For years many countries have shown limited interest in HDTV for terrestrial broadcasts. EDTV using the DVB norm is common in satellite, cable and terrestrial.
Although HDTV is still possible with DVB, most countries have been following the "more channels on a single analogue frequency" approach, rather than the "one single channel in HDTV", more common in the USA, Canada, Japan, Taiwan, and Australia.
As a single MPEG-2 HDTV channel would take up to four SDTV channels from any of the three to eight multiplexes (or a considerable part of a satellite transponder), MPEG-2 based HDTV does not suit the High Definition broadcasting needs in Europe. Although this disadvantage could be avoided by using a more efficient codec, such as DVB-S2 with MPEG4/H.264, this alternative is unattractive both to broadcasters (owing to the cost of upgrading equiment the lack of potential viewers in the near future) and consumers (the price of MPEG-4 set top boxes is considerable higher than their MPEG-2 counterparts). Additionally, some governments want to switch to digital terrestrial in order to reassign VHF frequencies for other uses and not to switch to HD.
The European commission studies
The European Commission analysed the state of 16:9 broadcasting, as well as HDTV in The contribution of wide-screen and high definition to the global roll-out of digital television staff working paper.
This paper states that previous plans objectives for a Europe-wide HDTV introduction by 1999 (HD-MAC in 1992) were not met because market players focused on digital technologies and easier to implement service options. Thus, European consumers never had a chance to test HDTV.
It also points out some causes for HDTV's poor performance in the EU:
- European market players feel that HDTV failed in Europe.
- Broadcasters prefer to focus on cheaper multi-channel SDTV.
- A SDTV widescreen resolution is more cost effective than a HDTV equivalent.
Later, the commission suggests that some coordination in the EU is required in order for HDTV services to be consistently available in all member states.
The rebirth of HDTV in Europe
The birth of Euro1080 in 2004 has lead to a debate in European manufacturers over the introduction of High Definition television in Europe, and the need of a single labelling schema for HD devices. Consequently, in January 2005, EICTA introduced the "HD ready" label for equipment that meets certain requirements, including supporting 720p and 1080i at 50 and 60 Hz. Displays must include YUV and DVI or HDMI interfaces with HDCP support. The native vertical resolution must be 720 lines or more.
Another label ("HDTV-High definition television") also exists. Unlike HD-ready, it must be shown on set top box capable of HD output in both 720p and 1080i.
Owing to Europe's late entry into the HDTV market, it has the advantage of being able to use more modern picture compression technology,and so far all these major broadcasters have announced their intentions of eventually using H.264/MPEG-4 AVC in their programming. This will allow them to utilize broadcasting frequencies much more efficiently than in the United States, since transmiting HDTV signals using H.264 compression requires roughly half as much bandwidth as needed under the USA's ATSC system (ATSC had standardized utilizing the less-efficient MPEG-2 compression long before more modern codecs like H.264 became available). Most Europeans favor using the 720p format over 1080i.
Progress of HDTV by country
Belgium
Telenet, the main cable operator in Flanders (the northern region of Belgium), confirmed as part of its launch announcement of "Telenet Digital TV" on June 16, 2005 that it would sell HDTV set-top-boxes as of June 2006.
From July 2005 Integan, a cable provider in the outskirts of the city of Antwerpen, is offering HDTV.
(See also Euro1080).
Denmark
In Denmark, DR and TV2 intend to broadcast the 2006 World cup in HDTV, although it will not be available in terrestrial (DVB-T).
Also, the first HD channel targeting the Nordic countries other than the Euro1080 channels (HD1,HD2,HD5) was launched in fall 2005 by C More Entertainment and was called C More HD. Broadcasting a few movies per night, it was only available for subscribers of the Canal Digital platform.
France
M6 and TF1 will launch their HD versions by ADSL in the 1st June 2006 . This bouquet will cost €19.90/month.
TPS, competitor of Canal Sat, has begun broadcasting in high definition.[1]
Pay per view terrestrial channels use H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC to allow HDTV premium content.
CanalSat will launch its first HD channel (Canal+HD ) in April 2006. More channels will follow in the nearly future, including National Geographic HD from June 2006. This bouquet will require an additional fee of €9 and a new H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC HD set top box (Mediasat Max).
Germany
In autumn 2004 German channel group ProSiebenSat.1 showed a BBC documentary and a self produced TV movie, and in March 2005 the Hollywood flicks Spider-Man and Men in Black II using 1080i, MPEG-2 and DVB-S. These were intended to be a test for future commercial HD services.
Regular programming of the HD versions of Pro 7 and Sat 1, both free to air, began on 26 October 2005 for at least one year. Most programming is upscaled SD material still. Unlike the test broadcasts, DVB-S2 and MPEG-4 AVC is now used, because this is what the major pay TV service Premiere announced to be using.
Premiere itself, after several delays, finally started broadcasting three HD channels—one dedicated to each of movies, sports and documentaries—in November 2005, although there were virtually no suitable, certified receivers available on the market. The contents, too, is sparse and thus repeated often. Premiere reuses its proprietary digital rights management system embedded into its content scrambling system (Nagravision) from SD broadcasts to block analogue output of the movie channel from the receiving set-top box altogether, only allowing HDCP-secured transmissions; the other channels are less restricted.
For the time being, neither of the services is available via DVB-T nor DVB-C.
German channels producers and hardware companies hope for a breakthrough of HDTV sales just before the FIFA World Cup 2006 which will be broadcasted in HDTV on Premiere, also via cable. Big marketing was done at the IFA 2005. However, first reports seem to indicate flat panel TV sales have not picked up as much as anticipated. [2]
Italy
Sky Italia pay tv plaftorm is currently broadcasting a technical test signal in Hotbird 2. HDTV regular services will start in June 2006 under the name "Sky HD", with the broadcasting of the 2006 World cup in High Definition. Additional movie and sport channels are planned for the service. Sky HD will cost an additional €7 fee.
On February 2006, during the XX Olympic Winter Games held in Turin, RAI has broadcasted a number of sport events using a 1080i signal and H.264/MPEG-4 AVC coding. The HD signal has been transmitted over the Turin area, using DVB-T hyerarchical modulation, and only specially crafted decoders have been able to receive this signal: they were placed in strategical points in the town.
Poland
On June 24 2006, ITI, the largest media company in Poland, announced that it will launch a bouquet of 3 HDTV channels by satellite in the Fall of 2006. It has also been rumoured that TVP, Poland's public TV, will also begin broadcasting its main channels in HDTV to ITI's review ers.
Rumours also say that Polsat, another polish broadcaster is upgrading its own equiment to broadcast its main channel and sports channel in HDTV. This company also owns another digital satellite platform (Cyfrowy), which could become Poland's second HDTV source in the future.
For the time being, only ITI's plan is official, the other ones are only rumours, but most experts expect Poland to have about 10 HD channels available in late 2007.
Spain
The Digital plus pay platform has carried some HDTV tests on Astra in June 16th 2005. They consisted of some clips from Canal plus best known programs, such as "lo más +", "Las noticias del guiñol", "La hora wiki", and "código cine". No formal plans for HD services have been announced yet, althought unnofficial sources point out that a HD bouquet could be launched in late 2006.
Telecable, a cable ISP operating in Asturias has begun trials for 100 mpbs services. A HDTV bouquet is planned to be launched after the end of the tests.
Telefonica will also begin trials of VDSL services up to 52 Mbit/s. The company might introduce HDTV in 2007 by upgrading its ADSL pay tv service Imagenio to VDSL. Currently, there is a limited trial in telefonica's I+D labs.
Aragón Televisión is using spare bandwith in its own digital multiplex to broadcast a test HD stream.
Sweden
In December 2005, Swedish state-owned transmitter operator Teracom presented terrestrial HDTV broadcasts using the MPEG-4 encryption standard.
Swedish public broadcaster Sveriges Television (SVT) announced in February 2006 that they intended to broadcast the 2006 FIFA World Cup in HD. The World Cup will be broadcast in HD in a joint channel from SVT and commercial TV4. It would be available nationwide from the Canal Digital satellite platform and free-to-air from selected terrestrial transmitters.
After the World Cup, SVT intends to start a separate HD channel named SVT HD. Canal Digital is also available in Sweden, and so is C More HD
United Kingdom
Cable
Trials of the UK's first HDTV service began on 2 December 2005. Telewest, a cable TV company now part of NTL, distributed HDTV programs to 400 customers in the south London area. On 10 March 2006 NTL confirmed that HDTV was available nationally in the former Telewest areas. The service is provided via a personal video recorder, branded as TV Drive, and costs GBP 10 per month on top of Telewest's top TV package, or GBP 15 per month on top of lower tiers.
Terrestrial
The BBC already produces some programs (mostly documentaries) in HD for foreign markets, such as the USA and Japan. The Corporation intends to produce all its programmes in HD by the year 2010, and to broadcast all of its channels in HD "as soon as practical" ([3]).
There are no immediate launch plans for HDTV versions of the Freeview and Top Up TV digital terrestrial television services, because there is no spare bandwidth available nationally. This may change after the UK's analogue television signals are switched off (currently scheduled to take place on a regional basis between 2008 and 2012), but that requires the release of spectrum by Ofcom.
The BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and five will be running terrestrial HDTV trials involving 450 homes in the London area during June-December 2006 on locally unused frequencies [4]. As part of this trial, the BBC is already broadcasting BBC HD which is free to air but cannot be received by any set-top boxes currently commercially available.
Satellite
Subscription
Sky's pay platform plans to launch its premium HD services on satellite in 2006, under the brand SkyHD. The initial launchup will consist of Sky One, Sky Movies, Sky Sports, Artsworld and Sky Box Office.
Sky has confirmed that both 720p and 1080i will be available for use. Some reports suggested that Sky's system will be capable of transmitting imported U.S. HDTV programming in its native 30 or 60 Hz vertical scan rates, in addition to domestic programming in 25 or 50 Hz. However, according to Sky's official website, only 25 and 50 Hz will be used.
Recent reports suggest that Sky will make headline sporting events such as football matches available in HD to pubs before the launch of the domestic HD service.
Free To Air
The BBC is broadcasting BBC HD as a free to air channel from the Astra 2D satellite, and the channel can be viewed for free with suitable satellite reception equipment.
Retail stores
In the summer of 2005 some UK electrical retailers began running in-store HDTV (1080i) demonstrations using a high definition demo video produced by LG Group. Others chose to use HDTV (720p) demonstrations from SKY.
References
- High Definition for Europe - a progressive approach, article from the EBU technical review .