No. 301 (January 2005)

The EBU held a Workshop in Geneva on High Definition Television in December 2004. About 100 delegates from across Europe came to hear about, and discuss, the new thinking in technology, economics, and programme-making that will be called for in the age of "HD".

Three European Pay-TV broadcasters – Premiere, TPS, and BSkyB – announced before the workshop their intention to start HD services in the next 18 months, and they were joined by a fourth, Canal plus, during the EBU Workshop itself. TF1 and Canal plus are likely to be the first EBU Members to start HD broadcasting. Though other national broadcasters have not announced their intentions to broadcast HDTV, several have begun HD programme production in a modest way.

HD is something to be taken seriously, as more and more European homes are equipped with "WideXGA" displays – the key to affordable and attractive HD receivers in Europe. By the end of the decade, at least 20% of European homes will have HD-capable displays, and their viewers will also have HD-quality DVDs with which to compare the broadcast quality.

The presentations at the workshop covered a range of dimensions of HDTV, and they were completed by demonstrations, and discussion groups looking at "what to do next".

The first thing a broadcaster needs is some idea of when HD will happen, and when he will need to broadcast HD. There are many factors which will affect the success and take-up rate of HD. These include the price and availability of HD displays, the occurrence of events which will precipitate public demand, such as HD-televised major sports events, the availability of low cost "advanced coding"' receivers, the results of the current format war for High Definition DVDs, and the availability of consumer HD camcorders. For many of these elements, the workshop heard that there appears to be a confluence of landmarks in about 2008, which will provide strong momentum, and possibly a "tipping point" for HDTV.

David Wood (right) delivers a presentation on why the public want HDTV

HD programme production requires new skills from programme makers, and there are additional costs for HD production equipment to be met. But, in both cases, these seem to be manageable extensions of a broadcaster's current lot. To make programmes in HD, staff retraining is certainly needed because of differences in framing, audio, post production, make-up and scenery, but there is nothing here that well run training courses cannot cure. New HDV-format camcorders will provide a low-cost entry for broadcasters to try their hand at HD production.

The Workshop was complemented by superb demonstrations of the difference in picture quality between 1080i/50 and 720p/50, compressed and uncompressed, content. The coding gain of 720p/50 wins through, and there are gains of a few megabits of channel capacity. The demonstrations also included the difference between 720p/50 and 1080p/50 when seen on WideXGA (768/1298) and WideUXGA (1080/1920) displays, which were more modest than many expected.

The conclusions of the discussions groups (not necessarily formal EBU opinions) included the following:

• Progressive scanning should be used if possible for HD programme production. The choice between 1080p/25 and 720p/50 should be based on the kinds of programme being made. A 1080p/50 production standard should now be developed, with worldwide cooperation.
  
• Production equipment for Europe and the 50Hz world should include the option of 720p/50, as is the case in the 60Hz world.
  
• Methods are needed for transparent conversion between all three HD production formats (720p/50 or 60, 1080i/50 or 60, 1080p/25 or 50 or 60).
  
• Audio synchronization systems are needed which work in multi-track audio, through conversion processes.
  
• National broadcasters have four or five years to establish one or more HD broadcast channels. Simulcasting will certainly be needed for some years because of the legacy of conventional quality receivers.
  
• For some broadcasters, terrestrial HD broadcasting will have to wait for analogue switch-off.
  
• From now on, investment in production equipment should include HD equipment or equipment which is upgradeable to HD.
  
• Pilot productions in HD should be undertaken by all EBU Members.
  
• There are still questions to solve about whether HDTV can be broadcast terrestrially.
  
• It is easier for a Pay-TV operator to introduce HD by renting a satellite transponder than it is for a free-to-air broadcaster to upgrade or change a terrestrial or cable broadcasting infrastructure.

General view of the delegates attending the HD workshop

The replies to a short questionnaire given to those attending, indicated that they all left the workshop feeling that "HDTV is probably closer than we thought"', and with a determination to sensitise senior company management to the new horizon and new challenges which await public service broadcaster in the next five years.

David Wood
Head of New Technology, EBU

European Broadcasting Union L'Ancienne Route 17A CH-1218 Grand-Saconnex Geneva Switzerland techreview@ebu.ch