Stakeholders representing broadcasters, device manufacturers, software providers and research companies have announced the start of the German DVB-I Pilot.
In a statement, the consortium, which features ARD, bmt, Dolby, DVB, EBU, Fraunhofer FOKUS, LG, MIT-xperts, OnScreen Publishing, ProSiebenSat.1 Media, rbb, RTL Deutschland, Sofia Digital, Sony, TARA Systems, TP Vision, Vestel, WDR and ZDF, said the intention was to “develop a common understanding of the DVB-I functionality and challenges”.
DVB-I has been created to enable easy access to the video streaming of linear programmes over the Internet to provide the same user-friendly experience enjoyed through linear TV.
Key features of DVB-I include structured service lists which enable a harmonised user interface, low latency streaming and options for additional services. DVB-I streams can also be combined with conventional broadcast over satellite, cable and terrestrial to provide a hybrid experience.
“With the pilot project we want to demonstrate a vision for a national market scenario, gather experience with the aggregation of service lists and identify technical gaps and requirements in the standard,” explained Remo Vogel (rbb), Project Manager of the German DVB-I Pilot. “The pilot project has a limited duration and does not, for now, include a decision for a market roll-out in Germany.”
The German DVB-I Pilot will have an IBC presence on the EBU (10.D21) and DVB (1.B73) stands.
