25th february 2008bes expo mheg-5 s&t mheg-5 and its new features in dvb networks worldwide 25...

25th February 2008 BES Expo MHEG-5 S&T

MHEG-5 and its new features in DVB networks

worldwide25th February 2008

David CuttsManaging Director

Strategy & Technology Founder member of IMPALA


Agenda

• S&T and Impala• Benefits of Standardised Middleware• MHEG-5 and MHP• MPEG4 and MHEG-5• Extended MHEG for 2008• Conformance Regimes• MHEG Applications• Summary and Contacts


Strategy & Technology• Independent company

– Offices in London, Bristol, Denver, Hong Kong

• Works largely in digital interactive TV• Supplies RedkeyTM MHEG-5 engines to receiver

manufacturers• Leads MHEG-5 specification activity in DTG/ETSI• Supplies MHEG-5 applications and playout

equipment (Object Carousels)• Carousel equipment also used in MHP and in US

OCAP rollout in US Cable– Customers include RAI in Italy (MHP), Time Warner

Cable in US (OCAP), RTM Malaysia, Taiwan TV (for MHP trials)


• The International MHEG Promotion Alliance is a not-for-profit organisation whose principal aim is to promote the use of the MHEG-5 international standard in digital TV worldwide.

• For more information see www.impala.org. • Founder members of Impala are S&T, Echostar

Europe and Cabot Communications• Supporters include Sony, Samsung, Panasonic,

NZ Freeview, Finlux, Hitachi, TopUpTV, TVonics and Zinwell

• IMPALA promotes. Its members compete.


Agenda

• S&T and Impala• Benefits of Standardised

Middleware• MHEG-5 and MHP• MPEG4 and MHEG-5• Extended MHEG for 2008• Conformance Regimes• MHEG Applications• Summary and Contacts


Why specify interactive TV?For maximum benefit from digital TV (for both viewers and broadcasters) a middleware should be specified and deployed on all receivers in a network to support interactive services and applications including:

– Platform EPG (Electronic Programme Guide)– Digital teletext and information services– Enhanced TV formats (programme related)– Games and voting/participation TV formatsAnd with Interaction Channel (return path)– Audience measurement– Operator information / account management– t-commerce for shopping channels– e-government


Middleware considerations

• Interactive TV works best when all (or the vast majority) of the receivers in a market have middleware installed

• Content and services that reach just a small percentage of a broadcaster’s audience do not support a viable business / commercial model

• Technical standard considerations are important but not as important as enabling an audience for interactive services

• No Audience = No Business!


Using Public Standards

• Use of Public Standards enables:– widespread adoption and – multiple vendors at each part of the industry chain– price and performance competition

• Requires conformance scheme to ensure interoperability and ease of use


Agenda

• S&T and Impala• Benefits of Standardised

Middleware• MHEG-5• Extended MHEG for 2008• Conformance Regimes• MHEG Applications• Summary and Contacts


MHEG-5• Developed in ISO-MHEG group and DAVIC in 1995

– Intended as UI for DAVIC interactive services and VOD– Simple object oriented interpreted language

• Standardised in ISO 13522-5• Adopted by UK DTG in 1997• UK Profile includes text, graphics and DSM-CC carousel systems• Profile evolved to UK Profile 1.06 (current)• ETSI standard ES 202184• NZ profile extends to include extra Maori characters and EPG

key• New Hong Kong profile released with support of Traditional

Chinese• Extensions under development for deployment in 2008

– IP Interaction Channel (return path)– PVR support– Improved graphics– HD compatibility


MHEG-5 Rollout

• Successfully deployed in UK – >18m receivers sold– a single S&T customer shipped 700k units in Q3 2007– 99% UK Freeview platform penetration, >25% usage

• Launched in New Zealand in May 2007 – DVB-S receiver sales over forecast so far (already >40,000 units)– DTT launches 2008 with MPEG-4 HD and MHEG-5

• Trials and evaluations in Ireland, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Turkey, India and Russia with interest from other countries in Europe and Asia

• No known essential IPR• MHEG middleware software approx US$1 per receiver• Lowest retail price in UK <$40• Wide integration into iDTVs in Europe

– 50% of sales iDTV…MHEG available to most leading brands• Note the above applies mostly to MPEG-2 platforms in 2008


What is MHEG-5?• Simple object orientated programming

language – to control presentation of content made up from

audio, video, text and still graphics objects – to provide user interaction with the application– supporting real time video and audio presentation– focussed on TV requirements– low overhead and high speed

• A complete environment including– Authoring tools and data systems– Broadcast transmission using DSMCC Object

Carousel standard and optional IP-based connectivity– Middleware – the MHEG middleware or ‘stack’ that is

resident in the STB. This provides an API on which interactive applications can run


MHEG vs Java • MHEG-5 is designed specifically for TV presentation

– Remote control operation– Displays built on TV layout– Works in its own safe memory space– Robust interpreted language

• Java is a complex general purpose tool with adaptations for TV

• As illustration of comparable complexity– MHP (based on Java) has >10000 unit tests

• There are no other standardised Java systems for TV– MHEG has <350 test

• But there are very few, if any, broadcast applications for TV that can be done in MHP and not MHEG-5

• MHEG-5 loads and runs faster


MHEG applications are smaller

Source: MHP/MHEG Coexistence project. BBC Research.

• Smaller applications means faster start and lower cost transmission


Agenda

• S&T and Impala• Benefits of Standardised Middleware• MHEG-5 and MHP• MPEG4 and MHEG-5• Extended MHEG for 2008• Conformance Regimes• MHEG Engines• MHEG Applications• Summary and Contacts


MPEG-4 and MHEG-5

• Inclusion of HD/SD MPEG-4 in the system makes a difference to a number of issues– Cost of silicon– Number of receiver suppliers in short term– Complexity of receiver outputs– MHEG-5 display strategy for HD services

• Receiver costs are higher in short term– but bandwidth utilisation is better

• Next generation iDTV will include MPEG-4• Receiver solutions have easy IP connection• MHEG-5 HD support in development for 2008


Projects using MPEG-4/MHEG-5• Freeview NZ DTT

– Launches 2008

• Republic of Ireland– Launch 2008

• Many iDTV designs for 2008/9 will incorporate both technologies

• Freesat in UK – Launch 2008

• Hong Kong DTT (TVB)– Launch 2008– Receiver manufacturers already working on

implementation

• Others in planning phase


Agenda

• S&T and Impala• Benefits of Standardised Middleware• MHEG-5 and MHP• MPEG4 and MHEG-5• Extended MHEG for 2008• Conformance Regimes• MHEG Engines• MHEG Applications• Summary and Contacts


Extensions for 2008

• Interaction channel (Return path)– Uses (broadband) always on IP return path– Enables

• delivery of more interactive content• secure commercial transactions

• HD graphics and fonts• PVR Support

– Including Push VOD

• Specification work in DTG– Will output to ETSI

• Conformance tests being built by DTG Testing


MHEG Interaction Channel• Extension of Profile to add ‘always on’ IP

connection– Connected to home network– Could be connected via phone

• Enables– Seamless extension of interactive services using

content from known servers– Commercial transactions– Security

• Now under development for use in 2008– Including test regime

• Next version under discussion– MHEG control of presentation of streamed or

downloaded a/v from IP source– Provides Broadcaster-controlled IPTV


Agenda

• S&T and Impala• Benefits of Standardised Middleware• MHEG-5 and MHP• MPEG4 and MHEG-5• Extended MHEG for 2008• Conformance Regime• MHEG Engines• MHEG Applications• Summary


Conformance Regime• In UK conformance regime was weak until 2005/6.

– Many problems arose from this, especially for retailers• A tough conformance regime, using Pass/Fail tests

to achieve brand acceptance, is recommended for– SI, Subtitles, MHEG-5, RF, OAD, AFD, etc

• OAD capability is essential for all receivers• Much can be derived or licensed from DTG in UK

– Including subcontracting work• MHEG 1.06 has ~ 350 tests

– Stable, managed, licensable test suite– Development programme in place for extensions

• Note: MHP has >10,000 tests– MHP tests for recent versions not completed


Agenda

• S&T and Impala• Benefits of Standardised Middleware• MHEG-5 and MHP• MPEG4 and MHEG-5• Extended MHEG for 2008• Conformance Regimes• Rollout • MHEG Applications• Summary


International Rollout

• UK has 23m+ MHEG receivers sold• Freeview New Zealand

– Operational on DTH– DTT launches April 2008

• TVB in Hong Kong on air shortly– Hong Kong profile released soon

• Projects under discussion in ASEAN region


MHEG-5 Profile for India• Current Baseline is NZ Profile

– UK Profile plus EPG launch key

• Profile for India needs support for local languages

• Graphics and downloadable font system under development allows this to work

• Discussion already underway with cable operators in India

• Contract announced today with Digicable (Mumbai)– Complete system including applications and playout


Agenda



Providing Interactive Applications• Most applications are similar, with different

design and content.– Publishing information– Displaying graphics and pictures– Interaction through ‘list and select’ or ‘show and

select’.– Navigation to different services

• Most applications in MHP and in MHEG are made with higher level ‘template’ tools and very stable operating applications

• Most cost in applications is in content production (information and pictures)

• S&T provides applications and content tools in collaboration with partners


MHEG System Architecture

Live content feeds & updatese.g. Weather, News, Sports

(XML)

DSMCCObject Carousel

MHEG Engine

Set Top Box

Program Video & Audio

(Video Server playout)

MHEG Appl’n

TV Display

ContentManagement

Systems

iTV AuthoringTools

Mux MHEG Tools

TXMHEG

content

MHEG content

MHEG Appl’ns

Broadcast Playout

Viewer Premises


New S&T Product - MHEGPresenter• High-level XML content description language

– Defines page layout, content, behaviour and navigation– Head-end pre-processing into compact files for

transmission• Compact MHEG-5 Application on STB

– Renders screen layouts and functions– Handles user input and interactions

• Suitable for publishing services• Interactive Advertising• Text/information Services• Shopping

• Easy to use with content production/layout tools• Can use Latin and Asian character sets• MHEG-5 language training and development tools also

available


Some Applications

• Text• Multiscreen• Complex Advertising• Games• EPG


Skytext on Freeview UK

• 500 ‘pages’ with frequent content updates (mostly automatic)

• Integrated with SysMedia content management and production system

• Profit generating (though advertising)


Text Service -Traditional Chinese


Multiscreen Services

• MHEG controls the presentation and choice of multi-screen services– User chooses which to

view– Has access to

information on each event

– 40%+ of digital sports viewers in UK use these applications


Shopping - QVC (Freeview UK)

• Integrated with QVC’s existing CMS using XML• Runs completely automatically using a data-driven

model• Profit generating through sales increases• Can be extended to include transactions


MHEG System Architecture

Live content feeds & updatese.g. Weather, News, Sports

(XML)

DSMCCObject Carousel

MHEG Engine

Set Top Box

Program Video & Audio

(Video Server playout)

MHEG Appl’n

TV Display

ContentManagement

Systems

iTV AuthoringTools

Mux MHEG Tools

TXMHEG

content

MHEG content

MHEG Appl’ns

Broadcast Playout

Viewer Premises

InteractionServer

Internet connected return channel


QVC prototype with online purchase

Green ‘Buy Button’ leads to online purchase via the IP interaction channel


Games - Tetris• Stand-alone

gaming application:

• Free-to-play or pay-per- play via premium rate phone


Games “Studio Runners”

‘Sokoban’ maze game for BBCi


EPG application for NZ


EPG – Traditional Chinese


Platform-wide EPG

• MHEG-5 can provide platform-wide EPG– Loads quickly from carousel– Data carriage is efficient

• Compressed in carousel• (EIT schedule uses uncompressed data)

– Same appearance and behaviour on all receivers– Branding of platform and per channel– Advertising opportunities

• Needs carriage on all muxes• PVR control from MHEG-5 EPG in development


Agenda



Summary• Digital TV enables additional interactive services that benefit

both viewers and broadcasters • MHEG-5 offers a proven and stable middleware with low

consumer cost, strong manufacturer support from major brands and suppliers

• No known essential IPR licensing• MHEG-5 is also widely available in flat screen iDTVs from many

manufacturers• A minimum profile specification and simple conformance testing

ensures that all receivers are interactive-enabled at an affordable price

• Profile with Chinese language support already available– Receivers in pre-production to this specification

• Profile for Indian language support under development• PVR, High-definition and IP support are also available for future

services


Contacts Thank you!Strategy & Technology Contacts:

David CuttsManaging [email protected]

Colin PriorDirector of International [email protected]

Distribution in India

Novacom Digitronics Private Limited [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]



25th february 2008bes expo mheg-5 s&t mheg-5 and its new features in dvb networks worldwide 25...

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