GENEVA—The DVB Steering Board has approved the DVB-I specification, which aims to ensure linear TV delivered via the internet is as user-friendly and robust as traditional TV, DVB announced today.

The specification, published as DVB BlueBook A177, is intended to make it possible to deliver linear TV services to any device, including TV sets, smartphones, tablets and media streaming devices, with the right internet connection and media player, the organization said.

"In developing an internet-centric solution for linear television services, we are providing the industry with a crucial missing piece that raises internet-based delivery to the same level in the DVB ecosystem as RF-based content delivery," said DVB Chair Peter MacAvock. "With these building blocks, addressing the discovery of DVB-I services and the delivery of program metadata, DVB offers broadcasters and operators an exciting new deployment option."

The new specification defines DVB-I Service Lists, a way for connected devices to find sets of linear TV services that can be delivered via broadband or broadcast. It also provides a means to pull down electronic program data for these services to enable viewers to access content via a consistent user interface, DVB said.

Publication of the specification means vendors and others can begin implementing DVB-I enabled clients, and broadcasters and content providers can move forward making services available via the specification, it said.

DVB also has issued an RFP to build a DVB-I reference application. The organization anticipates choosing a supplier and completing negotiations by the end of the year, which should make it possible for the initial implementation to be shown at DVB World 2020, March 9-11, in Valencia, Spain. The resulting client will be made available freely under an open source license, DVB said.

While DVB-I refers to service discovery and program information, it is part of a broader DVB ecosystem, including the recently published DVB-DASH streaming specification (DVB BlueBook A168), updated recently to include a low-latency mode, and a forthcoming specification for multicast adaptive bitrate streaming (DVB-mABR).

DVB has published a frequently asked questions page online about DVB-I as well as DVB-I information on its website.

AMSTERDAM—DVB will highlight its DVB-I specification suite offering an open standard approach to OTT and broadband television at IBC 2019 in Amsterdam, Sept. 13-17.

“The DVB-I suite of specifications is quickly taking shape and will soon be ready for deployment,” said Peter MacAvock, chair of DVB.

The DVB-I suite of specifications is designed to improve the delivery of OTT content. Offering the same user-friendly and robust qualities as broadcast television delivery, DVB-I is designed to be a cost-effective, scalable solution that enhances the experience of viewers when it comes to hybrid and broadband television due to its support for advanced features, such as integrated channel lists, interactive content guides and simple, lean-back channel selection, said DVB

It will be demonstrated together with the Low Latency DASH (LL-DASH) and Multicast Adaptive Bit Rate (mABR) standards that will be forthcoming from DVB, the organization said. LL-DASH ensures the delay for live OTT channels is equivalent to broadcast, and mABR allows broadcasters and network operators to work together to optimize IP-based delivery to many receivers at the same time.

Experts on DVB-related topics will be available at the DVB stand. “In the context of a tradeshow where the emphasis is largely commercial, we’re aiming to provide an opportunity for non-sales-driven advice from a neutral standpoint,” said Eva Markvoort, head of the DVB Project Office.

More information is available on the DVB website. 

GENEVA—Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB), an industry consortium behind technical standards that are primarily used in Europe, is moving forward on an initiative that will look into commercial requirements for standalone linear TV services that are delivered over the internet.

The focus of that work, under the DVB-I (internet) banner, aim to complement DVB-S/C/T standards and managed IPTV services that are tied to service over dedicated access networks. DVB-I will also look to borrow commonalities with existing DVB specifications.

Thomas Stockhammer of Qualcomm Technologies is chairing the DVB CM-I group, and Peter Lanigan of TP Vision is on board as vice chair.

Keying on the emergence of OTT-delivered TV services to internet-connected televisions and to mobile devices, the initial focus of CM-I will be to collect relevant commercial and technical requirements “in order to provide a user perception of a linear TV channel that can be discovered and consumed over the open Internet and by regular TV equipment and user interfaces.”

“With hybrid services, OTT and online distribution growing in importance, DVB is applying its expertise and know-how in this all-important domain,” Peter MacAvock, DVB’s chairman, said in a statement. “DVB-I will complement the current DVB standards that form the basis of the way consumers watch TV today.”

This story first appeared on TVT's sister publication Multichannel News.