EBU Technical Review : No. 270 (Winter 1996)
"I never think of the future ... it comes soon enough" (Albert Einstein, 1930)
In keeping with its long tradition of being in the vanguard of technological development, this issue of EBU Technical Review highlights the current situation in the introduction of digital technology.
The coming years will mark the transition of digital technology from the laboratory to the workplace. The broadcasting systems for both radio and television are now standardized, equipment has been developed and services are about to be launched.
The Eureka-147 Project, which is concerned with the development of Digital Audio Broadcasting, and the DVB Project for Digital Video Broadcasting have both been extremely successful. Their realization has involved many years of effort and the investment of considerable amounts of money. Both of these European collaborative projects have been models of co-operation among all the sectors of our industry and congratulations are due to all those involved.
1997 and 1998 will be important years in Europe as we enter the operational phase of digital broadcasting.
The IFA in Berlin, scheduled for August/September 1997, will mark the official launch of DAB. More than 15 manufacturers are due to introduce DAB receivers and, of course, there are already a number of programme services – both regular and pilot – in operation around the world.
Digital Television, now a reality for some satellite services, will also be adopted for terrestrial transmissions in 1998.
As we progress through the communications revolution, described by one commentator as "the longest revolution in history", we are experiencing fundamental changes in the means of programme delivery to the home. In order to ensure a homologous approach among broadcasters, two forums have been established.
WorldDAB, which takes over where EuroDab left off, is the forum for digital radio. Its objective is to promote the introduction of DAB services in a co-ordinated way and it has a growing membership world-wide.
DigiTAG was formed more recently to bring together broadcasters and other interested parties to ensure the co-ordinated introduction of digital television, with the initial emphasis being placed on terrestrial television.
George T. Waters
Director
EBU Technical Department
European Broadcasting Union
