Last week's ASBU / EBU Technology Week in Tunis provided a wonderful example of the sharing of knowhow in the technical domain. The Members of both unions face many of the same technical challenges and problems, despite the differing commercial and political contexts in which they operate. EBU technology experts were pleased to have the opportunity to learn about the experiences of Arab States Broadcasting Union Members and to share their expertise.

Twenty-one representatives attended the event, coming from Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Qatar, Sudan, Yemen and Kuwait. Among the broadcasters represented four were also EBU Members. Some of the presentations were delivered on site by Adi Kouadio and Walid Sami of the EBU Technology & Innovation Department. Others were provided live over a video conferencing connection. The event was organized jointly by the Eurovision Academy and the EBU Technology & Innovation Department.

The delegates showed a strong interest in having an overall status update on broadcast technologies and were keen to learn about the EBU position on each topic. Of particular interest in this region, the update on digital terrestrial technologies (particularly DVB-T2) and the implications for spectrum planning were highly awaited.

Other topics covered during the two days of presentations included file-based workflows, integrated production strategies, future television formats (such as UHDTV) and hybrid broadcasting techniques. Among the latter were the HbbTV standard for hybrid television and the RadioDNS set of specifications for hybrid radio.

Photo: Walid Sami, EBU Technology & Innovation, speaking at the ASBU/EBU Technology Week