DTG SUMMIT – BAFTA, LONDON. The Digital TV Group has announced the sixth edition of The D Book, the ‘instruction manual’ for the UK television sector, with particular reference to digital terrestrial transmissions.
Simon Gauntlett, technical director at the DTG told delegates the new publication represented a step change in broadcasting.
For the first time the book includes details of MPEG-4 and high definition broadcasting, sound has been enhanced through the addition of surround sound and Dolby Digital Plus. Even subtitling has been tweaked to ensure the captions appear in the right position on HD transmissions.
Significantly, all HD products will be required to have a network return channel. “This will enable broadcasters to deliver the traditional public teletext services and could lead to the likes of the ITV Player and the BBC iPlayer, by providing support for streaming,” explained Gauntlett.
Guidance has been added to indicate to the viewer dangers such as flash photography. Signalling will automatically move channels to their new frequencies without requiring the viewer to rescan their set-top box.
Receiver profiles have been split into four, SD, SD with recorder, HD and HD with recorder, all of which are associated with a well-known trademark from the Freeview stable.
The D Book is available to DTG members from the organisation’s website.