Public service broadcasters gathered in Tromsø, northern Norway, today for the EBU Technical Assembly, this year kindly hosted by NRK.

The Technical Assembly is the foremost opportunity for the public broadcasting community to discuss technological developments, future prospects for production, distribution, broadcast and broadband delivery, spectrum management and all key strategic issues for EBU Members.

EBU Technical Director Lieven Vermaele said the Tromsø assembly promised to explore the big technological challenges facing public service broadcasters today.

"This year's assembly is exciting because it examines not only changes in working practices, but also how public service media organizations can best manage those changes," he said. "I'm looking forward to hearing our guests speakers, but I'm equally keen to hear what our Member broadcasters have got to say."

After registration and a welcome reception on day one, day two will focus on production technologies, with guest speakers from Sony and Walt Disney Studios bringing a commercial sector perspective to the event.

The day will close with a session about managing progress within broadcasting organizations, including introducing file-based workflows and  the attendant impact on staff.

The final day will discuss the crunch issues of the EU Digital Agenda, spectrum policy, DVB and the future of terrestrial broadcasting. It will also look at distribution developments in radio and television and how mobile technologies are impacting the media landscape.