> TV-Anytime European User Group
The TV-Anytime Forum was formed in 1999 with the goal to produce specifications that would enable the creation of services to exploit pervasive storage in consumer devices. Specifications that would be essentially platform ‘agnostic', and which could be incorporated into digital television standards under development in all regions of the world. In 2003, the first phase of the Forum's specifications were published by ETSI (as TS 102 822). These specifications cover the metadata, content referencing, systems design and latterly rights management aspects of services which allow users to search, select and acquire content onto their home devices. This year, the Forum is publishing its phase two specifications (continuing the TS 102 822 series), which add (amongst other things) content packaging and interstitial management, enabling PVRs to capture interactive content and allow advertising based channels to derive new benefits.
TV-Anytime European User Group (230 Kb)> Home Gateway Initiative
The Home Gateway Initiative - http://www.homegatewayinitiative.org -
(HGI) has been launched by a number of leading telecommunications companies: Belgacom, BT, Deutsche Telekom, France Telecom, KPN, Teliasonera, NTT ,Telefonica, Telecom Italia. The HGI will be an open forum where operators, content providers, service providers and manufacturers will discuss home gateway key specifications and standards. The goal of the HGI is to improve the interoperability of gateways with connected home devices throughout the EU and the rest of the world, as well as reducing the costs of home gateways to customers. The initiative will drive the development of residential gateways supporting the delivery of services to the home and the market for home communications services will receive a major boost for the benefit of millions of broadband consumers. The main tasks of the HGI are to establish technical and interoperability specifications and provide input to standardisation bodies. The HGI will base its work on existing standards (ITU-T H 610, DSL Forum, UPnP, DLNA, etc.) and identify the gaps in those standards that need to be filled.
HGI- Final Press Release - English V1 (18 Kb)> Wibrace Forum
Wibrace Forum - http://www.wibrace.org -
The major trend in the broadband access arena today is the rapid growth of higher and higher bit-rate service offers. This appetite for bit-rate is fuelled by video applications, peer to peer exchange and 3D gaming, to mention only a few.
It is generally accepted that whilst such uses are today limited to a select few, they are going to be widely adopted by the public in the near future and need to be supported in the next generation networks and their associated terminals.
The rapid growth that we see today is mainly supported by wired network technologies but, it is clear that wireless technologies will need to be integrated into a harmonized network architecture if we are to offer genuine broadband capability to all users irrespective of their geographical location.
Another major trend is the growing requirement for nomadic access, which translates into a generalized use of wireless terminals for addressing all categories of needs. Combination of these trends is pushing the market to develop new technologies, capable of providing higher wireless bandwidth per user, whilst using the scarce wireless spectrum resources more efficiently.
Wibrace is focusing on innovative solutions that enable the efficient implementation of fixed and nomadic wireless access systems offering media rich content capability within the framework of a heterogeneous broadband network architecture.> DIGITAL INTEROPERABILITY FORUM
Digital Interoperability Forum - http://www.difgroup.com -
Europe is a world leader in digital and interactive television. The Digital Interoperability Forum (DIF) is committed to maintaining Europe's lead in digital TV and to realising the full potential of interactive TV in the eEurope 2005 Action Plan. European competitiveness can be ensured through the continued development by the industry of commercial and technological solutions that make digital and interactive television services accessible to the largest number of people on the widest choice of platforms.
DIF's growing membership includes 19 of the leading companies in the delivery of digital TV in Europe: Advanced Digital Broadcast, BSkyB, CANAL+, Flextech, Liberate, Microsoft, Nagravision, NDS, ntl, Numéricable, OpenTV, Pace Micro Technology, Premiere, Sky Italia, Telewest, TF1, TPS, UPC/Chello Media and ZetaCast.
> ADVANCED VIDEO CODING ALLIANCE
Advanced Video Coding Alliance - http://www.avc-alliance.org -
Advanced Video Coding (AVC) is the new generation compression algorithm for consumer digital video. Compared to the current industry standard MPEG-2, AVC is at least twice as efficient at all bit rates.
This means that AVC will open up channels to the end user that were previously closed for digital video services at the right quality. AVC offers significantly higher video resolution at the same bit rate, or the same video quality with half the bit rate that is required for MPEG-2. This will enable attractive new products and services to be introduced by all players in the value chain.
AVC is the result of work started in the ITU and in MPEG, completed in the Joint Video Team (JVT) made up from experts of the two organizations. The algorithm is published as H.264 by the ITU, while ISO/IEC published it as MPEG-4 Part 10.
The primary application of AVC is in new video services where MPEG-2 is less suitable, especially where limited bandwidth is available. Examples are mobile applications, IPTV over ADSL and HDTV in Europe, where spectrum is particularly scarce. Recently, the DVB Steering Board approved the AVC implementation guideline specification, which was prepared by the Digital Video Broadcast (DVB) Technical Module. The specification has been sent to the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) pending formal standardization.
> European HDTV Forum
European HDTV Forum - http://www.hdtvforum.org -
The European HTDV Forum is an initiative spearheaded by SES ASTRA, based in Luxemburg, and more than 60 of its European broadcast customers, HDTV equipment manufacturers, and other parties interested in the European roll-out of High Definition Television.
The aim of the European HDTV Forum is initially to become the independent platform for exchange about HDTV (notably about technology issues, European standardisation, lobbying, and HDTV events), and to eventually grow to become a portal for a productbase of HDTV-compatible devices, HDTV broadcasts and channels, as well as global HDTV news.
> Telecommunication Solutions through Collaborative Research (CELTIC)
Telecommunications Solutions through Collaborative Research (CELTIC) - http://www.celtic-initiative.org -
CELTIC is a five years EUREKA cluster project, which started work in November 2003. The initiative is supported by most of the major European players in communications technologies. The main goal of CELTIC is to maintain European competitiveness in telecommunications through collaborative R&D. CELTIC projects are characterised by a holistic approach to telecoms networks, applications, and services. Like all EUREKA cluster projects, CELTIC is open to any kind of project participants from all EUREKA countries.
> Final report of the High Level Group on Digital Rights Management
Final report of the High Level Group on Digital Rights Management (doc 113 Kb)
> The Application Home Initiative (TAHI)
The Application Home Initiative (TAHI) -http://www.theapplicationhome.com -
is all about using the new technologies and developments which our ever increasing rate of technological change are creating and how they can bring new services to everyone. TAHI was launched in September 2001 and now 40 organisations are Members of the initiative.
> The Digital Media Manifest (DMM)
The Digital Media Manifesto (DMM) - http://www.chiariglione.org/manifesto/ -
identifies the need for coordinated policy and technical actions needed to achieve a fuller realisation of Digital Media. The policy actions include reviewing the Digital Media standardisation process. The technical actions require the development of specifications for interoperable Digital Rights Management (DRM) platforms and the development of recommended practices for end-to-end conformance assessment.
> Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA)
Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) - http://www.dhwg.org -
The DLNA will align industry leaders in the CE, mobile, and PC industries through digital interoperability. Industry collaboration is not limited to just CE, mobile, and PC manufacturers. It is an entire ecosystem of companies that together offer consumers a broad set of complementary products and services. An ecosystem properly designed for digital interoperability must start with the consumer in mind and include contributors that can help bring all the necessary elements of the digital home network to market. Industry collaboration must encompass manufacturers, software and application developers, and service and content providers. The DLNA encourages companies involved in all these areas to join and participate in the DLNA.
> The SmartHouse project
The SMARTHOUSE Project - http://www.cenelec.org/Cenelec/CENELEC+in+action/Horizontal+areas/ICT/Smarthouse+-+PHASE+II.htm -
Initiated by ICTSB (ETSI, CEN, CENELEC, ANEC...) and executed by CENELEC under contract from the European Commission, this project aims to deliver clarity and understanding of the SMARTHOUSE concept; for industry, the consumer and the regulator through the production of a SMARTHOUSE Code of Practice. The SMARTHOUSE concept is understood very differently by parts of industry, such as telecommunications, digital TV, home networks and the services sector. To the average consumer, installer or developer it is a maze of conflicting viewpoints and advice. Code of Practice will cover all the elements and influences for the SMARTHOUSE ranging from the requirements of the Service Provider to the needs of the consumer and all the convergent equipment, networks and systems between them in clear, simple to understand documentation and references. Work is starting in January 2004 and is scheduled to complete by September 2005.
