HDTV (analogue)
254	HDTV coverage of the Barcelona Olympic Games M. Romero and E. Gavilan (335 KB)
	The world's major sporting events have for many years played an important rôle in increasing public awareness of new or improved television broadcasting systems. Although HDTV cameras had been present at previous events, the 1992 Winter and Summer Olympic Games were the first at which comprehensive coverage was attempted in HDTV. In Barcelona, for the 1992 Summer Games, European broadcasters and industry pooled their resources under the "Barcelona 1250" banner to provide over 225 hours of Olympic programming, with commentary in six languages. Over 40 HDTV cameras and their support systems were deployed, and the exercise involved over 300 production and technical staff. Facilities were provided at nearly 700 "Eurosites" in towns and cities throughout Europe, allowing large numbers of viewers to watch the sports – and to begin to get used to HD-MAC picture quality and the 16:9 aspect ratio.
254	The HDTV demonstrations at Expo 92 J.L. Tejerina and F. Visintin (185 KB)
	Attracted by the theme of Expo 92 – The Era of Discovery – 42 million visitors had an opportunity to discover European high-definition television. In a manner fitting the scale of Expo 92 itself, the Spanish transmission authority, Retevisión, and the Vision 1250 EEIG joined forces to show the best of European HDTV technology and programmes. Despite the involvement of Retevisión also in the provision of conventional television coverage of Expo 92, and the heavy burden on both organizations for HDTV coverage of the Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona, Expo 92 visitors were able to see programme-makers at work in Europe's largest specialist HDTV studio, and appreciate the technical and esthetic quality of high-definition, wide-screen presentation in the national pavilions of all twelve Member States of the European Community and elsewhere at the Expo 92 showground.
253	Analogue HDTV in Europe (a series of three articles) (206 KB)
	What are the key issues in analogue HDTV / EDTV systems ? B. Pauchon
	PALplus today U. Reimers
	EBU evaluations of HD-MAC J.L. Tejerina
	Analogue enhanced or high- definition television systems tend, by nature, to be amenable to evolutionary development and implementation. HD-MAC, the newest member of the MAC/packet family of standards whose development has been fostered by the EBU for a number of years, is the fruit of just such an evolutionary approach. Having gained the support of the European Commission as the only non-digital high-definition satellite emission system for Europe, HD-MAC is set to establish an early foothold in the high-definition market. It therefore has an important rôle in promoting public demand for better pictures, better sound and, above all, for the 16:9 aspect ratio. PALplus, a 16:9 compatible development of the PAL system which has been the backbone of European 4:3 colour services for a quarter of a century, is set to sustain the interest of millions of viewers in the services of broadcasters who must continue their terrestrial services in the period of transition to all-digital HDTV – a transition which is expected to last well into the next century.
HDTV (digital)
2008-Q1	The roll-out of DTT in France — not just SD ... but HD and mobile TV services as well
	Aurélien Louis and Matthieu Roger (491 kB)
	Despite the rather late launch of DTT services in France compared to some neighbouring countries, they are already being adopted widely by the viewers, thanks to a long tradition of terrestrial television reception. By increasing the number of services and the transmission quality, the digital television landscape is maintaining its rapid evolutionary pace. This article gives a brief description of the current DTT situation in France and of its soon-to-come evolution: HDTV and mobile TV launches. In the longer term, terrestrial broadcasting networks will develop further, as a result of a national scheme to re-allocate the frequencies freed up by the digital switchover process.
311	The development of HDTV in Europe — a tale of three cities: Dublin, Dubrovnik and Geneva David Wood (227 KB)
	This article provides a short history of the search for a wordwide HDTV standard, starting with the early Japanese analogue system in the mid 1970s up to the present day ... where the EBU is recommending the use of 720p and eventually the 1080p digital standard.
308	HDTV — EBU format comparisons at IBC 2006 Hans Hoffmann (501 KB)
	This article provides some background information on the HDTV format comparisons conducted by EBU Technical Department at the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) in Amsterdam during September 2006. The objective of the demonstration was to provide neutral and educative information for the HDTV format debate. The demonstration not only showed the two current HDTV formats, 720p/50 and 1080i/25, but also introduced the next-generation HDTV format – 1080p/50. All three formats were presented with identical content and simultaneously on three Full-HD displays, in uncompressed and compressed form. Thus, viewers of the demonstration were able to judge the HDTV image quality for themselves.
307	Editorial: HDTV fever Philip Laven
Apr 05	Why HDTV will flourish (Published in the IEE's Communications Engineering journal) David Wood (462 KB)
	As Europe's top pay-tv operators put the finishing touches to their high-definition plans, the technical debate is far from over.
301	Editorial: HDTV format wars Philip Laven
301	EBU Workshop: High Definition moves up the agenda for EBU Members David Wood
	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". Here, David Wood outlines what happened at the Workshop.
300	High Definition for Europe — a progressive approach David Wood (208 KB)
	This article gives the background to recent discussions in the EBU about High-Definition Television (HDTV). The work described here was largely undertaken by EBU Project Group B/TQE (Television Quality Evolution) whose current membership is given in Appendix 1. The balance of evidence suggests that the public interest will best be served by using a progressively-scanned delivery channel. Evidence about which progressive format would be optimum for the EBU environment has also been gathered, and is discussed.
299	Image formats for HDTV John Ive (551 KB)
	For several years, European broadcasters have been making programmes in high definition – often based upon co-production deals with the USA and Japan – using the 1920 x 1080 Common Image Format. However, European consumers are currently restricted to down-converted standard-definition versions of the original full-resolution HD content. This situation will soon change as more broadcasters offer HD services – in addition to the pioneering and ground-breaking start made by Euro1080. This article offers an overview of HD scanning formats and advises European broadcasters not to go against the tide by introducing new production formats for HDTV.
264	Digital broadcasting demonstrations by HD-SAT and dTTb at Montreux '95 A. Oliphant and L. Combarel (82 KB)
	Two RACE projects on show at Montreux '95 – HD-SAT and dTTb – gave the first complete integrated demonstration of MPEG-2 digital television broadcasting – terrestrially, by cable and by satellite. Visitors to the stand were able to watch four widescreen SDTV or one HDTV programme being broadcast in an 8 MHz UHF channel, in a single-frequency network. Another demonstration showed a very high-quality HDTV programme being broadcast via a satellite channel in the 20 GHz band, with a fallback operation which allowed graceful picture degradation if the HDTV signal could not be received satisfactorily due to heavy rainfall. A third demonstration showed the terrestrial and satellite signals being broadcast, without loss of quality, over the Montreux cable television network.
260	The inter-operability of digital HDTV satellite broadcasting (21.4 - 22 GHz) with the existing and future media infrastructure — Status of the HD-SAT project Ch. Dosch (224 KB)
	The HD-SAT project began in 1992 with the objective of developing a digital satellite broadcasting system using the newly-allocated 21.4-22 GHz band and designed specifically to deliver studio-quality high-definition television programmes directly to viewers' homes. This status report on the HD-SAT project shows how the project has evolved over the first three years, encouraging and embracing new technologies and adapting to the rapidly-changing scenarios under development for other television broadcasting services, notably the European Digital Video Broadcasting project.
259	Flash-TV — The flexible bit-rate solution for satellite outside-broadcasting of digital HDTV A. Morello and N. Pham (78 KB)
	Satellite transmission has become a regular feature of the outside broadcasting activities of broadcasters. Looking ahead to the era of digital HDTV broadcasting, the FLASH-TV project of the RACE II programme has been developing solutions for satellite outside broadcasting of programme material having source bit-rates of the order of up to 70 Mbit/s. The proposed system exploits the graceful degradation achieved with modern video coding algorithms to allow a reduction in bit-rate on the satellite link during periods of adverse reception, whilst maintaining acceptable picture quality.
257	Line numbering and synchronization in digital HDTV systems D. Liska (38 KB)
	In contrast to analogue television systems where line numbering is conventionally linked to the vertical synchronization, digital television offers the possibility of incorporating line-by-line numbering embedded within the data stream. The article proposes a new numbering sequence for digital HDTV, based on the active lines. The scheme offers several advantages, in particular in respect of the time taken to achieve synchronization in digital equipment.
256	HD-DIVINE, a Scandinavian terrestrial HDTV system P. Appelquist (57 KB)
	In the summer of 1992 a digital terrestrial HDTV broadcasting system was demonstrated as a result of a collaborative Scandinavian study. The system included a motion compensated hybrid DCT video codec, a 512-carrier OFDM 16 QAM modem and four ISO/IEC Layer II sound codecs. The complete system was implemented in hardware. Since then further refinements of the vision codec and final assembly of the modem have resulted in a fully operational demonstration system and in January field trials have started. The current implementation uses the 1250/50/2:1 studio standard and fills an 8 MHz UHF channel. A second implementation, ready in March 1993, will allow reconfiguration from one HDTV input signal to four input signals conforming to CCIR Recommendation 601.
256	Digital broadcasting of studio-quality HDTV by satellite in the 21-GHz frequency range and by coxial cable networks C. Dosch (167 KB)
	Backed up by extensive research and demonstrations, the frequency band 21.4 - 22 GHz was finally allocated to the broadcasting satellite service by WARC-92. The band is intended to be used for near studio-quality digital HDTV with associated multi-channel surround sound. Digital transmission can cope with the propagation conditions in this band, which are more difficult than those encountered in the 11 or 12 GHz downlink bands, and allows more flexibility for frequency planning than analogue schemes. In cable networks, digital multi-level modulation permits the use of relatively narrow-band transmission channels. The article gives an overview of the current state of development.
256	Digital multi-programme TV/HDTV by satellite M. Cominetti, A. Morello and M. Visintin (276 KB)
	The progress of digital technology since the WARC'77 is considered and the perspectives of future applications via satellite channels are identified. Among these, digital multi-programme television systems, with different quality levels (EDTV, SDTV) and possible evolution to HDTV, are evaluated in terms of picture quality and service availability on the satellite channels of the BSS bands (12 GHz and 22 GHz) and of the FSS band (11 GHz) in Europe. A usable channel capacity of 45 Mbit/s is assumed, as well as the adoption of advanced channel coding techniques with QPSK and 8PSK modulations. For high and medium-power satellites, in operation or planned, the receiving antenna diameters required for correct reception are reported. High-level modulations (16QAM, 32QAM, 64QAM) are considered for distribution of the satellite signal in cable networks.
253	Digital HDTV in Europe (a series of four articles) (390 KB)
	Key issues in HDTV / ATV systems J. Forrest
	A common worldwide standard for digital terrestrial television — dream or reality? D. Wood
	A rugged and flexible modulation scheme for terrestrial high-definition television N.K. Lodge and A.G. Mason
	Development of a terrestrial digital HDTV system — The HD-Divine project P. Appelquist and O. Franceschi
	If broadcasters can find commercial or other justification for breaking away from the constraints imposed by compatibility with the existing analogue receiver base, digital technologies offer many interesting possibilities for new services which may – or may not – include HDTV. Research is in progress in two projects, Spectre and HD-Divine, which both draw on digital emission techniques developed initially for Digital Audio Broadcasting. They will offer rugged emission in the presence of multipath propagation, adaptability allowing control over interference to and from conventional television services in the same frequency band, and flexibility in terms of the programme signals conveyed. Past experience – especially in relation to the analogue enhanced systems – highlights the importance of the timely establishment of a standard for digital terrestrial television, preferably on a world-wide basis.
252	EBU demonstrations of wideband digital HDTV satellite broadcasting technologies at WARC-92 EBU Task Force WARC-DEMS-92 (244 KB)
	The article describes the demonstration of 20 GHz wideband digital HDTV satellite broadcasting technologies organized by the EBU during WARC-92. It opens with an explanation of the justification for additional broadcast channels for these services, and continues with the objectives of the demonstration. There follows an outline description of the hardware configuration used and the programme-material shown. Over 500 WARC-92 delegates and other personalities took this opportunity to preview what wideband digital HDTV will hold in store in the early years of the next millennium.
251	Wide RF-band digital HDTV emission systems — Performance of advanced channel coding and modulation techniques M. Cominetti, A. Morello and M. Visintin (343 KB)
	The perspectives of wide RF-band digital HDTV emission systems (W-HDTV) via satellite in the 20-GHz range, capable of providing near-studio quality, are examined in the light of the current progress on bit-rate reduction algorithms based on hybrid discrete-cosine transforms (DCT) and of advanced modulation and channel coding techniques. These W-HDTV systems are evaluated, for different bit-rates (140, 105 and 70 MBit/s), in the context of a possible "common frequency allocation" of the frequency range 21.4-22 GHz; this would allow very efficient use of the spectrum by assigning the overall bandwidth to all service areas. The systems are compared by computer simulations and laboratory evaluations, over a typical satellite channel affected by co-channel and adjacent-channel interference. An example for a W-HDTV broadcasting satellite service at 22 GHz in climatic zones K and L confirms the suitability of the proposed systems for operation in regions affected by severe propagation conditions.
251	DCT source coding and current implementations for HDTV M. Barbero, H. Hofmann and N.D Wells (234 KB)
	Following a brief explanation of the principal bit-rate reduction techniques employing discrete cosine transforms (DCT) which are applicable to wideband HDTV, the article describes their implementation in three codecs currently under development in Europe. The picture quality achieved by these codecs, which reduce the gross bit-rate of a studio-quality HDTV signal by a factor of eight, or more, is typified by that of the EU256 system which was the subject of detailed performance tests early in 1991. These tests confirm the claim that DCT-based codecs are capable of a performance which is virtually transparent to the quality achieved in the studio.
251	Sub-band source coding for HDTV J. Mau, E. Bourguignat and H. Amor (218 KB)
	After a presentation of the main principles involved in sub-band coding for HDTV, the authors describe two practical implementations. The first codec is designed for the digital transmission of HDTV signals in a 140-Mbit/s channel, such as the switched broadband network (VBN) of the Deutsche Bundespost. The pictures have an aspect ratio of 16:9, 1250 lines per frame, 50-Hz field rate and 2:1 interlacing, and after elimination of the blanking intervals a bit-rate reduction factor of 8 has to be achieved. The second example is being developed for the digital distribution of high-definition progressive (HDP) video signals of 16:9 aspect ratio in a 140-Mbit/s channel such as the future broadband-ISDN conveying network signals in asynchronous transfer mode (ATM). The HDP pictures have 1920x1152x50 active pixels per second (in 50-Hz countries), and a bit-rate reduction factor of 15 is necessary. One important consideration regarding the suitability of sub-band techniques for HDTV source coding is compatibility between a number of decoding schemes offering a range of picture definitions but all using a common coding strategy.
HDTV (production)
299	Image formats for HDTV John Ive (551 KB)
	For several years, European broadcasters have been making programmes in high definition – often based upon co-production deals with the USA and Japan – using the 1920 x 1080 Common Image Format. However, European consumers are currently restricted to down-converted standard-definition versions of the original full-resolution HD content. This situation will soon change as more broadcasters offer HD services – in addition to the pioneering and ground-breaking start made by Euro1080. This article offers an overview of HD scanning formats and advises European broadcasters not to go against the tide by introducing new production formats for HDTV.
288	HDTV — ready for take-off in Europe? Gabriel Fehervari (429 KB)
	Last year, the Belgian facilities company, Alfacam, placed their faith in HDTV by designing and constructing two state-of-the-art OB vehicles, one of which was recently demonstrated at IBC in Amsterdam. This article offers an overview of the facilities offered by this new HDTV OB vehicle, which is also equipped to provide standard-definition pictures, simultaneously.
253	HDTV programme production (a series of four articles) (390 KB)
	The development of 1250/50 HDTV B. Scott
	The Dublin conclusions — Reflections on the use of a wider picture J.-J. Peters
	How can we change our production chain? E. Lionetti
	New tools for the enhanced and HDTV studio centre A.H. Jones
	Once the euphoria of the new enhanced and high-definition emission technologies has worn off, the viewing public will be no more aware of the technical innovations of HDTV than they are of colour subcarriers in today's conventional systems. No doubt many viewers will remember the 1990s more for the change of aspect ratio than for the improvements in intrinsic picture and sound quality. Apart from a firm belief in the economic viability and practical feasibility of enhanced television services, a necessary pre-requisite for the launch of new services will be the ability to show top-quality 16:9 programmes on a full-time basis. The 1250/50 HDTV production standard is the common denominator permitting the launch of 16:9 programme-making throughout Europe, safe in the knowledge that, whatever the choice(s) of emission standard, the programmes will be broadcastable. Trust in this production standard has opened the way to major initiatives assisting broadcasters to master the 16:9 format and the technical quality, and is leading to new ways of handling signals in the production environment.
HDTV (USA)
260	Digital television and HDTV in America — A progress report J.A. Flaherty (37 KB)
	The development of advanced and high-definition television systems has been marked by more debate, more spectacular changes of direction and, no doubt, more heart-ache than any other aspect of television technology and programme-making in the past fifty years. The European television industry has, with varying degrees of enthusiasm, encouraged a full spectrum of analogue, hybrid and digital systems for all quality targets from pocket TV to wide-screen HDTV. In contrast, the decision of the US Federal Communication Commission to set one clear goal – HDTV in 6-MHz terrestrial channels – might have seemed like a simple approach, guaranteed almost to lead rapidly to success. This presentation of the path trodden by America's HDTV pioneers shows that, even if all the competitors had a rather clear vision of the goal before they started, success has nevertheless demanded compromise and commercial pragmatism as well as good technology.
260	Digital terrestrial HDTV for North America — The Grand Alliance HDTV system R. Hopkins (97 KB)
	The Grand Alliance HDTV system has been designed for the needs and requirements of North America. The system has a great deal of flexibility to facilitate inter-operability and is heavily based on international standards. The Grand Alliance and the FCC Advisory Committee on Advanced Television Service have been working together to complete the design of the Grand Alliance HDTV system. When a technical decision is made, technical performance is the number one priority in making the decision. The prototype is under construction and testing will begin late in 1994. The article describes the technical characteristics of the Grand Alliance HDTV system.
253	Digital HDTV in America — The cutting edge J.A. Flaherty (183 KB)
	While the European broadcast industry offers its wares to public scrutiny and invites viewers to define demand, the United States of America has preferred to play out its ATV/EDTV/HDTV battles in the privacy of the laboratories, under the arbitration of the Federal Communications Commission, and away from public gaze. The FCC's aim is a radical one – the rapid introduction of all-digital terrestrial HDTV services, first in parallel with existing NTSC services (simulcast) and followed, within a relatively short time, by the withdrawal of NTSC, leaving the chosen digital HDTV system to stand alone. Starting from over 20 candidate systems in 1989, the number of contenders has been whittled down to just five. Those five have much in common – but sufficient differences to ensure that there will be winners – and losers – when the final choice is made in 1993.

European Broadcasting Union Ancienne Route 17A CH-1218 Grand-Saconnex Geneva Switzerland