works closely with known outside the BBC as within. We are rightly proud of a operational areas to develop near-term new reputation which is both national and international, established products and prototypes. Its work so far has included contributing to the EU 7th Framework over many decades for being at the forefront of innovation for project P2P-Next, delivering new metadata broadcast and media technologies. frameworks (URIPLAY), and working with teams inside and outside the BBC to develop functional For many it will be sad to leave Kingswood Warren, but the products for evaluation and trials. chance to place BBC R&I at the heart of the BBC will allow us to engage more closely with our colleagues and undertake Future Media R&I is also exploring enhance - exciting and challenging new areas of work. There will of course ments to the ways in which people can interact with BBC-provided material. Areas of study be new opportunities: BBC R&I is not so much about include personalisation of interactions and technology itself, but how skilfully that technology can be providing mechanisms to enable social inter - exploited to create and deliver innovative content and services actions with others whilst consuming media. to BBC audiences. Also, improved methods of navigating BBC archives are being developed and ways are At White City, we will be closer to the business of content being explored in which BBC material can be made more easily accessible. The volume of creation and delivery, and able to continue adding value to the user-generated content submitted to the BBC BBC. I look forward to the year ahead as our BBC R&I teams is constantly growing and automatic methods settle into their new environment and drive forward our for analysing and sorting this content are strategy for the future. being investigated.

You may be aware that our work ranges from fundamental Network architectures are also being studied. research to helping set up trials and new services, both in the These include Grid networks and services, IP networks for professional delivery of traditional Broadcast field and now the Future Media area. audio, and establishing standards for video During the past year, there have been many notable contribution and distribution over achievements to recognise and celebrate, some of which are wireless networks. included in this report which I hope you enjoy reading.

2 What’s happening in Broadcast R&I by Andy Bower

freesat has just been launched to the public – Meanwhile our work on advanced Our multi-camera tapeless recording system, a subscription-free satellite service already modulation technologies, such as MIMO, ‘Ingex’, has been used for the programme carrying over 80 channels of radio, standard another method for making efficient use Dragons’ Den. We have continued our work and high-definition television. We provided of precious radio spectrum especially in the on ‘production magic’ mainly for sports much of the technical expertise towards area of wireless production systems, was applications. This combines pictures from planning and setting up the technical recognised with an award at the 2007 different cameras to produce a view of the infrastructure for this service, both to the International Broadcasting Convention. action from any view point and blends real BBC and the freesat joint venture. This and virtual images seamlessly to allow our included making sure that high-definition The BBC’s high definition TV service was production colleagues to create novel and compatible ‘red button’ interactive services, launched towards the end of 2007. Involved innovative programmes. access services such as subtitling and in its development from the outset, we made on-screen listings were fully supported right our first high definition pictures over twenty A significant part of our work is the result of from the start. years ago. We’re now looking to the longer- collaborations. During the past year we have term future – towards even higher definitions, successfully bid for several new externally- Behind the scenes of digital TV, we’ve more immersive systems such as 3D TV and funded projects on topics as diverse as 3D continued to help specify, test and sign off better sound systems. In this work we are imaging and automatic content recom - technical upgrades and changes to the collaborating with NHK, Philips and a number mendation systems. We are collaborating playout, distribution and transmission of other prominent international organisations. with other major broadcasting research infrastructure to reflect the BBC’s constantly centres from Italy, Germany and Japan, evolving digital platforms and services. Interest in Dirac continues to grow. Dirac wherever possible sharing expertise and Working with our partners in industry, is an open source family of efficient video effort to focus jointly on innovative solutions we are extending the recording options compression coders, suitable for a wide range in a variety of areas ranging from Ultra that can be made available to PVR owners of applications from HDTV production, HDTV and 3DTV, virtual production, through through Freeview+ (formerly Freeview storage and delivery through to internet to accessibility to content and services for Playback) and freesat, making it even easier streaming. Dirac Pro, the version of the the elderly or disabled. for our audiences to access our content coder aimed at applications for high-definition when and how they want. production and distribution, is expected to Another important aspect of our be approved by the SMPTE as an international collaborative activities is working with major Providing HDTV on the Freeview digital standard later this year. Exploitation through universities. We continue to develop new terrestrial TV platform will be an integral part licensing of our know-how, means that relationships and strengthen our existing ones. of the digital switchover process. BBC R&I commercial products are now available. We achieve this in a variety of ways, through technologists, working with partners from These allow broadcasters such as the BBC to collaborative projects, direct sponsorship of across the world within the Digital Video distribute HD content over existing standard contract research or research studentships, Broadcasting Project, have led the definition infrastructure within production and industrial placements for students. development and standardisation of a new and playout centres. This has the potential to terrestrial transmission technique, known as save the BBC significant sums of money by DVB-T2. This will increase the available avoiding the need to upgrade to full HD capacity of a terrestrial channel, enabling infrastructure all at once and upfront, when more HDTV services to be broadcast over migrating to high definition production. the terrestrial network.

BBC RESEARCH & INNOVATION ANNUAL REVIEW 2007 – 2008 3 freesat

freesat was launched on 6 May 2008. It provides a free satellite service, to give licence payers The freesat platform At the heart of the platform is a feed of broadcast greater control over how they receive the BBC’s metadata that enables a set-top box to find freesat programmes. In particular it is a way of watching services scattered across many different satellite transponders. Metadata is also broadcast to help the BBC’s HD broadcasts on satellite without receiver installers select the correct ‘bouquet’ of paying an extra subscription, although viewers do regional services according to the viewer’s UK postcode. of course need to buy a suitable receiver. freesat is a 50/50 joint venture between the BBC and As well as providing listings data for all freesat services for eight days in advance, for freesat ITV, and is run on a not-for-profit basis. receivers to populate their EPG displays, the metadata includes advanced features for supporting digital video recorders (DVRs) including Series Link (automatically record all programmes in a series/season) and Trailer Selection (book a recording at the touch of a button during a promotional trailer). Enhanced Now/Next information allows us to signal accurate start and end times for the coming few programmes, enabling a DVR to more precisely resolve clashes with recordings booked on other channels.

One of the major challenges facing freesat has been accommodating the programme listings data in already crowded multiplexes. (Although eight-day listings for all freesat services are carried in the home transponder, each multiplex containing freesat channels carries a subset of this data, to allow the receiver to display some programme information without tuning away from the programme being watched). Modern data compression techniques, standardised through DVB by the freesat project, allow us to make more efficient use of the limited broadcast capacity.

4 SERVICES The BBC has been investigating the potential Extra equipment had to be put in place by for a free satellite service for some time. the BBC, freesat, and their contractors, and Interactive services In April 2007, the BBC Trust approved the BBC R&I advised and helped with Red-button interactive services on BBC’s participation, and asked it to expedite commissioning and testing. We were asked freesat content use MHEG-5, rather the launch of the service. freesat came to sign off the equipment installed by our than OpenTV as used on satellite together formally in May 2007. The organ - technology partner Siemens, and we also broadcasts to the UK. MHEG-5 is isation itself is a small team with its own configured the new ‘home transponder’, an open standard, and is the same offices in London. It is supported by the which carries programme listings and tuning mechanism used on Freeview so there BBC, with much technical work being done information for freesat services. We worked is potential for common application by BBC R&I, with help from other with the providers of services and schedule development and content production broadcasters, contractors, and a number information (about ten in number, covering across the two platforms. of TV receiver manufacturers. over eighty channels available at launch) to ensure their listings data feeds were Additionally, freesat receivers will In the period leading up to the Trust’s technically compliant with the freesat system. incorporate for the first time a decision, engineers at BBC R&I developed We also tested some aspects of prototype standardised return path mechanism the detailed technical specification for the receivers’ performance against the new that customers may optionally connect proposed system, in consultation with specification, clarifying details with the to their home broadband service. colleagues and other interested parties. manufacturers where necessary. We have In the first instance, interactive The specification includes descriptions of advised colleagues who create the BBC’s applications will be able to exploit this how we expect the receivers to behave. Interactive content on the improvements to retrieve additional content from the This was written anticipating that manu - and new features in the freesat version internet for which there is insufficient facturers would make a range of products, of MHEG-5. capacity in the broadcast path. Later, from simple SD set-top boxes to HD the return path could be used to versions with built-in recorders, and HD TVs As with Freeview, manufacturers of the deliver personalised content, with the satellite decoder included. It was receivers have to submit sample products transaction-based interactions and, in also vital to ensure that freesat broadcasts for a compliance test before displaying the later revisions, on-demand media would not upset Sky receivers, and vice versa; freesat logo. BBC R&I have managed propositions such as iPlayer. viewers who already have a satellite dish will the development of the compliance regime, be able to use it with a freesat receiver, which has been implemented by DTG Testing provided it and its wiring are in good order. Ltd. This has included our validating the special transport streams used in the tests, Although freesat uses the audio and video and helping to generate some of them. components of our existing satellite broadcasts, there are some significant differences in other respects, and a lot of technical preparation was needed before the launch.

BBC RESEARCH & INNOVATION ANNUAL REVIEW 2007 – 2008 5 Interactivity for HD

HD is applauded for its clear, crisp pictures with One objective has been to ensure that an vivid colours and increased detail. But whilst the interactive service can switch seamlessly between SD and HD without any disruption BBC’s HD broadcasts feature spectacular to the viewing experience. This kind of documentaries, dramas and sports coverage, the functionality can be used to switch between a linear SD channel and an HD channel when interactive content that accompanies our other the latter is carrying an HD simulcast of the broadcasts is missing. BBC R&I have been programme on the SD channel. It can also be used to bring HD coverage of an event investigating how best to provide interactive into an otherwise SD interactive multi-stream content alongside HD video and are service, such as ‘Wimbledon Interactive’. collaborating with the industry to resolve the However, the HD experience is not just challenges it presents. about HD content but also about the best possible presentation of SD content on HD displays, remembering that the majority of the interactive content will be created in SD for some time. Hence, another objective has been to ensure that interactive content from an SD service looks as good as possible on HD displays. Whilst it is straightforward to ‘stretch’ a service rendered at SD resolution so that it fills a HD display, the quality of graphics and text is compromised. BBC R&I has been researching and promoting to the industry an alternative approach called ‘intelligent rendering’. The location and size information for each on-screen component, for example, shapes, text, and graphics, at SD resolution is mapped to its HD equivalent and rendered directly at HD resolution, thus enabling the maximum quality of presentation.

As HD becomes more popular, the argument for authoring in the HD co-ordinate system is likely to gain credence. We will need to work out how the extra real-estate of an HD co-ordinate system could be used to

6 SERVICES best effect. One suggestion is to use smaller distance. This introduces a particular were able to navigate around the content fonts to squeeze more text on a screen. challenge when there is a large volume and then choose to watch or listen to it Given typical viewing distances and screen of content through which to navigate. there and then on their television set. Our resolutions, is it reasonable or aesthetically responsibility was to ensure that the set-top desirable to do this?  Our viewers expect good quality pictures boxes met the BBC’s requirements, and that from the BBC on their TV, even though all technical aspects of the infra structure TV with interaction channel they may accept less on their computer. would provide a fully functional system. Hybrid set-top boxes that can receive both Achieving this may require encoding conventional broadcasts and broadband a TV specific version at a considerably We have been feeding back what we have content are now beginning to appear. higher bit-rate. learned from this trial and other related However they tend not to be able to work into industry through standardisation receive both at the same time, resulting in  Many internet applications rely on users bodies. The DTG Interaction Channel a disjointed viewing experience. Technology keeping their PC up-to-date with the Working Group is looking at how to specify conceived by BBC R&I gets round this, latest software. The highly optimised access to IP connectivity on Freeview set-top presenting content from both sources as hardware and software combinations boxes. We have demonstrated how existing a single hybrid service. This maximises the used in today’s set-top boxes make it bbc.co.uk web services can be adapted ability to retain our audience as they navigate impractical to update these in the same to allow access from a set-top box. These seamlessly between the two worlds. manner. Our viewers do not expect to include using RSS feeds (a format used to be in a continuous cycle of managing publish frequently-updated content on the Broadband offerings range from low data-rate upgrades or buying new set-top boxes Web) to pop messages up on the screen, features such as voting and personalising to keep up with our services. and full screen applications where the user pages of BBCi through to supporting iPlayer has real-time interaction with a server or and other video on demand. We can offer  The effects of differences in connectivity, other users. truly interactive services, where the viewer both within the home and over the can connect both with the broadcaster and internet, are more marked when with other viewers. delivering high bit-rate video, and the viewer may not understand where any There are various challenges presented problems arise. by hybrid receivers. Although the underlying concepts are no different from using the BBC R&I has explored many of these internet on a home PC, there are a number challenges through the BBC’s ‘Archive on TV’ of significant differences which must trial, led by our parent division, Future Media be considered: & Technology. This was undertaken in partnership with Netgem, while we provided  The physical user interface on a set-top the technology leadership. The trial demon - box is more restricted, with a remote strated linking from the broadcast world into control and a relatively low resolution the wealth of content that could be made display typically viewed from some available from the BBC's archives. Viewers

BBC RESEARCH & INNOVATION ANNUAL REVIEW 2007 – 2008 7 Digital Video Recorders

Freeview+ (formerly Freeview Playback), Sky+, Acquiring content through and other Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) are referencing information The metadata signalling in our digital becoming an increasingly popular choice for UK broadcasts was designed over ten years ago. consumers wishing to replace their analogue VCRs. We have been investigating the use of more advanced mechanisms, including the Content The latest models show that a modern DVR can Referencing Information (CRI) location do much more than just time-shift programmes. resolution service standardised by the TV-Anytime Forum. However, the opportunities are limited unless the broadcasts carry additional metadata about CRI allows arbitrary transitions between events, allowing us to break out of the the programmes and their scheduling, and the constraints of a simple slot-based electronic DVRs are designed to take advantage of it. This programme guide (EPG). Sub-events can be signalled, allowing us to transmit information is helped if broadcasters use open standards. about individual segments of a programme, not just the programme as a whole. CRI also supports a much more flexible way of finding BBC R&I has three strands of DVR-related work: different instances of the same content; investigating advanced signalling mechanisms to repeats of the same programme are cross- referenced to help the DVR to select a accompany the digital broadcasts; further different recording time if it finds a clash with develop ment of Freeview+, including adapting another booked recording. Regional transmissions of the same content can be this system for freesat; and extending the MHEG-5 handled efficiently and the availability of functions to allow interactive applications to content on non-broadcast platforms such as the internet can even be signalled. control and be part of what is recorded. BBC R&I has developed a prototype DVR that can decode CRI. We have also built the We note that DVRs, like other media devices, corresponding head-end system that can are increasingly being fitted with broadband encode the CRI into a broadcast stream – although our experiments have so far been connections, and a common theme of this work confined to the laboratory. The head-end is how to extend the broadcast metadata and is constructed in two parts: the first is connected to the BBC’s operational playout the DVR functions to exploit content from systems to collect the most accurate the internet. information available about programme boundaries; the second collates CRI from

8 SERVICES a number of different sources (potentially linking’. We intend to repeat this process different broadcasters) and encodes it for to agree a UK mode of operation for transmission. Information is transferred trailer booking. between the two parts using a standard business-to-business web service protocol. Trailer booking needs three technical developments in the metadata supply chain With access to more accurate programme to make it work: start and finish times, the DVR can make better-informed decisions about potential  The correct linkage between the trailers clashes between recordings. If the scheduling and programmes. clash cannot be resolved, the receiver may instead be able to decide to download the  Additional signalling information content from the internet using the synchronised with the trailer and information in the CRI service. Future work programme playout. will further explore the synergies between broadcast and internet-delivered content,  Technical specification of the necessary and the richer navigational metadata that extra functions to be included in TV-Anytime can provide. the receivers.

Trailer booking We have built a working model of the whole Trailer booking is a feature of DVRs where chain from the head-end to the DVR, to the viewer can press a single button during demonstrate the concept and include some a trailer to set a recording of the pro - advanced features. A viewer can for example gramme itself. Sky+ already provides a basic book an entire open-ended series from a version of this feature on some non-BBC single trailer, or book a recording long before services, using the green button on the the broadcaster has released the remote control. programme’s broadcast time, neither of which is currently possible. BBC R&I is supporting the development of trailer booking services on all linear platforms, One issue of deploying new functionality in including Freeview and freesat. While the horizontal markets is that of co-existence Sky Digital platform uses a proprietary with existing technologies in the receivers, mechanism, Freeview and freesat are based for example interoperability between MHEG on open standards that we have developed applications and the receiver’s own menu and with the other broadcasters and with guide system, and common user interactions receiver manufacturers. We have led the (in other words, agreeing what each button work (under the auspices of the DTG) to on the remote control is now expected to establish the open signalling mechanism used do). We have developed a prototype by existing features such as Freeview+ ‘series receiver capable of processing and displaying

BBC RESEARCH & INNOVATION ANNUAL REVIEW 2007 – 2008 9 Digital Video Recorders (cont)

the trailer booking information, in addition to used to record programmes in addition the usual digital receiver functions, to identify to those manually booked by the viewer. these issues. The second key element allows the DVR Over the coming months we will continue to record interactive applications and their to advise our colleagues in the BBC’s associated data. This means that the DVR distribution and marketing operations over can act as a local source of rich media assets, the launch of the service. Trailer booking such as large passages of text, high-quality requires some significant changes to the images and AV clips. These can be used to metadata delivery chain, and decisions as to create interactive experiences of a nature how the various functions will be presented and quality that cannot be achieved using to the user. We will also be investigating how broadcast interactive techniques alone. the trailer booking mechanisms can be used to promote our internet offerings, in To explore and illustrate the potential of this particular iPlayer. technology the BBC ran a collaborative trial with industrial partner Cabot Communic - MHEG-5 extensions ations. The trial, which ran from December for digital video recording 2006 to March 2007, provided 250 homes This development allows both linear and with a specially modified DVRs. Trialists had interactive content to be pushed to a DVR access to a ‘catch-up TV’ service and a from a digital broadcast. This could be used number of advanced interactive applications. for a range of propositions, from a Push- VOD style service, through advanced Feedback from the trial was positive with interactive games, to video clips of many users commenting that the service holiday destinations. introduced them to niche content that they would not normally have found. Deployment requires the DVR manufacturer Consequently, future service prototypes are to implement a ‘toolkit’ of MHEG-5 being based around a ‘best of’ service which extensions, designed to allow interactive aims to help viewers to get the most out of applications to access the DVR’s content their DVR. Freeview+ features can be used storage and acquisition capabilities. The to guide the viewer to similar programmes extensions will work on the DVR’s existing or encourage series bookings. hardware and build on the software modules already in place, so additional functions can We are working to get products incorporating be provided for minimal extra cost. Push-to-DVR technology into the digital television market. And as IP connectivity The first key element of the toolkit allows becomes more common place we are looking interactive applications to make bookings to at how to use it to improve the versatility record broadcast programmes. This can be and features of the digital delivery platforms.

10 SERVICES Metadata Publishing for an On-demand World

The BBC is increasingly looking to exploit To avoid the problem of integrating with many different the content it commissions in non-linear metadata systems the BBC is supporting the use of the TV-Anytime open standard format for internal public services such as iPlayer. As well as interchanges, for syndication to web partners and for offering content direct to end users on publishing to third-party platforms. personal computers and internet- For supporting iPlayer on internet devices, BBC R&I has connected consumer electronics devices, provided TV-Anytime expertise to colleagues in FM&T to help them develop solutions for publishing metadata the BBC is also engaging with third-party on the BBC website. The content itself is delivered via video-on-demand platform operators and third-party content distribution networks, but publication remains under the BBC’s control. other content mediators to ensure that licence fee payers can access BBC content In the case of our dealings with third-party on-demand platforms, the content itself must be distributed to each on demand wherever they are. In all these platform’s central ingest point and the feed of metadata different distribution scenarios accurate can play a role in driving this process. BBC R&I has profiled TV-Anytime for use in this business-to-business and timely metadata is key to letting domain and wrapped it in a standardised ‘web services’ viewers know what content is available protocol that can be implemented by any third party wishing to integrate with the BBC’s content drop-off point. to them. Having specified the protocol we are currently working to create a reference implementation that can be given to prospective implementers – both publishers and recipients – to ease industry acceptance. In parallel we are seeking the support of other broadcasters and the platform operators. The benefits of cheaper integration increase with the number of parties implementing the same standard.

BBC RESEARCH & INNOVATION ANNUAL REVIEW 2007 – 2008 11 Digital Switchover

Over the next four years Potential problems include: In the future it may be possible to enhance the UK’s Digital Switchover the metadata we broadcast on Freeview  The signals from high-power digital to include a choice of different service programme will oversee the transmitters being receivable in ‘bouquets’. Viewers in overlap areas would transition from analogue to neighbouring service areas, causing be given a choice of regional services to be viewers’ receivers to detect multiple mapped automatically onto the familiar digital television broadcasting. variants of the same service. channel numbers. Related work already The network of terrestrial completed for the freesat platform provides  The possible need for viewers to a useful precursor for how this might transmitters includes 1154 rescan their receivers several times as be implemented. main and relay stations, plus the regions around them switch over in sequence. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the BBC has local ‘self-help’ coverage in-fill commissioned a complete replacement of  schemes. The present mixed Confusing viewers with a complex the coding and multiplexing equipment that switchover process. generates its digital TV signals, for digital high-power analogue plus satellite as well as Freeview. The existing low-power digital service must In addition to the spectrum planning aspects equipment varies from about five to ten of digital switchover, therefore, significant years old, and a better arrangement is now be replaced at each site by a work is required to ensure existing digital possible that provides a more resilient, high-power digital-only signal. terrestrial receivers can make sense of the capacity-efficient and easily managed service system, service and schedule information they across the UK. The new system is needed The region-by-region receive both during and after the switchover to face the challenges of digital switchover switchover timetable is tight process, to ensure as seamless a transition where an analogue signal will soon no longer as possible. be available as a back-up. and must be achieved without significant disturbance to Digital Switchover trials have been under - The detailed design and implementation taken in Wales and Cumbria to simulate the of the new system is being undertaken by viewers, particularly the most process and assess the scale of the problem. the BBC's technology partner Siemens and vulnerable members of society Current work is focussing on three a large number of their subcontractors. main areas: BBC R&I has contributed to the design such as the elderly. strategy, the configuration settings and  Providing additional signalling from each performance testing, and is responsible for main transmitter and its dependent relays accepting the system on behalf of the BBC. so that it can be distinguished from its neighbours. The system will enter service with the digital switchover of the Selkirk transmitter in  Broadcasting information recommending November 2008 with a full migration of all a rescan. This can include putting a the coding and multiplexing facilities to be message on screen. completed in the summer of 2009.

 In collaboration with the other terrestrial multiplex operators, working out the bit rates needed to carry the switchover data.

12 DELIVERY Digital Radio Mondiale

Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) is a digital Our work this year has focused on a trial in the medium wave broadcasting system for long, medium and band, in collaboration with BBC Distribution, BBC Radio Devon and National Grid Wireless. We provided a network of monitoring short wave bands traditionally used for receivers connected to a central logging system, and have been able Amplitude Modulation (AM). As well as to provide a detailed analysis of the reception results. We were able to draw on our extensive experience of DRM to advise on providing clear hi-fi audio, DRM also offers a number of technical aspects of the trial including single frequency ease of use and a better listening networks and the idea of changing modes during the hours of darkness in order to maintain optimum reception. The trial ended experience. BBC Research has been in early April, and the results will be published jointly later in the year. involved with DRM from the outset, We used the Plymouth trial to build Theseus, our real-time monitoring contributing to many areas of standard - network demonstrator, giving users an instant view of the state of isation, field trials and implementation. reception available from any web browser. During the year we have added many features to Theseus, including the ability to stream back the audio as received at any monitoring station, and graphs and data showing the changing reception conditions, all in real time. Support for low data-rate connections has been added, making it feasible to install monitoring stations in developing countries lacking a reliable wired infrastructure. This could be of interest to international broadcasters including the BBC World Service.

We have continued to develop our DRM receiver testing facility, with current work investigating ways to test the performance of receivers in fading channels, as well as suggestions on changes to the minimum receiver specification written by the DRM consortium.

We have continued to contribute to the international development of the DAB family of standards by taking part in the WorldDMB Forum’s Technical Committee (which since October 2007 we have chaired). The areas of development have been primarily for data applications which include elements of interactivity – voice applications, intelligent text applications – and adding new functions to existing applications – for example animation to the SlideShow application. We have tried to ensure the stability of the existing standards in order to protect BBC services and infrastructure. At the same time we have contributed to the creation of new solutions that help to widen the appeal of digital radio worldwide and enhance its appeal to the listening public.

BBC RESEARCH & INNOVATION ANNUAL REVIEW 2007 – 2008 13 Beyond HD

The fundamental research on HD was carried The BBC has a worldwide reputation for out over forty years ago, and it is over twenty producing video and audio content to the highest technical standards. During 2006 and years since engineers at Kingswood Warren built 2007 we helped the BBC run a series of the BBC’s first HD recording van and editing trials of HD broadcasting. Following the success of the trials the BBC Trust approved suite. We don’t yet know what will happen the launch of BBC HD services in beyond HD, but we are already looking at the November 2007. contenders as they begin to line up. This time, Our ‘Beyond HD’ project aims to maintain it is unlikely we will have to wait another forty this reputation by harnessing the best developments from around the world. years, or even twenty, before the ‘off’. As the trial ended we turned our attention to reviewing the state of HD research to identify organisations with whom we might collaborate. Areas in which we have an interest include Ultra High Definition, Digital Cinema, 3D TV, high frame rate TV, virtual reality and other immersive systems.

Ultra-High Definition Our first collaboration is with NHK STRL and their Ultra-HD system, called Super Hi Vision (SHV). This has 4,320 lines per picture, with about 8000 pixels per line, giving four times the picture detail of HD. The pictures are designed to be viewed on a screen size of about 100 inches in a domestic living room, so that the picture fills the viewer’s field of view while still showing detail down to the limit of visual perception.

Uncompressed SHV requires a huge bit-rate – about 30Gb/s – and we are applying Dirac video coding to reduce this to acceptable levels, for digital satellite signals to the home as well as for studio circuits and contribution links. A demonstration with non-real time

14 DELIVERY Dirac-coded SHV pictures is planned for the mainly 3D cinema. So BBC R&I needs to your field of view. This would complete the IBC conference in September 2008. gain practical experience of 3D technologies illusion by encouraging you to follow the and production techniques to be able to action by moving your eyes and head, just as We are also working with NHK, Siemens, SIS give advice. you would have to if you were really there. and Cable & Wireless to encode and transmit This means that the camera itself does not SHV pictures live from London to We have just joined a European Union pan but should be locked off. Amsterdam, using IP over an international collaborative project called ‘3D4YOU’, which telecoms circuit. We will use NHK’s MPEG-2 will develop the major elements of a 3D TV BBC R&I is investigating how such widescreen encoders initially, but the aim is to replace broadcasting system. A key aim of this pictures could be made, while still using these eventually with Dirac. project is to make a system compatible with commercially available equipment. We have 2D HDTV broadcasting, because it is unlikely demonstrated a 31 × 9 aspect ratio picture 3DTV that extra spectrum will be made available using two HD projectors side-by-side to give 3D is enjoying a renaissance in the cinema in the near future for 3D broadcasts. The a 4k image (actually 3712 × 1080 – there is a due to a combination of improved display project is led by Philips. They make one of small overlap at the join). One sequence techniques and computer generation of the few glasses-free 3D displays, using a came from an experimental recording at the scenes in 3D. The most popular system uses lenticular layer in front of an LCD display Millennium Stadium in Cardiff in March 2007, a single stereoscopic projector and inex - to give about eight viewing positions using two 50 frame/s progressive-scan HD pensive circularly polarised glasses. In the where the 3D effect can be seen. However, cameras. After the event, the two pictures business world, the need for 3D visualisation the project will develop a system that were joined together using software intended in computer aided design has led to the is independent of any particular for making panoramic photographs. The development of a number of types of 3D display technology. result shows promise, but the join is visible display. In the home computer market, between the pictures because the dynamic graphics cards have started to appear that Even wider widescreen? correction for the camera lens distortion is support stereoscopic rendering. The 16 × 9 format gives a better viewing not perfect. experience on large screens than 4 × 3. For regular television viewing we would want However, as screen sizes continue to grow The second sequence was made by ‘letter- a system that does not require special glasses. (a150 inch plasma screen has recently been boxing’ a picture from a single Super Hi Vision A few examples have appeared, but the demonstrated) is 16 × 9 enough? The cinema scene of sunflowers, kindly provided by NHK resolution of the image is lower than a has for many years used higher aspect ratios, STRL. There is no discernible geometric normal TV and the 3D effect only works well such as Cinemascope at 2.35:1, equal to distortion, and because the only join is at a small number of discrete viewing angles. about 21 × 9. While a larger screen in the between the projectors, it is almost invisible. However, the large amount of research being home might not suit everyone, the BBC often carried out on 3D TV around the world sets up very large outdoor screens for We will continue to experiment with pictures suggests that TV manufacturers do believe showing major events in public places. Would from very high resolution cameras, such as it has a future. a more panoramic format be better here? the NHK Super Hi Vision system and the new 4k model from the RED Digital Cinema A major question for the BBC is when and Ideally, the screen should give the impression Camera Company. The information obtained how much it should invest in making 3D that you are at the event itself. The screen will provide useful experience for our television programmes, while the market is should be close enough to completely fill collaboration with NHK.

BBC RESEARCH & INNOVATION ANNUAL REVIEW 2007 – 2008 15 Another Look at the Fundamentals

There has been a revolution in Dynamic range Another issue is that the display industry television over the last few years, Eight-bit linear coding has always been continues to refer to colorimetric standards considered adequate for broadcasting. In the dating from the 1930s (CIE Yxy) when more than just the introduction production chain, 10-bit encoding is usually describing the way colours are reproduced, of digital. HD programmes are used to provide some headroom for signal rather than the much more perceptually processing, and if the display closely follows uniform 1976 CIE Yu‘v’ system. Similarly the now available to UK audiences. an ideal gamma curve (which is well matched colour gamut of a display tends to be Flat panel display technologies to human vision) then such a system can compared to the NTSC colour gamut, achieve good results. Unfortunately most which has never been used in any TV system, have finally succeeded in replac- modern flat panel displays diverge very much not even NTSC itself! This gives opportunities ing CRTs in the consumer TV from the ideal, and one way to compensate for ‘specmanship’ that can appear to for this is to increase the bit-depth in exaggerate the benefits of wide- market. TV screens are getting the display. gamut systems. bigger, and even higher resolutions High dynamic range displays are being High frame rate than HD are now possible, as marketed that claim to give deeper blacks capture and display shown by the cinema industry. in the picture. The more sophisticated A side-effect of going from SD to HD is techniques do produce stunning improve - the increased disparity between static and The best cameras can now ments, but those used in some mass-market dynamic image resolution. When the camera capture images at least as well products tend to achieve better results on pans or something moves, the picture will paper than in practice. become blurred. It becomes sharp again as the human eye. when everything stops. This can be uncom - Or is the real issue that the broadcast signal fortable to watch, and it spoils the sense chain and the display together are not of realism. The blurring can be reduced by This is leading us to re-examine delivering the full potential of 8-bit coding? shuttering, but then the motion breaks up into a series of separate still images. the fundamentals of TV image Wide colour gamut construction and its interaction The TV colour gamut encompasses most Ultra-HD systems make the effect even with human perception. The naturally occurring colours. Cinema film has more apparent, because the still image is a very different gamut. Now digital cinema so sharp. industry is still working mainly has adopted a system allowing improvements from conclusions drawn from which are particularly noticeable in yellows. Could a higher frame rate, in the camera as Consumer camcorders and TVs are starting well as the display, reduce motion blur and tests on standard definition TV, to use xv-YCC, which gives potential increase the sense of realism? (Attempts to done within the limits of earlier improvements in green. However the recreate extra frames bring problems of their implementations of wider colour gamuts own, and they can’t recreate detail that was technologies. Are these in consumer products can result in quite never captured by the camera.) If so, how conclusions still valid? extreme errors in colour reproduction. high would the frame rate need to be?

16 DELIVERY High frame rate cameras are easier to find In the meantime, the consumer TV industry viewer to take in. Should we be looking at than high frame rate projectors, and hence is already moving to higher frame rates, how much the quality of the audio and its we undertook a two-day shoot with a 300fps created by up-converting the 50Hz signal. format are influencing how the picture is (frames per second) 1080p HD camera. 100Hz CRT televisions have been available perceived, and vice versa, and modifying our We shot a range of scenes at 300fps, for about ten years, but their sales were tests accordingly? including rollercoasters, juggling, table-tennis always modest. Higher frame frames can help and camera pans. mitigate the effects of blurring on LCDs, and Our role it is predicted that by the end of 2008 half So we see our main role as offering balanced The highest frame rate we were able to of all television sets sold will be 100Hz or advice, and trying to persuade the consumer achieve in the display was 100fps from a 120Hz LCDs (the 120Hz versions for TV industry to characterise its products DLP projector. This allowed us to compare countries that have 60Hz pictures). The most more realistically. displays at 25, 50 and 100fps, creating the noticeable improvement is the presentation pictures by combining frames from the of horizontally scrolling captions. We have We are also helping the industry understand 300fps camera (for example combining three also found that ‘film effect’ material, where how these changes might be accommodated, at a time to create 100fps). the 50Hz TV picture has been processed to and providing information and guidance look like 25fps film, which looked rather poor about the issues and opportunities. At the We concluded that recording and playing on early non-up-converting LCDs, now looks moment, the producer or director can no back at higher frame rates clearly resulted similar to the way it does on an ordinary longer be sure if the ‘look’ he or she has in a much more detailed and lifelike picture CRT TV. taken care to create will really be seen, or when shots featured moving cameras or indeed even if the pictures will appear the subjects. The results also demonstrated the However, frame-rate conversion is very hard same in different homes. These considerations increased importance of higher frame rates to do well even in professional equipment. apply not only to conventional broadcasts, at higher resolutions. Some designs for consumer products but to mobile TV and internet delivery too. therefore leave something to be desired. We plan to continue capturing pictures at Any movement in the picture has to be BBC R&I is chairing an EBU Technical Group high frame rates but a suitable higher frame accurately predicted, and it is easy to degrade ‘P/Display’, which has defined the rate display has yet to be found. Eventually it the picture rather than improve it, even broadcasters’ requirements for TV monitors is intended to apply this work to the research where there is only horizontal motion. Very in the flat panel era. We also take part in a on large ultra-HDTV displays. few implementations consider vertical motion number of UK DTG groups considering both or rotation. consumer and professional display Whether and how such enhancements might developments. We will continue to provide be accommodated in future TV systems is an Audio presentation advice within the BBC on these issues and open question. It would depend on cost, Conventionally, when we assess picture work with others in the industry through practicalities, and our ability to demonstrate quality we don’t have any sound, and when bodies such as the DTG, EBU, SMPTE the benefits to the viewer. We would also we assess the audio, we don’t have a picture. and ITU, and through direct contacts need to consider the effect on our own Of course this allows us to concentrate on with manufacturers. archive material and the readiness of our finding any defects, but is it always the right audience to once more update the thing to do? With immersive multi-channel equipment in their homes. sound and HD images, there is a lot for the

BBC RESEARCH & INNOVATION ANNUAL REVIEW 2007 – 2008 17 Human Media Interaction

After predominating for around 30 years the Discovering content simple infrared remote control now seems As a wealth of broadcast channels and online content becomes available the BBC woefully inadequate for modern entertainment has to work harder to maintain its popularity and information systems. The requirements for and reach the widest possible audience. User interfaces and the metadata behind human media interaction are becoming them are a key factor. Our previous work increasingly demanding whilst the desire for on the TV-Anytime metadata standard for describing TV and radio programmes is now simplicity and the need for accessibility finding an increasing number of applications remain important. on the internet as well as in broadcast services. Processing of TV-Anytime metadata using client-side technologies such as The introduction of cheap wireless pointing Javascript can produce a wide range of interesting user interfaces such as tag clouds. devices may help, but a wide range of We have joined the recently formed sophisticated technologies are now emerging to TV-Anytime implementers web working group which aims to re-express the help users find and interact with our content. TV-Anytime content description model using technologies emerging from the W3C’s work on the semantic web.

The MyMedia project Personalised recommendations are becoming an increasingly important way to help people avoid information overload. We recently co-founded a new European Union collaborative research project to develop advanced content recommendation technologies. The MyMedia project is creating a software framework for recommender systems which will support multiple, pluggable content catalogues and recommender algorithms. The project will also work on new recommender algorithms, new ways to model user preferences and will incorporate aspects of social networking. The technology will be evaluated in field trials in several European countries.

18 DELIVERY Accessibility case of longer programmes and enhances Image classification With so many powerful ways to navigate to the overall experience. and retrieval and within content, we are working to ensure Classification is finding a specific object that programmes, websites and other services We are now promoting the new ID3v2 such as an aircraft or a car in an image and remain accessible to the whole community. specification to other content and requires training on each object, so prior Collaborating with partners across the BBC, platform developers. knowledge is required. Classification can be in industry, universities and campaigning used to automatically generate metadata for organisations, we are researching the features Games archive images. Retrieval sorts images based that will make the next generation of set-top Broadcasters face declining audiences unless on their similarity to a chosen image. boxes accessible to disabled users; novel they reinvent themselves for new platforms. No specific training images are required assistive tools for digital service navigation; Games platforms are of particular and no prior knowledge is required for and strategies to help older viewers to be importance, because they have such a huge retrieval as it treats each image individually. less restricted in exploring interactive TV. and growing user-base. Moreover, they Retrieval can be used for fast searching of Helping the BBC's existing access services, provide the BBC with exciting new user-generated content (clips sent in by the including subtitling and audio description, opportunities to reach under-served sectors public, often from a sudden news-worthy make the very best use of developing of its audience, with new, innovative forms event) once the first images have technology is also a central research aim. of content. been received.

Improving navigation We have been collaborating with Liverpool Our system is called CLARET; it is an through audio John Moores University to develop the image CLAssification and RETrieval system Audio content, for example BBC podcasts, ‘Homura IDE’, a web based 3D games engine particularly designed for user generated can contain multiple tracks, stories or with authoring tools, as a potential platform content. CLARET is a collaboration with otherwise distinct sections. By embedding for BBC games applications. the University of Surrey. The next step is metadata describing this structure we can to run a pilot system to evaluate how the make it easier to navigate this audio. We are also working in CALLAS, a users can make the most of this new tool European Union collaborative project and measure the performance of the system BBC R&I has developed an extension to the which is exploring interactive applications in a working environment. ID3v2 specification for MP3 files (now that appear to have an open-ended published) which allows a table of contents storyline. The approach explores open- We are also discussing content-based image and a set of chapters to be embedded within ended interactive narrative techniques, retrieval with Oxford University, York the file. Each audio chapter can have its own responding to the user’s emotional University and Southampton University. embedded description and images. reactions rather than direct user The possible applications of future research intervention. The experimental system are image classification for BBC Monitoring To play these enhanced MP3s we have uses a virtual character as a co-spectator, and image retrieval for BBC Factual created a Flash-based cross-platform audio whose own emotional reactions to the and Learning. player. This uses ID3v2 information to display story act as a catalyst to elicit user reactions. timed image and text data corresponding to We are exploring the use of emotional The Participate project each section of the audio. This improves speech recognition and keyword analysis Participate is a three-year collaborative navigation through the audio especially in the to capture these user reactions. project exploring convergence in pervasive,

BBC RESEARCH & INNOVATION ANNUAL REVIEW 2007 – 2008 19 Human Media Interaction (cont)

online and broadcast media, to create new  A mobile game using a context-aware handles and runs the missions, users, items kinds of mass-participatory events. It is now games engine based on cell-id. and active missions model. in its third and final year, and its goals are:  Testing of pervasive desktop widgets to IPTV, mobile, web and environmental sensors  To develop a platform that integrates support user generated content. platforms are handled by the outer layers. diverse media, devices and networks. This creates platform transparency enabling  Digital storytelling with passive capture users to focus on the campaign, not the  To establish suitable business models devices (a collaboration between the technology – taking their identity and content around participation. BBC Wales Digital Storytelling initiative with them. and Microsoft Research’s SenseCam).  To demonstrate and evaluate number of Some work in Participate has been done mass participation multi-platform pilots  User analysis of needs and motivations in by or in collaboration with the Innovation involving broad cross-sections of the mass participation campaigns Culture team, now part of BBC R&I, and public – young and old. there are further details later in this review.  Ethnographic studies of user participation The first phase of studies ranged across with BBC Radio5Live and BBC Big Screens. Behavioural science games, learning and communities, and Behavioural science factors such as usability, included: This summer will see an integrated trial based accessibility, the user experience and around ‘missions’ to structure and encourage interaction design are now common and  Stories@Kew – Mobile and pervasive participation. (A mission is a challenge or a critical features of the mainstream BBC methods of location-based broadcasting task given to a participant that will result in business. We are continuing to support and user participation. him or her creating a piece of content, such a number of projects across the BBC as a short piece of video, around a on a range of interactive platforms, using  Participate Schools – ubiquitous media common theme). knowledge gleaned from ethnographic platform to support learning across the empirical studies. web using mobile devices and sensors, The platform has been built around sociable in activities such as data mapping and software principles, consisting of subsystems This year we have continued to analyse creation of ’60 sec scientist’ films. designed for communication. The core media usage, while developing new personas and scenarios to aid our understanding of our future audience. User generated content has now become an integral part of broadcast media, and our work has afforded a number of insights about the motivations behind it, and its value. We have also taken behavioural science outside the home environment, and undertaken several studies focusing on the impact and uses of broadcasting in public spaces.

Big screens Over the past few years the BBC has introduced very large public displays in urban centres across several cities in the UK. A recent ethnographic study has allowed us to understand how people use and engage with these displays, and the social, psychological, technical and spatial factors that shape their use.

20 DELIVERY Audience Research

The BBC is a member of ‘BARB’ – the With the other members of BARB, we reviewed the technical Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board submissions from bidders, to advise on any potential issues. We assessed candidate audio watermarking systems, spotting some Ltd – which compiles and publishes the problems before these were tried on air. Although it is extremely figures for UK television viewing. BARB unlikely that audio watermarks will be applied to all of the BBC’s television transmissions – the amount of extra equipment would puts most of its work out to contract, and be impractical – it is an option where existing techniques are difficult the current contracts expire at the end of to apply, such as distinguishing which channel was watched during a simulcast. 2009. The new contract for the viewing meters that are installed in panel homes* The ARENA project How do you measure audience figures when IPTV, mobile TV, and the retrieval and analysis of the data interactive content and time-shifting are displacing conventional has already been awarded. This is to allow TV viewing. The BBC has joined with nine other media organisations in the European Union Framework 6 project ARENA, to try to devise the new contractor enough time to a system that produces audience figures consistently across all these prepare for a smooth takeover at the services and platforms start of 2010. ARENA is assembling four field trials on different delivery platforms, linked through a common audience data collection system. The BBC has a particular interest in one of these field trials, on the BT-Vision platform where it will be supplying some of the on-demand content, as well as operating two of the DTT multiplexes also receivable through the BT-Vision ‘V-box’.

Our work so far has been to establish the business and functional requirements for cross-platform audience research, and to assess the data model created from it – the eventual outcome from the other partners will be software that can be ported into set-top units or the platform operators’ distribution systems. We are also investigating RFID tags for automatically identifying who in a panel household is within viewing range of the TV.

Audience research is poorly represented in technical standardisation, and tends to be left out of early design phases for new platforms in the rush to get the services launched. This has led to ad-hoc and proprietary solutions having to be added later, often with less than comprehensive results and extra expense. On behalf of ARENA, we have put forward a proposal to the DVB for a new Study Group, to try to ensure that features to facilitate the collection of viewing data are identified and included in new standards.

*BARB recruits a viewing panel of some 5100 households, who volunteer to have equipment installed to record their use of TVs, video recorders, set-top boxes, etc.

BBC RESEARCH & INNOVATION ANNUAL REVIEW 2007 – 2008 21 Production Magic

We are developing a range of production tools Inserting graphics into live images that harness the power of computer image Whenever a production team plans to insert a virtual object into an image, the graphics processing to track camera and object system needs to know precisely how the movement in real time. With these tools, we camera is moving, so that the virtual object can be rendered in the correct place in every can insert virtual objects into a live scene, allow frame. Although there are several tools real and virtual parts of scenes to interact, available commercially for doing this in post- production, live (or as-live) operation is more or compensate for unwanted camera motion. difficult. For studio-based productions, it is This work ranges from relatively short-term usually necessary to shoot in a studio equipped with a camera tracking system, projects for immediate production needs, such as the free-d system we developed through to longer-term fundamental research some years ago, which uses markers mounted on the ceiling. For other kinds of production, that could lead to radical changes in the way such as outside broadcasts or shoots on programmes are made. location, new solutions are needed. Previously, we developed a method that measures camera movement by tracking the lines on a football or rugby pitch. This has been licensed to Red Bee Media as a part of the Piero sports graphics system, and is now in regular use by the BBC and a number of other broadcasters around the world. As the system relies on the presence of sufficient lines on the ground, it cannot generally be used for sports such as athletics, where there are usually insufficient lines visible to determine the camera position, location and field-of-view. At present, to produce effects such as virtual distance markings on a long-jump pit, it is necessary to resort to a special camera mounting with motion sensors. This can be difficult and expensive to install, particularly where the BBC is not the host broadcaster for the event and therefore not responsible for installing equipment at the venue.

22 PRODUCTION We are currently developing a method to allow both fixed and moveable virtual a very wide field of view, allowing a suitable that can use any background image features graphics to be shown. portion to be extracted even in the presence to track the movement of the camera. of significant camera rotation. A real-time At present the method is limited to Interaction between image stabilisation method has been estimating pan, tilt, zoom and roll, which presenters and developed, adapted to the unusual geometry is sufficient for most sports graphics virtual graphics of the fisheye lens, and including a way of applications. It uses a combination of We have been investigating applications for removing the distortion that comes with this temporary reference features (to allow real-time 3D object tracking methods using type of lens. This could be extended to robust tracking during rapid movement) multiple cameras, which we developed automate the framing of the output image, and permanent features (to prevent any previously to provide innovative new tools for example by detecting the focus of long-term drift in the estimated camera for TV production. We have developed a expansion to frame the shot in the direction angles). Our work is building on our method that effectively turns any surface into of travel. Discussions have been held with experience in the European Union a ‘multi touch’ interface, by positioning two programme makers, including the Ski Sunday collaborative project MATRIS (2004-2007), cameras at corners of the surface and production team, on how the technique which studied markerless camera tracking a presenter’s hands as they approach. could be applied. tracking methods. This could be used with existing rear- projection screens to allow a presenter My-e-Director 2012 We are also working with BBC News to to interact with graphics on the screen, February 2008 saw the start of develop a system that tracks cameras using for example allowing them to move, resize, My-e-Director 2012, a three-year European an array of marker patterns placed on the or select different elements of the graphics. Union Framework 7 collaborative project. walls of the studio or on other parts of We have also been working with the The project is developing a system to the set. This avoids the expense and production team of the CBBC programme generate personalised coverage of large complication of installing a dedicated tracking SMart to test the use of a similar multi- events such as the Olympics, by gathering system, and can be used in almost any camera tracking arrangement to allow the information on what is happening at the location. It supports a wider range of creation of virtual 3D artworks by drawing event and the preferences of individual camera movement than is currently possible in space using a hand-held object. viewers. Methods for identifying and tracking with our markerless system. The markers can athletes from camera images will be used, be obscured in the final composite image by Virtual steadicam together with information from other sources overlaying them with graphics; they can also Exciting images can be obtained by such as the scoring system. The project is be made in two shades of blue to allow positioning miniature cameras on people, an extension to the ‘Automated Coverage’ foreground objects to be keyed over them. for example to give a referee’s or jockey’s concept that we developed several years ago, One option for including the marker arrays view of an event. However, the images which used image-based player tracking to in the scene is to display them on an existing obtained are generally very unsteady, and control robotic cameras and operate a vision rear-projection system, such as that currently the framing of the shot may fall a long way mixer to produce coverage of events such used in the main BBC News studios, so they short of what a cameraman could have as a tennis match. Our work will include the can easily be removed when virtual graphics achieved. We have developed a solution development of player tracking and identi - are not required. The system could also be to these problems, by using a combination fication methods, as well as liaison with BBC used in conjunction with hand-held markers of a fisheye lens and specialised image Sport to provide user requirements and stabilisation. The fisheye lens gives the camera assistance with field trials.

BBC RESEARCH & INNOVATION ANNUAL REVIEW 2007 – 2008 23 3D Content Generation

3D data is routinely used for iview – free-viewpoint video the viewer can navigate the scene in an computer graphics in TV and for post match analysis interactive tool, changing their position freely We are leading a collaborative project called in a way that would be impossible with a online production. The content iview, to develop methods to capture action simple panoramic image. is usually generated using from events such as a football match in 3D. Feeds from multiple cameras are used to A challenge when mixing virtual and real interactive 3D visualisation and reconstruct the scene to create an additional objects in the same scene is to match their animation tools. Our work is view, as if from an extra camera. The lighting and general appearance. In apparent position of this camera can be collaboration with the University of Surrey providing new tools to support moved freely, and crucial moments of a game we are looking into new approaches to these processes and to can be replayed from viewpoints which are automatically estimate surface properties of not normally open to a real camera. objects, including people, allowing a seamless automatically capture live optical integration of virtual and real events for realistic playback. In the last year, we have concentrated on elements. This is important to create photo- improving the main processing stages of the realistic special effects, e.g. when actors are Applications vary from post camera calibration, keying of the players from interacting with virtual objects, and it allows match analysis of sports events the pitch, and 3D reconstruction. Recordings actors captured in a studio to be have been made during several events to incorporated realistically into a to new user experiences on provide test material. For example, in virtual environment. interactive platforms and February 2008, we captured uncompressed HD video signals from five of the main New projects – for 3DTV. cameras covering a Six Nations rugby match VSAR and 3D4YOU between England and Wales at Twickenham, In November 2007 we started work in VSAR, as well as from six additional static cameras a new three-year collaborative project. The installed specifically for the iview project. This project is developing a set of tools to help content was processed to generate a visualise an area such as a city centre by selection of virtual views of key incidents combining live images from security or identified by the production team. The iview outside-broadcast cameras with pre- system allows the visualisation of the spatial generated 3D models of the area. As a part relationships between players by viewing the of our contribution to the project, we will be scene from any angle or freezing the action extending our previous work on camera and flying to another viewpoint. These calibration and segmentation of objects from options support post-match analysis and arbitrary backgrounds, as well as investigating provide the viewer with a better idea of new methods for merging live images into the incident. 3D-modelled environments.

We are currently working with our project The recently started European Union partners to ensure that the best possible Framework 7 project 3D4YOU will look into image quality can be achieved, and to turn capture, post-production and delivery of 3D the research prototype into a streamlined stereoscopic content to a 3D display (3DTV). production tool. One of our contributions is to investigate whether techniques developed in the iview Capturing the real world project can be used to generate content Generating a 3D model of a complex scene more cost-effectively than the current can be a very time consuming task when method (two or more cameras put side by using purely interactive modelling tools and side to generate the stereo effect). For the result might not look realistic. Building up sports events, for example, where multiple on work we did for special effects we are cameras are used, having to double up each investigating new tools to capture any scene one would be expensive. The iview indoors or outdoors in a highly realistic way. technology can potentially generate the In collaboration with UCL (University College required depth information from just the London) we are using fisheye cameras to existing cameras. grab sequences of a scene. During playback

24 PRODUCTION Prestospace

PrestoSpace was an EC PrestoSpace started in February 2004 and What is preservation? finished in January 2008. There were 34 The goal of preservation is to produce collaborative project European partners and one from the USA. sustainable assets with easy access for researching audiovisual exploitation and distribution. Accessible items The project's objective was also to provide are more valuable than those on a shelf. preservation. Preservation technical solutions and integrated systems for is a relatively costly activity a complete digital preservation of all kinds of Preservation is the totality of the steps audiovisual collections. necessary to ensure the permanent because of the nature of accessibility, forever, of an audiovisual asset audiovisual material. The aim The four main work areas were: with the maximum integrity. of the project was to develop  Preservation Technology. Institutions responsible for audiovisual media processes and technology need to accept that repeated preservation  Restoration. actions are essential to maintain these assets. which would make preservation ‘faster, quicker  Metadata. Digitisation Much audiovisual material started in analogue and cheaper’, as well as  Storage and Management. form, but most of the options for rescuing pulling together high quality content and for permanent accessibility The BBC led the Storage and Management are digital. Every category of audiovisual information about research which included creating a web site, material will probably therefore have to be best practice. cited by the reviewers as the world reference digitised for preservation as the non-digital for information about preservation. options, including the playback equipment,  http://prestospace-sam.ssl.co.uk become obsolete.

Audiovisual media Many technical standards and guidelines Audiovisual media have become the vehicle exist for digitisation, but for a wider range for recording key events. These recordings of applications than storage. The Prestospace are proving more fragile than paintings or website, designed for both the public and paper documents and are now seen to be archive owners, is a first point-of-call. at risk from deterioration within 20 years It provides information and management or less. Wax cylinders crumble and even tools on digital technology for the storage tapes disintegrate. UNESCO estimates world of film, video and audio content and audiovisual holdings are 200 million hours associated metadata. It describes the state- (50 million in Europe). of-the-art in storage technology and includes forecasts of trends over the next Large broadcasters have already begun to twenty years. digitise their holdings, with very high costs and using complex technology. There are There are six Training DVDs, which are a unsolved problems of digitisation, metadata guide to old formats and technologies. extraction, restoration, storage, network These include 1inch videotape, 2 inch bandwidth, secure interaction and end- videotape, ¾inch U -matic, Telecine, Audio user delivery. and 16 and 35mm Film, and are distributed at conferences, used by the BBC and sent Prestospace has created a general awareness to archives throughout the world. that archives are at risk but that they can be preserved by appropriate digital migration.

BBC RESEARCH & INNOVATION ANNUAL REVIEW 2007 – 2008 25 Programme Production

For tapeless recording our A typical configuration uses one PC for four SD or HD mode. For this we have added emphasis has continued to be SDI video inputs. This is capable of recording video codecs for both SMPTE VC3 four video and at least 16 audio channels, (‘DNxHD’) and DVCProHD, although the on exploiting commodity whilst compressing them in real-time to the higher processing demands for HD operation IT hardware to bring down the required formats. Where both higher and mean that one PC can only handle two HD lower quality versions are required, typically inputs, rather than the four at SD. cost of the equipment. The for separate ‘online’ and ‘offline’ editing stages, increasing performance of off- these can be produced simultaneously during The software for the recorder is a the recording. The encoding can create any combination of existing open source software the-shelf PCs means that these of the widely-used production formats, for and new packages that we have developed can be used for multi-camera example: DVCPro50 or 25; IMX30, 40 or 50; for this application. We have also made these any of the AVC family; the JPEG formats used available as open source so that others can studio recording at full by Avid systems, e.g. 2:1, 10:1, 15:1, 20:1, etc.; benefit and share in the development. These production quality. or any MPEG flavour. packages, along with related software, can be found on our ‘Ingex’ project page. The files are created according to the MXF  http://ingex.sourceforge.net standard, so that compliant systems can accept them directly. For example, the files To test how well our tapeless recording can be edited immediately with an Avid system works in practice, we have continued editing system without the need for a to work alongside some programme separate import step. Where the director production teams, using our system in cuts live between cameras, and this is also parallel with their normal tape-based recorded as a preliminary edit, the details workflow. A major part of this was a trial of the cuts are recorded as an AAF file. with the BBC programme Dragons’ Den, Significant time can be saved in post- where we recorded from seven cameras, production as the cuts are not fixed in using two ‘Ingex’ recorders running in parallel. the recording and can easily be adjusted. For this production, we recorded only at the lower quality that was needed for the ‘offline’ Although a PC equipped with dual- editing and this was delivered each day to processors, and each with quad-cores, the edit suite on a USB drive. This alone is required to achieve this, its cost is below gave significant cost savings as it eliminated £2500. The total cost for a full imple - the considerable time that would have been mentation of a four channel recorder, taken to transfer the content from the tapes including the video capture cards and to the editing systems. Following the very 2Tbytes of hard disc storage, is around successful outcome of this trial, we are £10,000, and still falling. currently preparing for the next series of this programme, where we hope to use We have recently added an HD capability, more of the facilities that tapeless operation so the same hardware can be run in either can offer.

26 PRODUCTION We have continued to run a trial with the tape was not required, the recordings could mainly because the planning system had BBC programme EastEnders. Their be copied immediately from these drives allowed him to work through the shots continuous production cycle means that a when editing commenced. beforehand so fewer changes were required more convenient practical arrangement is later in the studio. to have ‘Ingex’ recorders copying content to With the success of these trials the profile a central server and for this, we used our of this work has been increased significantly The simpler system, which is aimed at music ‘Media Harmony’ system with a SAMBA amongst our production colleagues. We are items that are not tightly scripted, has been server. For later trials, both higher and lower currently consolidating our developments, well received and as it is a web-based service, quality versions of the recordings were so that others can more easily configure a is more convenient to use. In response to created by ‘Ingex’ and copied automatically complete system for themselves. This will feedback from production staff, we have to the server. This meant that recordings then allow a wider range of production areas, added further features to make it an effective were available for review or editing in the both within and outside the BBC, to make tool for their varied requirements. There has post-production area shortly after they had use of this low-cost approach to tapeless also been interest in using the tool to help been made. recording. We are also maintaining an active train production staff in music breakdown. role in several standardisation bodies, Working in this way raised issues with particularly the SMPTE and the Advanced We have made the beat detection software transferring file-based content into a Media Workflow Association (AMWA), as which is used in both versions available as proprietary integrated editing environment. they continue their work on standards for open source. Many system are geared more towards tape television production.  www.sourceforge.net/projects/beatfinder ingest and bringing separately produced media files into such an environment is not Production planning Despite the positive results from these trials, as straightforward as it ideally should be. Our latest work in music production planning the work has had difficulty in getting has concentrated on working with widespread support, mainly because of the Despite these issues, which are more production colleagues to evaluate the way different production teams, many of concerned with workflow than the studio approach in practice with their programmes. whom are freelance staff, are brought recording aspects, several episodes of the together for shows. This means that the EastEnders programme which were We have trialled each of the two systems potential benefits of the approach, if it were recorded with our tapeless system have that we developed in previous years: the full to be used on a wider scale, are more been broadcast. shot planning system and also the simpler, difficult to formulate. For this reason, and web-based, system for use where a more despite very strong support from the As a further test of the ‘Ingex’ system, we basic music breakdown is sufficient. production colleagues with whom we have successfully recorded a concert by the band worked, we have now reduced our work in Foo Fighters for BBCi. This required a fast The full system, which uses beat tracking to this area. Despite this, we will continue to turnaround in editing so that it could be link the music breakdown to the lyrics and discuss requirements and help production made available relatively quickly after the then a video editing package to allow camera teams use our existing planning tools, so that performance. For this event, we recorded shots to be planned, was used by the director we maintain an involvement in this area. five video feeds and provided files in two of the Mercury Music Prize. For this show, encoding formats, which were delivered to he reported that a saving in rehearsal time the edit suite on USB drives. As ingest from of about 10 to 15% had been achieved,

BBC RESEARCH & INNOVATION ANNUAL REVIEW 2007 – 2008 27 Radio Spectrum for Production

Digital radio camera use continues to expand and this year has seen the deployment and regular use of mobile news motorbikes in London and radio cars across the regions. They act as midpoints, relaying radio camera coverage back to a central receiving station without the need for any satellite links. These vehicles can be quickly deployed at breaking news stories providing immediate live coverage.

Airborne coverage is also growing in importance, and the News 24 helicopter has played a vital role keeping the nation informed during last year’s floods.

2.6GHz channel reductions following Ofcom auction.

28 PRODUCTION Increasing spectrum congestion is a major UMTS 3G services. This causes selectivity early systems use MPEG-2 video coding threat to these operations and access to and blocking issues for the PMSE receiver. in the existing 10MHz channels and there the 2500-2690MHz band closes this Spectrum at the top of the band is polluted are some concerns with picture quality August as Ofcom’s auction of this band with co-channel interference and the auction operating at just 18Mb/s to code the entire approaches. The award of spectrum in the of the 2010-2025MHz band, which forms 1920 × 1080i HD picture. Ideally we should 2500-2690MHz will be technology neutral part of Ofcom’s 2.6GHz award, is expected adopt 20MHz channels to double the data and the UK is expected to depart from the to cause new adjacency issues at the bottom rate, but spectrum constraints make this CEPT band plan proposed for Europe. of the band. very difficult. The problem seems an ideal WiMAX TDD and UMTS FDD operators candidate for the MIMO system we have expressed interest and after the award, Prompted by these difficulties, the industry successfully tested at UHF last year, and programme making and special event has formed a Spectrum for Programme we have been actively seeking industrial (PMSE) use will be restricted to a single Making Forum (SPMF), which represents partners for a joint development. channel nestling between the ISM band the concerns of broadcasters, hire companies and the new mobile operators. and manufacturers to Ofcom. The BBC has We continue to work with operational been working in this forum to influence departments to find alternative bands Further issues have been identified as Ofcom and modify technical parameters and have carried out further extensive the focus of operations switches from the in the award bands to protect PMSE measurements on new equipment working 2.5GHz band to the remaining 2.0GHz spectrum as much as possible. in the 7GHz band. Commercial equipment (2025-2110MHz) and 2.2GHz bands is showing promise and we anticipate (2200-2290MHz). Migration to this spectrum We are now seeing the first of the HD this band will be increasingly important, has been troublesome as low power PMSE radio cameras and these will be deployed particularly so for the London Olympics is forced to operate alongside high power extensively in the Beijing Olympics. These in 2012.

Interference to 2.0GHz band PMSE from existing 3G base stations and new services expected after the 2.6GHz award.

BBC RESEARCH & INNOVATION ANNUAL REVIEW 2007 – 2008 29 Dirac

We have worked on video compression since As a video signal progresses through the the early 1960s, and over the past few years production chain, it is continually passed from we have used this experience to develop a new family of compatible codecs, called one digital compression format to another. Dirac. These are specifically designed to meet The broadcasting industry is replete with the needs of the BBC and the broadcasting industry in general. The unique way in which compression systems, largely incompatible the BBC is funded has allowed us to make or specific to certain platforms or operating Dirac an open technology which is free for anyone to use, without restriction or the systems. Some of them are proprietary and payment of royalties. The BBC will easily may require a royalty to be paid for their recoup its investment through operational cost savings, whilst also being able to give use.Managing the different formats and the a benefit to the public and industry. associated equipment is a substantial overhead, The Dirac family covers everything from low and some picture quality is lost at each conversion. bit-rate video for the web and mobile phones to high end production for digital cinema, a range no other compression format can match. At each level Dirac is competitive in terms of squeezing the best video quality from a limited bandwidth, equalling or exceeding the performance of other state-of- the-art codecs.

During the past year we have continued to develop Dirac’s algorithms, specification and implementation. An exciting extension of our work has been to collaborate with the Japanese broadcaster NHK on their Super Hi Vision system of ultra-high definition television. This generates even higher data rates than conventional HD, and Dirac has proved ideal in compressing these to manageable levels. The resulting improve - ments to Dirac’s algorithms can be applied to other picture resolutions too.

30 CORE TECHNOLOGIES The algorithms have also been enhanced and beyond. One implementation, called We have been working with the Society to make them more effective and easier to Dirac Pro 1.5, is intended for use in of Motion Picture and Television Engineers implement. Dirac is designed to be low in programme production to carry 50fps (SMPTE) to standardise Dirac. Over the year complexity, so that applications can be HD signals, sometimes known as ‘Full HD’, we expanded the scope of the specification developed quickly and easily, and to require over the same cables and infrastructure to include extra features described in a paper less computing power and to use compact as conventional 25fps HD. Full HD conveys presented at IBC 2007. These extensions will and low-power hardware. The draft a more fluid motion, which is particularly allow us to develop a wider range of specification that was published last year has suitable for sports coverage. The BBC plans applications using Dirac Pro. The process been refined so that it is now suitable for to move to full HD production over the next of standardising Dirac Pro, which is referred use by application developers. few years. By using the same infrastructure to as SMPTE VC-2, is now nearly complete, as conventional HD for Full HD the BBC and this should become a fully ratified There have been four releases of BBC’s can move to this higher quality standard with international standard in the coming year. Dirac software during the year (on minimal additional cost. Working with our With the publication of our specification of dirac.sourceforge.net), with enhanced commercial partner Numedia Technology, the full Dirac codec we are now in a position performance, compression efficiency and bit- the first implementation of this application to move forward towards standardising the rate control. We have also released version was demonstrated at NAB 2007 and is now complete codec. 1.0.0 of ‘Schrodinger’ – the high performance on sale as a commercial product. version of Dirac.  www.diracvideo.org We have developed another implementation of Dirac Pro, called Dirac Pro 270. This In contrast to Dirac, which was written to compresses an HD signal into the same develop the algorithms and specification, 270Mb/s format as SDI, allowing the Schrodinger is optimised for use by high-end transmission of HD signals over the BBC’s users, and makes it possible to decode high newly completed, high speed, ‘Raman’ definition video in real time on a network which connects production centres modest laptop. across the UK. Like Dirac Pro 1.5 the compressed signal mimics the SDI signal Over the coming year we will continue to sufficiently closely to be viewed as an work to make it easier to incorporate Dirac identifiable picture, not of watchable quality into other applications, and to improve its but adequate to check that the right picture basic performance. is there. The first commercial implementation of this application was demonstrated at An important aspect of our work this IBC 2007, also developed with Numedia year has been the development of the Technology. Subsequently, the technology has professional version of Dirac, called been taken to Beijing to be used in the BBC’s Dirac Pro. This is intended for professional coverage of the Olympic Games in HD. use particularly at high bit-rates of 100Mb/s

BBC RESEARCH & INNOVATION ANNUAL REVIEW 2007 – 2008 31 Audio Developments

Audio for HD Bandwidth extension The launch of the BBC HD television service for speech with 5.1 audio has given us the opportunity Broadcasters can aim to keep the quality to use our long-accumulated experience of of audio high within their own areas, but surround sound. Our advice has helped to the BBC often needs to take in audio from overcome some of the technical problems uncontrolled external sources. For example, encountered during the introduction of the a radio programme may feature a listener service. There are still problems to be phoning in, and the quality of that signal may addressed, including compatibility with stereo be very poor. The sound from a telephone receivers, use of ‘legacy’ programme content, is typically limited to the band from 300 to and sound level differences between stereo 3500Hz, and this makes speech in particular and surround sound services. difficult to understand, especially for listeners in noisy environments such as the inside Demonstrations have been given of the of a car. possibilities of surround sound not just with a conventional 5.1 channel system, but also If the lost frequencies can be recovered, then with an eight channel Ambisonic ‘with height’ the quality of the speech could be improved. system where four loudspeakers are on the While those parts of the original signal are floor in a square around the listener with in reality lost forever, we know that speech four more above head height over them. conforms to certain properties, and we Both systems can be used to give the listener can exploit this to try to recreate them. a much greater sense of immersion than is For example, an ‘S’ sound has a noise-like achievable with only two channels. characteristic. If we can detect when an ‘S’ occurs in the band-limited speech, we can The issue of sound level differences (not synthesize a wide bandwidth version, say 50 restricted to multi-channel audio) is being to 16000Hz, to replace it. addressed through the refinement and promotion of improved subjective loudness We are investigating techniques such as measurement tools. The open source formant recognition, pitch detection and software implementation of the ITU-R neural networks to identify different BS.1770 meter algorithm has been enhanced characteristics of the speech, to correlate with the addition of a ‘bendy needle’. The tip these with models of wide bandwidth of the needle follows a short time constant. versions of the speech sounds. The portions closer to the pivot react at progressively slower rates. Clearly this would not be possible with a real needle! We have demonstrated this software at several international conferences.

The HD service has also re-awakened interest in difficulties with synchronisation between sound and picture. It is possible that the higher quality pictures make these errors more perceptible, and some tests have been started to see if this can be confirmed. Work has started to raise awareness generally of the reasons for synchronisation problems, and to develop internationally standardised ways of measuring timing errors.

32 CORE TECHNOLOGIES QESTRAL – spatial fidelity in audio

The spatial quality of audio The research trend is increasingly towards rendering formats. The research community separating the rendering format from the has begun to recognise this problem in content delivery systems is method of coding/representation. This suits evaluating spatial audio coding systems, and becoming increasingly scalable coding environments involving has become more interested in developing multiple data rate delivery mechanisms algorithms that evaluate spatial factors. important as service providers (e.g. digital broadcasting, internet, mobile attempt to deliver enhanced communications) and enables spatial audio It was in this context that the QESTRAL content to be authored once but replayed project was set up in March 2006 with experiences of spatial in many different forms. The range of spatial University of Surrey, Bang & Olufsen and immersion and naturalness in qualities that may be delivered to the listener BBC as partners. The project aims to address will therefore be wide, and severe the above problems as follows: audio-visual applications. compromises in spatial quality may be Example uses are virtual reality, encountered, particularly under the most  To develop a set of test signals and band-limited delivery conditions or with basic related physical measures that can be telepresence, home cinema, rendering devices. These lead to a reduction used to evaluate the performance of computer games and in overall spatial fidelity, which, in recent spatial audio processing systems. experiments involving multivariate analysis communications products. of audio quality, has been shown for home  To model the reproduced sound field entertainment applications to account for generated by selected transducer arrays a significant proportion of the overall quality at a number of monitoring positions (typically as much as 30%). within a listening space.

The important research question that arises  To develop a meaningful way of in relation to future spatial audio delivery representing perceptual spatial quality systems is how to evaluate the spatial audio of service (SQoS). quality. A possible answer is to do it by means of formal subjective tests, but these  To develop a demonstrator capable of are time consuming and expensive. Therefore mapping SQoS measures to subjective it would be beneficial to employ an algorithm ratings of real programme material. that could predict spatial quality on the basis of measured comparisons between a To date the project members have explored, reference reproduction and one that may by subjective tests, issues relating to such have been impaired by coding or other forms things as sound source location, envelopment, of audio processing. The current model for listener position, and sound field complexity. evaluating perceived audio quality (ITU-R The results of these tests have been used to BS.1387) does not take into account the develop and enhance a model of the human contribution of spatial quality to the overall hearing system, which in turn has been user experience, concentrating instead on evaluated by data from other independent coding distortion, noise and bandwidth sets of subjective tests. Whilst this process degradations for monophonic signals. It continues, effort in the project’s final year makes no allowance for multichannel audio is now being applied to the development signals or more sophisticated spatial of the demonstrator.

BBC RESEARCH & INNOVATION ANNUAL REVIEW 2007 – 2008 33 Networks for Programme Production

Reliable high-speed network connections are The Beijing Olympics now an essential part of modern programme The Beijing Olympics has been a period of intense activity for the BBC, and a significant production. With most production tools now production team was in China to provide the in the form of computer applications running coverage. Links were needed back to the UK, not just for routine traffic such as emails, but on PCs, and the media content itself held on mostly for accessing the BBC’s production server arrays rather than tape, the performance and scheduling systems and the website. of the network connections is crucial. With The IT network connection from Beijing programme operations becoming more had a round-trip delay of up to 400ms. Because many applications rely on TCP dispersed, and dedicated video connections only protocols, waiting for each data packet to installed on the most heavily used routes, media be acknow ledged before sending the next would have slowed the network considerably. traffic increasingly has to make use of national Simulations showed it could have taken and international networks, alongside an hour to log in and a minute to open a simple document. To avoid this we conventional IT traffic and telephony. evaluated network acceleration products in a simulation of the real environment, and worked with the IT provider to re- We need to understand the compromises and design the network architecture. challenges this brings, and work to resolve them. Pictures were sent back to London for Many of our applications are timing-critical and logging via IP multicast, on 16 channels each involve the transfer of huge files – up to tens of at 1.5Mb/s H.264 full resolution SD. (The pictures selected for broadcast were sent Gigabytes – and this is not typical of the traffic over separate wide-band channels). Before for which the networks were designed. the Olympics we conducted an intensive series of tests of H.264 encoders and decoders to recommend the most suitable and economic solution.

Mixing large amounts of streamed media with desktop production data was a big challenge, and we worked intensively with the IT provider to make sure that the network routings and quality-of-services settings were optimised for smooth delivery.

34 CORE TECHNOLOGIES Audio over IP using Java will control the movement and use of radio-link equipment, with directional ‘flat A Java-based audio-over-IP trial was carried content within and between partners and to panel’ aerials being popular. out with a BBC English Region. The intention the trial viewers. GRIDFTP will provide fast is to enable journalists and the general public download services, without the use of peer- Transmission of WiMax in the 5.8GHz band to contribute items to the BBC, without to-peer technologies. Digital certificates and is licence-exempt, and we have carried out getting involved in the technical aspects of policies will be used to authenticate users a number of tests at this frequency over configuring a connection before they can use and control their access to content, without the past few years on a range of equipment. it. The Java client is embedded in a website local user databases. There will also be a Although very good results have been and runs automatically when the contributor limited user generated content capability. achieved in favourable locations, this accesses it. More tests are planned, to check frequency is susceptible to shadowing by the system is as usable as expected. BBC R&I is collaborating with the other buildings and trees, and coverage in urban project partners to develop the services areas can be patchy. We have now turned PRISM which will be accessed by a PRISM GRID set our attention to the 2.5GHz band. This has The PRISM Project (PeRvasive Infrastructure top box emulator, which we are also devel - been made available by Ofcom for trials, and Services for Media), supported by the oping. The emulator and services employ pending the auction of licences for its use Technology Strategy Board of DIUS started open source technologies, making it easier in September 2008. We are planning to as part of the Government's collaborative to port to different platforms. The emulator run trials with two potential licensees, research and development programme. itself is based on a Linux distribution running using equipment that makes use of The BBC is the lead partner in the project, on a MAC Mini, using open source software MIMO techniques. working with a number of partners including and a JAVA virtual machine. Belfast e-Science Centre, BT Northern Fibre optics Ireland and QinetiQ (Malvern). WiMax for TV At BBC R&I we stopped active research on programme production optical fibre technology over ten years ago. The project follows on from GRIDCAST, an Wimax is a higher-powered version of When we started the work some twenty earlier collaborative research project, which WiFi, with greater range and capacity. It is years earlier we had seen that fibre’s good developed distributed computing techniques therefore attractive to the BBC as a means high-frequency performance made it (GRID) for the high data rate movement of of providing temporary video links, for attractive for routing digital signals. Indeed, content. PRISM is developing an integrated covering news stories for example. Unlike professional products for point-to-point services demonstration for a small closed WiFi, which anyone can install in their own digital connections became readily available, technical trial that will demonstrate the home with units bought from the local and are widely used today. transformation, publication, discovery and computer shop, WiMax arrangements are delivery of content using GRID services. usually more formal. A WiMax service It was also clear to us that the more provider will install base stations at con - advanced technologies for optical signal The automated and semi-automated GRID venient vantage points, with a view to routing we were researching were producing services run on the PRISM network, a maximising coverage. Customers pay impressive results. However to exploit them network of servers connected by the JANET to access these base stations, which act fully called for a radical change of thinking in academic network. Search services will allow as gateways to the wider internet. The signal routing architectures, not only in our the association and discovery of content, equipment looks more like conventional own facilities, but also of the interconnecting using TV-Anytime metadata. Content policies circuits that we were leasing from the

BBC RESEARCH & INNOVATION ANNUAL REVIEW 2007 – 2008 35 Networks for Programme Production (cont)

telecoms providers. Despite this work being optical project, we did not expect the We are participating in four EBU working done in collaboration with a number of explosion of signal formats that has taken groups, audio contribution overIP, video major European companies, it was clear that place since then. contribution over IP, IP measurements, and the existing technologies were too well the common control of network attached established for the cost of a new system to However, fully exploiting optical fibre’s media equipment. The first two groups have fall quickly to acceptable levels. properties remains difficult. In this new concentrated so far on testing the review we have again found many promising interoperability of products from different So, has the situation changed? With technolo - ideas that seem to be stuck at the manufacturers (do the current standards gies such as iPlayer creating demands for experimental stage. ensure that an encoder made by one bandwidth and routing that are difficult for manufacturer will work with a decoder made the established technologies to meet, we So our strategy is in three parts: foreground by another?). The IP measurement group decided to take another look. The BBC has – investigating alternative optical architectures is new, and will define parameters and a clear understanding of its requirements, and the components needed to make measurement techniques that are of and BBC R&I is by now well-practiced in complete systems, and entering into particular relevance to media traffic, for collaborating with other research bodies, appropriate research collaborations; example timing jitter and delay. The final both in industry and academia. Can we background – gaining a better understanding group is a group working jointly with the IEC balance the technical influence of the of what makes an optical technology on developing a set of standards to enable telecom and IT network suppliers? They are amenable to manufacture; and external – common management applications to be still the main drive behind optical commu - challenging the telecoms and network developed for any audio or video network- nications research and can spread its cost, suppliers to make the break from their connected equipment. This will greatly ease and that of the infrastructure it helps to current technical approach. the need to manage a very large number of develop, over millions of customers. They not APIs from different manufacturers, and only influence which technical developments Standardisation improve reliability. Parts of this international get taken forward, but also the international As already mentioned, standards have a standard have already been published as standards that define future equipment and strong influence on the design of IT IEC 62367. its operating protocols. equipment, and we are conscious that the main drive for them comes from the We are well aware that broadcast media is traditional IT and telecoms industry. With not typical of the traffic that these networks modern broadcast systems heavily reliant have traditionally handled, and that this forces on IT technology, there has been a strong technical compromises to be made when tendency for media systems to be forced media traffic is carried over them. This affects to fit the conventions of the IT world, rather both media production and distribution than an attempt to properly accommodate processes and their quality. media traffic. This applies both to professional applications, for example the Fibre-optics does have a number of other connections between post-production advantages for carrying modern media traffic, centres and the programme locations apart from its high transmission capacity, themselves, and to the numerous consumer in particular its ability to mix signals of applications where video material is brought differing formats. Although we had studied to the home over a broadband connection. wavelength-division multiplexing in our last

36 CORE TECHNOLOGIES Digital Rights Management

One of the issues with BBC R&I has been working with partners in The project is implementing technology proprietary Digital Rights industry and academia to encourage and help to automatically produce and distribute develop open standard DRM solutions. Open multimedia content for PC, mobile, PDA, Management (DRM) systems is standards are seen as a key to the develop - internet and broadcast-based platforms. a lack of interoperability. This ment and deployment of interoperable rights It therefore has a wider scope than just managed systems. DRM, but has made DRM an implicit part confuses potential consumers, of its work. who find that different media We have participated in the Digital Media Project (DMP) as it develops open The cross-platform framework is based on players will work only with specifications and builds software prototypes the MPEG-21 ‘Digital Item’. It addresses the content from certain sources, from its ‘Primitive DRM Tools’. These tools automated adaptation of content and licenses focus on the interchangeable items and the for images, video, audio, documents and and makes it difficult for communication between the organisations multimedia, SMIL, HTML, etc., for business content suppliers to reach a involved, from the content creators and and consumer use, and enables control and licence providers through to the suppliers reporting of DRM where required. universal audience. of the end user devices, and can be used to assemble a variety of value chains. The framework is open, and AXMEDIS has implemented freely downloadable software We have also supported the broadcast players, authoring tools, plug-in interfaces, technology providers through our licence authoring tools, and DRM-related participation in the DVB organisation, as it infrastructure service support such as license specifies the technologies for protecting servers and DRM Protection Tool servers content delivered over broadcast networks to support the home and business user. to various domestic devices. The DVB has The AXMEDIS production language and recently updated and released its ‘blue book’, GRID tools are used for defining rules for the technical specification for the DVB automatically processing, protecting, content protection system. repurposing, licensing and distributing digital media and other content. AXMEDIS has also AXMEDIS integrated controlled peer-to-peer internet AXMEDIS is an acronym for Automating distribution tools based on a monitored Production of Cross Media Content for BitTorrent technology, for the distribution Multi-channel Distribution. It is an of protected content between businesses international EC collaborative project, which and to consumers. BBC R&I has developed the BBC joined in December 2006. Over an application using AXMEDIS tools that can 28 companies participate, and there are now automatically assemble complex multimedia more than 40 partners including those who objects from broadcast content off-air, and have joined as affiliates. augment this with metadata and trailers delivered over the internet. The resulting AXMEDIS object provides a multimedia presentation of the recorded item.

BBC RESEARCH & INNOVATION ANNUAL REVIEW 2007 – 2008 37 Radio Developments

The BBC is a major user of radio frequency DVB-T2 spectrum, not just for its public broadcasts but DVB-T2 is an enhanced version of the DVB-T standard on which the existing also for many internal purposes such as passing UK DTT Freeview broadcasts are based. signals back from outside broadcasts. Spectrum The enhancements will provide increased capacity and better resilience to transmission is a scarce resource and is becoming increasingly artefacts, and Ofcom are now recommending expensive. We are constantly looking for ways its use for carrying HDTV services on the terrestrial network. to make more efficient use of the spectrum that is available to us, as these three pieces of BBC R&I leads the study group which has prepared the DVB-T2 specification. In work demonstrate. addition, we are one of the key technical contributors and have been the editors of the document. The technical parameters were finalised in March, and the specification was approved by the DVB Steering Board in June 2008. It has now been submitted to ETSI for publication.

The DVB-T2 specification includes the same advanced error correction codes that are used for DVB-S2 to provide a funda mental increase in efficiency. Increasing the range and use of other parameters of the system allows further increases in efficiency, compared to DVB-T. For example, DVB-T2 allows for many more carriers to be used, which means less overhead is required for the guard interval that protects the system from multipath interference. Also the patterns of reference signals (pilots) that allow the receiver to correctly decode the signal have been more closely optimised, giving another reduction in overhead.

38 CORE TECHNOLOGIES In addition, several techniques have been and installed a 2-by-2 MIMO/DVB-T technology which allows terrestrial relay included to provide an improvement in modulator at the National Grid Wireless stations to re-transmit on the same frequency robustness of the DVB-T2 signal. These (NGW) Guildford site. This facility, which as they receive, eliminating costly land-lines include time interleaving, which spreads the radiates 250W ERP per polarisation, has or satellite distribution links. This has been coded signal in time across many symbols, allowed coverage survey work to be carried welcomed by network providers, and the helping to protect against the loss of a out and comparisons to be made with design has been licensed to three major single symbol from, for example, impulsive conventional DVB-T. transmitter/repeater manufacturers. It is interference, and the use of rotated available in DAB, DVB-H and DVB-T variants constellations, which makes use of some The results are encouraging and suggest such and will greatly assist the digital rollout in inherent diversity within the system to a system is technically viable, and would offer both television and radio. provide better protection against frequency 44Mb/s capacity in a DVB-T based SFN and selective channels. about 60Mb/s in conjunction with DVB-T2, The current work includes supporting the compared with 24Mb/s with conventional licensees, to ensure suitable products are It is expected that the first consumer DVB-T. In addition, detailed characterisation available as soon as possible, and further receivers capable of receiving HD broadcasts of the MIMO propagation channel has been research. This will address problems arising using DVB-T2 will become available in the undertaken including both fixed rooftop and in practical networks, such as input echoes, UK in late 2009. portable reception. stability management and spectrum compliance. We are also studying design MIMO This work was a collaboration with NGW, approaches such as multichannel processing MIMO stands for Multiple-Input-Multiple- Arqiva and Ofcom, within a BBC-chaired to lower overall costs. Output and refers to a wireless system with group known as the ATTSG (Advanced more than one transmitter and more than Terrestrial Television Study Group). This A field trial of the DVB-T version is planned one receiver, all operating on the same group won the IET Innovation in Engineering which will involve installation, commissioning frequency. Spatial separation or different Award in the category ‘Project Team’ in and surveying of a transmitter site in South polarisations may be used to allow the November 2007. East England. These results will augment transmissions to be separated at the receiver. those taken from earlier successful DAB trials. Such a system allows capacity to be Future work will focus on PMSE applications enhanced considerably (up to two times and will use ‘space-time’ coding. This trades In addition, future research work has been for two antennas, three times for three, capacity for robustness of reception, which is identified in the areas of diversity reception and so on) and is thus attractive not only very important for radio cameras and radio (to combat flat fading on the unit’s input) for broadcasting but for PMSE (Programme links for newsgathering. and automatic null-steering (to combat Making and Special Events) where frequency troublesome pre-echoes). Also to be spectrum is becoming increasingly scarce. On-channel repeater researched are applications in PMSE for To demonstrate what can be achieved with The on-channel repeater project has spectrally efficient ‘mid-points’ which do not a broadcast system, BBC R&I has designed produced key RF and signal processing wastefully use another frequency.

BBC RESEARCH & INNOVATION ANNUAL REVIEW 2007 – 2008 39 Innovation Culture

When our researchers work with others to Innovation within the BBC share knowledge, gain early insights and The Innovation Culture team provides a central support resource for a wide range of exchange best practice, we all benefit and have BBC divisions, not just BBC R&I, to make it access to ideas that even an organisation the size easier and more effective in undertaking collaborative work. It also has responsibility of the BBC cannot expect to maintain in-house. for supporting internal processes to support Our ideas can also stimulate business and transfer of ideas, prototypes and knowledge into the business, and encouraging best industry to work on topics of value to public practice across the whole of the BBC’s service broadcasting, bringing mutual advantage. Future Media and Technology (FM&T) division, of which BBC R&I is part.

The Innovation Culture team focuses on It also undertakes a variety of early stage research projects in key strategic areas, innovation by collaboration, both within the BBC bringing a user centred design approach to and with external partners. We are pleased to emerging technology practice. acknowledge the effort and support given by all Innovation Labs 08/09 collaborators and funding bodies mentioned in The Innovation Labs are a series of creative workshops for interdisciplinary teams of this Review. professional creative technologists, application designers, software developers and interactive media designers, working across both Future Media & Vision platforms.

The Labs are aimed at stimulating research and innovation within the UK’s independent media companies, who in return offer better services to BBC Future Media production. The consequence is that the BBC’s Research and Innovation extends beyond its internal teams, increasing the BBC’s capacity to be more agile in a changing world.

In 2007 and 2008 Labs have taken place in Scotland, North East England, North West England, Wales and West Midlands jointly financed by the BBC and the regional

40 WORKING WITH US economic or media development agencies. The Arts & Humanities Research Council  What do children want from the BBC? Forty UK companies have had the chance to funds research and postgraduate training for Children’s Content and Participatory work closely with BBC and 13 innovation the arts and humanities within the UK’s Environments in an Age of Citizen Media prototypes have been commissioned. Higher Education Institutions. It has a – CBBC; Cardiff, Ulster, and the West of community of over 26,000 academics and England Universities. European Union and covers areas such as ethnography, media and Technology Strategy communications, human computer interaction,  UGC: understanding its impact on Board projects drama and English Literature, linguistics, contributors, non-contributors and the The Innovation Culture team is responsible gender and the official history of the BBC. BBC – BBC English Regions, Cardiff and for co-ordinating and supporting BBC R&I The KEP allows the BBC to access to expertise all Cardiff Universities. in its external collaborative projects, including not available internally to gain deeper those under the European Union (EU) and exploration of key audience-facing issues.  Audience and producer engagement with the UK’s Technology Strategy Board (TSB) immersive worlds (Adventure World) – collaborative R&D programmes. The big The programme started with a series of CBBC, University of Westminster. advantage of participating in these collaborative inquiry summits to explore the programmes is that it formally brings together potential of peer group knowledge transfer  Open Archive – ‘The miners’ strike: a like minded community of researchers on themes of mutual strategic interest, and to a case study in regional content’ – from different organisations with a common see whether outcomes could be of equal BBC Information & Archives North, goal. There is often the additional advantage significance to BBC and FM&T strategic University of Leeds. of grant funding to reduce the cost priorities. This resulted in a public call for to participants. ideas based on following themes:  Listener online engagement with BBC radio programming – BBC Audio & Music Co-ordination means a single point of  How can the BBC fully enable the Interactive; Birmingham City, Cardiff, contact for third party approaches, potential of User Generated Content? London Metropolitan Universities. knowledge of the legal and financial issues surrounding joint proposals, and liaison  What kinds of ‘made for mobile’ content  Inhibited exploration by older customers with funding and collaboration bodies. should the BBC be designing? of digital services – BBC R&I, User Experience & Design (Accessibility) The BBC, Arts and  Children’s content and participatory Manchester University. Humanities Research environments. Council Knowledge  A Public Voice – access, digital storytelling Exchange Programme  How can the BBC develop a and interactive narrative – BBC Wales, The BBC AHRC Knowledge Exchange coherent strategy for interactive BBC FM&T, University of Glamorgan. Programme (KEP) is a pilot partnership narrative/storytelling. to support the knowledge exchange  Alone Together (online creative communities) between BBC Future Media staff and The call resulted in 62 proposals. After – BBC Learning, University of Bristol. academics working on collaborative short-listing, eight collaborative projects projects funded by the Arts and between academics and BBC partners These project have been set goals to Humanities Research Council. were commissioned: disseminate the knowledge across BBC

BBC RESEARCH & INNOVATION ANNUAL REVIEW 2007 – 2008 41 Innovation Culture (cont)

and encourage a wider community of use. It achieves this by the following tools and Specifically, Stories@Kew explored mobile They will complete by December 2008, and processes: and pervasive methods of location-based a new online website called BeeBAC will participation, the intricacies of location launch in mid-2008 to support a faster and backstage.bbc.co.uk – a website which specific broadcasting and audience informal dialogue between BBC staff and the features a blog, pod/vodcasts, ideas submission participation, the uses of ‘seed’ material to academic community – not just retaining the space and a prototype showcase space. encourage varied forms of contribution, the knowledge within the projects themselves. types of user groups interested in this type of Backstage events – these are dedicated broadcasting and participation, and an analysis University partnerships events such as Over the Air, Hackday, Mashed of actual generated media (text, audio and We have responsibility for support and and EdinburghTVUnfestival, or contributions video) as a resource. Stories@Kew was co-ordination of BBC R&I collaborations with to small developer events such as BarCamp, developed in collaboration with Participate universities in the UK. We sponsor a number SemanticCampLondon and university tours. consortium members BT, MSR, and BBC of PhD students and take some students Vision (Multi-Platform Development). over summer vacations to give them indus - Mashed – In 2007, the BBC joined with trial research experience. These relationships Yahoo! to run a hugely successful open event Packets of information were positioned are ongoing, and we continue to look to called Hackday. This was a non-stop two day around Kew Gardens. Each packet contained work with other universities across the UK. event offering developers the opportunity to audio/visual and text files associated with the build ground-breaking new internet plants, people and buildings in the vicinity. BBC R&I foresight work applications. Five hundred ‘hackers’/ Participants explored the Gardens and The group has significant experience of the developers from UK and the rest of Europe retrieved these information packets using development and application of tools such came to the legendary Alexandra Palace in mobile phones. Once the information had as scenario planning, foresight research and North London, and had 36 hours to create been consumed, participants were asked to road-mapping. These tools support the BBC something cool and pitch it to a panel of create and submit their own video content in stimulating and advising its Future Media judges. The event was very successfully in response to a ‘call to action’ allied to that strategy. At present the group is working repeated in June 2008; partners for Mashed information packet. At the end of the trial with teams across BBC R&I and the BBC as 2008 included ARM Processors, Channel 4, participants were directed to the Stories@ part of the Digital Olympics 2012 project, The Guardian, Microsoft, Multimap, NASA, Kew website where they could view their looking at the increasing pressures on and again, Yahoo! user generated content for the weeks distribution and production infrastructures, following their visit. the growth of ubiquitous media, increasing Events such as these can showcase the depth importance of digital identity, HD and and breadth of talent that exists in the UK’s The Stories@Kew trial was a success. Over beyond, all linked to ever-increasing burgeoning developer community, where we 120 groups (400 people) took part and over innovations in content areas. hope the BBC acts as a catalyst in stimulating 700 pieces of user generated content were innovation and showcasing BBC R&I talent to generated. Participants found the Backstage a wider community beyond the BBC. Stories@Kew application easy to use, and Backstage provides an online web resource most importantly they all understood the for a variety of ways in which we encourage The Participate project – concept and adopted it readily. More Research and Innovation within a community Stories@Kew specifically, the trial helped us to identify key of internal and external developers. Its main Participate is a collaboration with external aspects of the user experience that offered role is to encourage innovative new ideas organisations and the BBC R&I Human Media most value: the most effective types of ‘call and prototypes from this important Interaction team. It is exploring convergence to action’ to trigger user participation; and community, and to ensure the BBC is part in pervasive, online and broadcast media to the range of participatory activities evoked. of this new form of rapid innovation. create new kinds of mass-participatory events. User generated content was found to be It encourages hundreds of ideas and the appealing to participants, was found to add development of prototypes based on BBC Stories@Kew was a project to test a value to the experience itself, and content feeds. Participate prototype in a real editorialised encouraged further participation. setting, to evaluate the experience and to Stories@Kew was also found to support understand the technical requirements of social networks both within the experience creating it on a future scale. itself, and with extended use.

42 WORKING WITH US Collaborative Projects

3D4YOU CLARET PARTICIPATE 3D4YOU is a new EU collaborative project. We are collaborating with the University PARTICIPATE is a three-year TSB-supported It will look into capture, post-production of Surrey to develop CLARET, an image collaborative project. It is exploring the and delivery of 3D stereoscopic content classification and retrieval system for user- convergence of pervasive, online and to a 3D display. generated content (UGC). broadcast media to create new kinds of mass  www.3d4you.eu participatory events where a broad cross- ESTASTAR section of the public contributes and ARENA ESTASTAR is supported by the TSB. It is shares content. ARENA is an EU collaborative project devising architectures to access exabytes  www.participateonline.co.uk running from January 2006 to December of storage at terabit/sec rates. It began in 2008. It is developing methods of measuring November 2006 and runs for two years. PRISM and aggregating audience figures on mobile PRISM is a TSB-supported project, developing phones, broadband connections and iview workable production services based on personal video recorders, as well as the We lead this TSB-supported project which GRID distributed computing techniques. conventional digital platforms. The partners is developing methods to capture action  bbc.co.uk/rd/projects/prism are well-established platform operators, from events such as a football match in 3D service providers, broadcasters, manu - and generate a 360 degree free-viewpoint QESTRAL facturers and academia from across Europe. video replay of the action, as if from a QESTRAL is a three-year project being We are supported in this project by virtual camera. carried out by the University of Surrey, colleagues from BBC Marketing  bbc.co.uk/rd/projects/iview supported by the BBC and Bang & Olufsen Communications and Audiences. as industrial partners, and the EPSRC. It is  www.ist-arena.org My-e-Director 2012 due to finish in March 2009. It is developing My-e-Director 2012 is a three-year EU test methodologies for the spatial fidelity of AVATAR collaborative project started in February sound reproduction systems. AVATAR is supported by the TSB. It is 2008. It is developing a system to generate  www.surrey.ac.uk/soundrec/QESTRAL defining IT storage solutions optimised for personalised coverage of large events such audio visual content and data from oil and as the Olympics, and is an extension to the SEMEDIA gas exploration. It began in November 2006 ‘Automated Coverage’ concept we SEMEDIA is funded by the EU, and is and finishes in 2009. developed several years ago. We will be developing techniques, environments and developing methods to track and identify tools for media labelling, searching and AXMEDIS participants, liaising with BBC Sport, and retrieval from very large collections of AXMEDIS is an EU collaborative project helping with field trials. heterogeneous data. It started in January developing new methods and tools for inno -  www.myedirector2012.eu 2007 and finishes in 2009. vative and flexible Digital Rights Management  www.semedia.org (DRM), including the exploitation of MPEG-21. MyMedia The international consortium comprises a We recently co-founded this EU collaborative VSAR mobile telephone operator, university academics, project to develop advanced content VSAR is a three-year collaborative project manu facturing technologists and a large recommendation technologies. The project supported by DIUS, started in November European collecting society. will also find new ways to model user 2007. It is developing a set of tools to help  www.axmedis.org preferences, and will incorporate aspects visualise an area such as a city centre by of social networking. It will conduct field combining live images from security or CALLAS trials in several European countries. outside-broadcast cameras with pre- CALLAS is an EU collaborative project. generated 3D models of the area. The New Content Paradigms area focuses P2P-Next  www.vsar.co.uk on building upon the BBC tradition of rich P2P-Next is an EU-funded project building a narrative. We are researching how to bring next-generation peer-to-peer (P2P) content this BBC quality into the interactive domain, delivery platform. It has 21 partners from 12 looking at techniques for both authoring and countries covering the complete value chain. play-out of truly interactive (‘open-ended’)  www.p2p-next.org stories. CALLAS is combining the use of emotion-sensing interfaces with interactive narrative techniques to produce a ‘bardic interactive storytelling engine’.  www.callas-newmedia.eu

BBC RESEARCH & INNOVATION ANNUAL REVIEW 2007 – 2008 43 Standards

The BBC has always worked in a so-called The BBC is required by conditions attached to its Charter horizontal market where many players can share to actively support appropriate development of ‘open standards’, that is to say, technologies where opportunities the same technology for different business to participate in their creation and to use them are made purposes. The only way we can make this work widely available, either free of charge or on terms that are fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory. is by adopting standards. Standards define almost every part of the broadcast chain, from Some standards endure for many years, otherwise we would find it difficult to operate. However, the situation the capture of images and sound, all the way is always fluid because of new consumer devices and through to the display and loudspeakers at services, technical developments and changes in business processes. New standards and additions to existing ones home. We therefore make a serious effort frequently need to be progressed, and the pace of change to help standards bodies to create proposals is accelerating. which will work well for public service broad - For the past twenty years or so, we have seen a steady casters and in a complementary way to the movement away from national standards towards international and global bodies. But there is still no single commercial goals of private industry. body with overall responsibility for the standards used in broadcasting, and indeed we now find standards from the telecommunications and IT industries that are equally relevant to our business. This means we often have to follow work through several standards bodies to ensure we have the right tools for us at the end.

Because of our pro-active approach to standards, engineers from BBC R&I are frequently invited to join standardisation groups, recognising not just their technical contribution, but the fair and reasonable balance we are able to broker when discussions become fractious and commercial. In many groups we are also asked to take the chair.

There are a number of standardisation groups, for example MPEG and some of the technical groups in the EBU and SMPTE, where we hold membership or otherwise just follow the proceedings, to make sure the BBC’s interests are not being compromised.

44 WORKING WITH US NATIONAL EBU Group D/MAE INTERNATIONAL Results of the first and second phase of the Digital TV Group (DTG) multi-channel audio bit-rate reduction tests Digital Video Broadcasting The Digital TV Group is an industry were presented at the 122nd Audio Project (DVB) association for digital television in the UK. Engineering Society convention. The third The Digital Video Broadcasting Project (DVB) This group defined the profile of the DVB phase, cascaded coding, is nearing completion. is a consortium of over 270 companies and standards which is now used for all Freeview other organisations developing global services, and they have a laboratory which EBU Group N/ACIP standards for the delivery of digital television is able to test compliance of consumer Set up early in 2006, this group is developing and data services. Their work has now equipment with those standards. BBC R&I an interoperability standard for equipment for extended beyond broadcasting to cover the engineers have worked closely with the audio contributions over IP, in cooperation convergence of internet and mobile systems Digital TV Group to set these standards. with manufacturers. It has built a reference in the home. DVB specifications are offered engine for verifying commercial equipment to ETSI, CENELEC, the EBU, or the ITU Now the group is concentrating on high against the standard, and is compiling a set to create the standards themselves. definition television, radio spectrum issues, of recommendations for operational practice. and domestic systems BBC R&I is instrumental in a number of EBU Group N/CNCS DVB standards. EUROPE This group, which we chair, has been running for a number of years and has developed DVB-CPT European Telecommunications a common network control standard for This group maintains the DVB ‘Blue Book’, Standards Institute (ETSI) broadcast equipment. Its recommendations the technical specification for the DVB ETSI is the dominant European body with have been accepted by the IEC, published copy protection and copy management responsibility for broadcasting and tele - as IEC 62367. (DVB-CPCM). An updated and more communication standards. Most of the complete CPCM specification was released broadcast standards we use are standardised EBU Group N/IPM early this year. in ETSI, including DAB, the DVB suite of This is a recently-formed group, which standards, and TV-Anytime. we chair. It will define parameters and DVB-GBS measurement techniques for IP that are We chair the SEG sub-group, which has European Broadcasting Union of particular relevance to media traffic. defined the carriage of TV-Anytime data (EBU) in the SI within the DVB transport stream. The EBU is no longer the prime body for EBU Group N/VCIP creating broadcast standards as it was in This group has similar aims to N/ACIP, DVB-T2 the days of MAC and NICAM. It has now but for video contributions over IP. BBC R&I are leading the study group which changed its role to act as a consensus- has prepared the DVB-T2 specification. We building body, ensuring that public service EBU Group P/Display are one of the key technical contributors and broadcasters in Europe are able to develop We chair this group which is addressing the the editors of the document. a common viewpoint. It also hosts other supply of professional TV monitors, used by standards groups, for example the DVB. all broadcasters to ensure consistent picture European High Definition Much of the EBU’s formal documentation quality and colorimetry. This group has Forum (EHDF) audio is published and subsequently referenced in recently defined the broadcasters’ sub-group the standards. requirements for TV monitors in the flat Comprised of audio professionals from panel era. around 10 European organisations, mostly The EBU organises its work into a series broadcasters, with a few manufacturers, of technical groups, and we contribute to TV-Anytime European this group has been a useful means to a number of these. Users Group share experience and knowledge in the The Group has started working on creating a rapidly evolving world of surround sound more ‘Semantic Web’-friendly representation broadcasting. Although supported to of the TV-Anytime data model using RDF a significant extent by the EBU it is not (Resource Description Framework). restricted to members of the EBU.

BBC RESEARCH & INNOVATION ANNUAL REVIEW 2007 – 2008 45 Standards (cont)

The Digital Media Project a single toolkit. This toolkit is in use in the International Electro- The Digital Media Project (DMP) is a non- industry to read and write standard technical committee profit Association. Its mission is to promote format files. The IEC prepares standards for electrical, the successful development, deployment and electronic and related technologies. In some use of digital media that respect the rights The Media Dispatch Protocol has completed respects it overlaps work in ETSI, IEEE and of creators and rights holders to exploit their its standardisation process and is now SMPTE CENELEC, among others. Usefully, it seeks works, the wish of end users to fully enjoy 2032-2007. It provides a standard mechanism to lay down performance bounds, for the benefits of digital media and the interests for managing content delivery between example, the sensitivity one can expect from of value-chain players to provide products production centres; this will become an certain types of radio receiver, to ensure that and services. The DMP has recently released important requirement for our work on systems work effectively. a series of specifications on interoperable tapeless production. digital rights management. CENELEC  www.dmpf.org We are participating in a joint SMPTE-EBU CENELEC, the European Committee for taskforce on next-generation timing and Electrotechnical Standardisation prepares SMPTE and the Advanced synchronisation signals for use in production, voluntary standards for electrical and Media Workflow Association suitable for use in IT-based production electronic goods and services. The most (formerly the AAF) systems and at high frame rates as we immediate relevance to our work is their The Society of Motion Picture and Television consider HDTV and beyond. influence on the specifications of Engineers is based in the USA and has receiver performance. produced many relevant standards. Our video coding technique Dirac is also being standardised through the SMPTE. DAB WorldDMB Forum We are maintaining an active role in and DRM Consortium several standardisation bodies, particularly Institute of Electrical and We have continued to contribute to the the SMPTE and the Advanced Media Electronics Engineers international development of digital radio Workflow Association (AMWA), as they The IEEE is a key organisation for network- standards by taking part in the WorldDMB continue their work on standards relevant related standards development. The main Forum and the DRM Consortium. We chair to television production. areas of interest to us are the wired and the Technical Committees of both wireless networking standards, comprising organisations, and recently a member of The SMPTE MXF standard, becoming widely the IEEE802 group of standards including the BBC World Service was elected chair used for capture and storage of content in Ethernet (IEEE802.3), WiFi (IEEE802.11) of the DRM Consortium itself. tapeless production systems, has been and WiMAX (IEEE802.16). revised to correct ambiguities in the We have tried to ensure the stability of the specification and to add new support for We attend IEEE 802.11 and, to a lesser existing standards in order to protect BBC carrying application-specific data that is extent, IEEE802.16 standardisation meetings, services and infrastructure. At the same time required in some circumstances. We have with a particular interest in promoting the we have contributed to the creation of new also led and completed the standardisation use of wireless networks for video solutions that help to widen the appeal of of SMPTE 410M, an addition to MXF which applications. We have helped to form a new digital radio worldwide and enhance its enables data streams such as subtitles and Task Group, IEEE802.11aa, which will draft appeal to the listening public. other non video or audio data to be carried. amendments to the existing WiFi standards to better support video transport. Audio Engineering Society We have participated on the board of the Furthermore, the Study Group looking at the Most of the digital interfaces used in the AMWA as its scope has been widened to next generation of wireless technologies, audio industry are based on standards include a greater user and workflow focus. which is likely to lead to the formation of a managed by the AES, and we have This has led to increased membership and Task Group during 2008, has identified video contributed in the past to a number of these. new collaborative projects. During the year, transport as a key requirement in more than We are now helping to draft standards for we led the AMWA engineering group in its half of the use-cases considered. carrying metadata in digital audio streams release of an updated open source software and for audio file interchange. We are also toolkit, known as AAF v1.1.2, which provides involved in the standardisation of audio/video support for AAF, MXF and XML formats in synchronisation measurements.

46 WORKING WITH US More Information

What to do if you want to know more

This Annual Review has deliberately Projects been aimed at a broad readership. Many of the projects at BBC R&I As a consequence, the articles are have a special set of pages, either on considerably shorter than they might our website, or hosted by others such otherwise have been, and we have avoided as our collaborative partners or SourceForge. going into deep technical detail. The aim is to be open about our work whenever possible. For those who wish to learn more about any of the projects, there are several places you White Papers can find more. We have moved away from We publish reports and tutorials about our paper documentation, and now rely on the work as a series of White Papers. internet to deliver our output. This makes it much easier for everyone to gain access to Our papers are published in places such as our work. You can finddetails of our projects journals and conferences. We have a policy to on our website. retain copyright wherever possible on these pub lications. This allows us to offer these  bbc.co.uk/rd works as White Papers too, making all our output accessible in one place.

Lectures We receive many invitations to lecture. Our intention is to try to inform a wide range of interested groups, from the high level professional conferences and seminars, to small local specialist interest groups.

Whenever the lecture is being given in a public event, we try to publicise it in advance through our website.

BBC RESEARCH & INNOVATION ANNUAL REVIEW 2007 – 2008 47 Edited by Richard Marsden Designed by Kevin Claydon and Keren Greene

BBC Research & Innovation Kingswood Warren TADWORTH Surrey KT20 6NP

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