Free TV and Broadcast Australia to trial DVB-T2, HEVC & 4K

[bizzibee]

Free TV and Broadcast Australia to trial DVB-T2

 

Regardless of the mention of 4K, moving to DVB-T2 & HEVC is an important step.

 

Here are details on BroadcastAustralia web site:

 

https://www.broadcastaustralia.com.au/free-tv-and-broadcast-australia-partner-on-next-generation-tv-trials/

 

Edited March 30, 2018 by bizzibee

[davewantsmoore]

Quote

https://www.stereo.net.au/news/4k-free-to-air-tv-broadcast-trials-start-in-sydney

Ask any 4K TV owner about DVB-T2, and you’ll be told to bring on the new technology as quickly as possible.

 

It's a tough call re: UHDTV2 ....  DVB-T2 seems to be not -quite- enough.

Edited March 29, 2018 by davewantsmoore

[MLXXX]

 

 

On 3/29/2018 at 10:42 AM, davewantsmoore said:

Quote

https://www.stereo.net.au/news/4k-free-to-air-tv-broadcast-trials-start-in-sydney

Ask any 4K TV owner about DVB-T2, and you’ll be told to bring on the new technology as quickly as possible.

 

It's a tough call re: UHDTV2 ....  DVB-T2 seems to be not -quite- enough.

 

The fact that free to air news services still seem to use Electronic News Gathering footage so much only in standard definition, and apparently get away with it with the public, makes me wonder how keen networks would be to broadcast in 4K. 

 

Free to air commercial programming in Australia these days is littered with advertising by sponsors and promotion by the networks to the point it is unwatchable by many would-be viewers.  I'm not sure that people interested in seeing a high quality 2 hour movie in 4K would choose to watch it intermingled with 1 hour of advertising. 

 

I note that 4K streaming of selected movies is available from Netflix with zero advertising and zero promotional material.  By the time FTA networks were ready to broadcast in 4K, a large percentage of viewers would be able to access "NBN 25" download speeds.  

 

 

On 3/21/2018 at 1:21 PM, bizzibee said:

Regardless of the mention of 4K, moving to DVB-T2 & HEVC is an important step.

Yes.

 

I think many current model  Australian TVs are DVB-T2 & HEVC capable. [T2 and HEVC is already used in certain overseas countries.] The more efficient T2 modulation (compared with DVB-T) combined with the more efficient HEVC codec (compared with MPEG-4) would provide the opportunity to carry even more TV services than currently. And it would allow for more services to be carried at 1920x1080 pixels rather than standard definition (720 x 576i).

 

I wonder whether any of the trials will actually be at  3840x2160 pixels. I suspect they might possibly be limited to 1920x1080 pixels or less.  The tests would be relevant for establishing coverage of the DVB-T2 signal in terms of its resistance to interference at different bitrates and at different modulation robustness settings.

Edited March 30, 2018 by MLXXX

[bizzibee]

1 hour ago, MLXXX said:

I think many current model  Australian TVs are DVB-T2 & HEVC capable. [T2 and HEVC is already used in certain overseas countries.] The more efficient T2 modulation (compared with DVB-T) combined with the more efficient HEVC codec (compared with MPEG-4) would provide the opportunity to carry even more TV services than currently. And it would allow for more services to be carried at 1920x1090 pixels rather than standard definition (720 x 576i).

 

Yes agreed. We have one such 4K UHD TV that is DVB-T2 & HEVC capable.

 

1 hour ago, MLXXX said:

I wonder whether any of the trials will actually be at  3940x2160 pixels. I suspect they might possibly be limited to 1920x1080 pixels or less.  The tests would be relevant for establishing coverage of the DVB-T2 signal in terms of its resistance to interference at different bitrates and at different modulation robustness settings.

Also agree. The trial will certainly be about establishing coverage of the DVB-T2 signal in terms of its resistance to interference at different bitrates and at different modulation robustness settings.

 

The press release from BA who are conducting the trial only say that DVB-T2 will have the potential to allow 4K TV reception. Doesn't say they will be doing anything with 4K and the title of their press release is "Free TV and Broadcast Australia partner on next generation TV trials".

 

Quote

The trial will assess the performance of next generation DVB-T2 technologies in the Australian environment. DVB-T2 is being considered as a technology to replace the current DVB-T standard for television delivery in the medium term. When combined with new compression technologies, DVB-T2 will have the potential to allow 4K TV reception—four times the picture quality of the current high definition standard.

 

As a side note, we watch much more stuff on Netflix than FTA. The picture and sound quality is much higher than that provided by FTA, not to mention the actual content on offer.

Edited March 30, 2018 by bizzibee

[davewantsmoore]

2 hours ago, MLXXX said:

The fact that free to air news services still seem to use Electronic News Gathering footage so much only in standard definition, and apparently get away with it with the public, makes me wonder how keen networks would be to broadcast in 4K. 

This is almost the point I was trying to make.

 

... by the time broadcasters are really ready to completely leave the HD generation, then the higher rate of UHD will be popular (8K).    If we don't get our next broadcast TV standard right, then we will need to change again to accomodate 8K.

 

It would be like if we had of put in our first digital TV standard and it could only accomodate 576 and 720.

[cwt]

Hmm ; says a lot of how serious they are about picture quality when they could implement as interim or otherwise HLG HDR which can be accepted by both hd and uhd displays and improve the later  Just need a firmware upgrade for those UHD tvs that cant accept it natively.

A long wait indeed based on the history for dvb t2 ; be lucky to get dd+ with it let alone ddtruehd ; forget atmos or dts-x 

[bizzibee]

Someone uploaded a video of the test loop to youtube with the following comments.

Quote

 

First FTA 1080p channel in Australia, as far as I know. Also using HEVC (H.265).

I would think very few people can actually receive this transmission. DVB-T2 already knocks out a large portion of receivers, HEVC knocks out even more.

 

 

https://forums.mediaspy.org/t/hd-broadcasting/279/1543

 

So they are testing both 1080p, DVB-T2 & MPEG-H HEVC (H.265).

 

Found this link in this post:

 

https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=2590708&p=54#r1077

 

 

Edited April 24, 2018 by bizzibee

[bizzibee]

As reported on Whirlpool, there are now three LCNs. 401 = 4K, 402 = 1080p, 403 = 540p.

 

They have a 4K Demo running currently.

 

From the 4K transmissions, here are screenshots from:

 

9 4K:
https://i.imgur.com/02RzIln.jpg

ABC 4K:
https://i.imgur.com/VWCUk35.jpg

SBS 4K:
https://i.imgur.com/G6mUbJw.jpg

NITV 4K:
https://i.imgur.com/vx1srv7.jpg

 

Here's the demo loop uploaded to YouTube in its original 4K resolution. This was uploaded in 4K, but YouTube only seems to have made it available in 1080p.The SBS section had to be edited out due to a copyright claim from FIFA.

 

 

 

The two "Test" licenses (10424871/1 and 10402649/1) expired on 30th June.

 

https://web.acma.gov.au/rrl/licence_search.licence_lookup?pLICENCE_NO=10402649/1

 

https://web.acma.gov.au/rrl/licence_search.licence_lookup?pLICENCE_NO=10424871/1

 

 

Media Releases from DVB, BA & Free TV regarding the trial:

 

https://www.dvb.org/news/dvb_t2-trials-launched-in-australia

 

https://www.broadcastaustralia.com.au/free-tv-and-broadcast-australia-partner-on-next-generation-tv-trials/

 

http://www.freetv.com.au/content_common/pg-free-tv-and-broadcast-australia-partner-on-next-generation-tv-trials.seo

 

 

So of you might find this Technical Analysis: DVB-T2 Australian Television Networks Test Transmission of some interest:

 

http://goughlui.com/2018/05/30/analysis-dvb-t2-australian-television-networks-test-transmission/

 

Edited July 1, 2018 by bizzibee

[davewantsmoore]

1 hour ago, bizzibee said:

This was uploaded in 4K, but YouTube only seems to have made it available in 1080p

 

I can see 4K

[eman]

It's just more useless bullshit when there's no Fta here at all anyway. 

[davewantsmoore]

57 minutes ago, eman said:

no Fta here at all anyway. 

?

[davewantsmoore]

3 hours ago, bizzibee said:

TV

Thanks for this.

 

I think the linked writeup makes a good point, and what I was trying to get at earlier in the thread.   It's going to take ~a decade to transition to this if history is anything to go by.    Is ~33mbps going to be enough by then?   Will their be really enough spectrum? ... and assuming both are 'unlikely', then what will the outcome be?   Transition to something else? ....  We could use the NBN for IP multicast, but by then it will have been sold off so the little people don't see the profit.

 

All said, likely a worthwhile move .... but hopefully not 'as good as it gets' before 2030.

Edited July 1, 2018 by davewantsmoore

[eman]

2 hours ago, davewantsmoore said:

?

Only 'free' if I pay to receive satellite. 

No terrestrial coverage. 

Only live on the eastern seaboard of this apparently 'advanced ' nation. 

[bizzibee]

4 hours ago, davewantsmoore said:

I can see 4K

OK well I think it depends on your Internet Service and available bandwidth. I can only see 1080p50

 

Edited July 1, 2018 by bizzibee

[bizzibee]

2 hours ago, davewantsmoore said:

Thanks for this.

 

I think the linked writeup makes a good point,

You're most welcome.

 

Yes the Technical Analysis of the Test Transmission I linked to is a good read. It provides some good Technical info and makes some good points & observations.

Edited July 1, 2018 by bizzibee

[davewantsmoore]

52 minutes ago, eman said:

Only 'free' if I pay to receive satellite. 

No terrestrial coverage. 

Only live on the eastern seaboard of this apparently 'advanced ' nation. 

So, you pay for a VAST compatible box and a dish ... but then you don't have to pay ongoing to receive the service.  Just like everyone else.

 

What have I missed?  Seems 'suitably advanced'.

[eman]

..... and every time it needs lining up again. 

 

It's not 'free' to buy a VAST thing.

 

Treat it how you want.  I personally don't think the east coast is remote. 

 

Just wanted to bring some perspective to all the exciting technical news here.

[bizzibee]

13 hours ago, eman said:

..... and every time it needs lining up again. 

 

It's not 'free' to buy a VAST thing.

 

Treat it how you want.  I personally don't think the east coast is remote. 

 

Just wanted to bring some perspective to all the exciting technical news here.

 

This is off-topic but......You shouldn't have to keep realigning the Sat Dish and/or LNB if it is securely correctly and installed correctly. If this is happening then the mounting hardware is no appropriate for your situation. I have two Sat Dishes on my roof (120cm Dish and 90cm) which have been there for years, and I have never had to realign the Sat Dish and/or LNB. I made sure I purchased mounting hardware for both Dishes that doesn't allow any movement of the Sat Dish and/or LNB.

 

No the VAST Sat Decoder, Dish & LNB etc are not free. The same as the TV Antenna on my roof wasn't free. Yes the TV Antenna on my roof didn't cost as much as as the VAST gear, but if you want FTA TV and there is no Terrestrial TV Transmitters in your area (for whatever reason), then VAST is your only option. Not sure why you don't have any Terrestrial TV Transmitters near you. Perhaps you are locate in a blackspot area (hills or mountain between you and the transmitter site). Or just too far away from the nearest transmitter site to receive sufficient signal.

 

Anyway VAST was designed to Service people in the above situations. If you didn't have VAST, you would have nothing.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 2, 2018 by bizzibee

[davewantsmoore]

13 hours ago, eman said:

..... and every time it needs lining up again. 

Sounds like you need to get a better antenna man...

 

13 hours ago, eman said:

Treat it how you want.  I personally don't think the east coast is remote. 

No neither do I.... there's a transmitter right near Bega though.

If you can't pick that up...  you need to buy a VAST compatible set top box and a dish ..... instead of buying the DVB compatible box/TV and antenna.

 

 

[eman]

Yeah the bega one doesn't reach this far.

 

Bad luck for this town.   

 

I have vast.  Cyclonic style wind off the snow and down the escarpment causes damage in these parts. 

 

Local answer seems to be to pay for more download and stream stuff. 

[bizzibee]

So the myswitch site (see below) says you're not covered by any Terrestrial TV Transmitters?

 

https://myswitch.digitalready.gov.au/

 

1 hour ago, eman said:

I have vast.  Cyclonic style wind off the snow and down the escarpment causes damage in these parts. 

 

What Dish size do you have installed?

 

[bizzibee]

Just posting these last comment to get this thread back on topic of the FTA 4K DVB-T2 & HEVC Trials.

If you haven't read these two media releases posted on the Broadcast Australia web site, then they might be of interest to you. I meant to post them earlier today when I resurrected this thread. But got busy so didn't get back here to do it.

 

Broadcast industry celebrates first ever trial of 4K television in Australia

 

https://www.broadcastaustralia.com.au/broadcast-industry-celebrates-first-ever-trial-of-4k-television-in-australia-broadcast-australia/

 

Quote

 

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 4 July 2018 – Broadcast Australia (a BAI Communications Company) and Free TV in partnership with ABC, SBS, have given the broadcast industry a taste of the future, transmitting Ultra High Definition 4K content live over the terrestrial platform on Friday afternoon.

The demonstration took place at the Next Generation Television Industry Showcase event and marked the first ever live transmission of 4K content over the terrestrial platform in Australia. The live 4K content broadcast was a curation of local Australian stories and sport content from national and commercial broadcasters.

The showcase was held to celebrate the successful completion of the next generation DVB-T2 trials that were conducted over the past six months. The trials were undertaken to assess the performance and potential of DVB-T2 technology as a possible replacement for the DVB-T standard for digital terrestrial television delivery.

 

 

Here is a special page BA setup on their site called "Next Generation Television Trials Australia"

 

https://www.broadcastaustralia.com.au/next-generation-television-trials-australia/

 

Video to watch here:

 

https://youtu.be/PMoXP8ALOns?list=PLzNEFHE2R4AwSfAHz3pw2oj75j7HcBbE7

 

Broadcast Australia and Free TV bring the next generation of TV one step closer to Australians with successful completion of DVB-T2 laboratory trials

 

https://www.broadcastaustralia.com.au/broadcast-australia-and-free-tv-complete-dvb-t2-laboratory-trials-broadcast-australia/

 

Quote

 

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 12 June 2018 – Free TV and Broadcast Australia (a BAI Communications Company) in partnership with ABC, SBS and TXA have successfully completed the first phase of next generation television laboratory trials. This trial is a world first for 7 Megahertz (MHz) very high frequency (VHF) transmissions with off-air fed ultra high frequency (UHF) repeater sites operating in a single frequency network (SFN) using multiple physical layer pipes.

 

 

 

 

 

Also if you have already read this, you might find this Technical Analysis: DVB-T2 Australian Television Networks Test Transmission of some interest:

 

http://goughlui.com/2018/05/30/analysis-dvb-t2-australian-television-networks-test-transmission/

 

Sorry if some of you have already read or seen these, but some people may not have.

 

 

 

Edited August 15, 2018 by bizzibee

[bizzibee]

https://www.rohde-schwarz.com/au/about/news-press/details/press-room/press-releases-detailpages/rohde-schwarz-facilitates-australian-dvb-t2-trials-press_releases_detailpage_229356-571850.html

 

Quote

Munich | 09-Aug-2018 | Broadcast and Media
Rohde & Schwarz facilitates Australian DVB-T2 trials

 

Rohde & Schwarz provided the entire infrastructure for the DVB-T2 trials in Australia.

 

In cooperation with Free TV, ABC and SBS, Broadcast Australia recently conducted trials of next generation broadcast technology in the Sydney area. The trial assessed the performance of next generation DVB-T2 technologies in Australia. German manufacturer Rohde & Schwarz supplied transmitters, retransmitters and test equipment for the testing phase, including an R&S TLU9 50 W transmitter, an R&S ETL TV analyzer and an R&S BTC broadcast test center.

The trial successfully assessed the performance of next generation DVB-T2 technologies in Australia. Every effort was made to ensure that the trial did not impact existing television services. DVB-T2 is being considered as a technology to replace the current DVB-T standard for television delivery in the medium term. When combined with new compression technologies, DVB-T2 will have the potential to allow 4K TV reception, which provides four times the picture quality of the current high definition standard.

DVB-T2 is essential for the distribution of broadcast content, especially for a country such as Australia, which is densely populated only on its coastline and has vast sparsely inhabited inland areas. "Terrestrial free-to-air television delivers its service to 99 percent of the population, and over 20 million Australians tune in every week," remarks Peter Lambourne, CEO of Broadcast Australia. "This trial has been an important part of ensuring that when the time is right, the terrestrial television platform will be ready for the next stage of its evolution and can deliver the best possible viewing experience."

 

 

 

 

R&S TLU9 50 W transmitter

 

https://www.rohde-schwarz.com/au/product/tlu9-productstartpage_63493-201385.html

 

Used for two sites on frequency 536.500Mhz at Kings Cross and Manly.

 

R&S ETL TV analyzer

 

https://www.rohde-schwarz.com/au/product/etl-productstartpage_63493-9255.html

 

R&S BTC broadcast test center

 

https://www.rohde-schwarz.com/au/product/btc-productstartpage_63493-42003.html

 

I'm assuming they also supplied the R&S®THV9 VHF Transmitter for test transmissions on VHF at 212.500Mhz from Gore Hill.

 

https://www.rohde-schwarz.com/au/product/thv9-productstartpage_63493-45320.html

 

Rohde & Schwarz held several DVB-T2 Workshops in late 2017 See:

 

https://www.rohde-schwarz.com/au/campaigns_3/dvbt2-workshop_231663.html

 

Quote

 

DVB-T2, the second generation of terrestrial Transmission in DVB has been widely and successfully rolled out in other countries, together with MPEG-4 or even the latest Compression Standard HEVC.

 

Rohde & Schwarz is offering half-day DVB-T2 workshops in Sydney, that would include a DVB-T2 refresher theory,

The workshop will mainly be hands-on in DVB-T2 network simulation in a lab for Australian network configurations – from Headend to the Consumer Display. The aim is to provide a better understanding of the advantages over DVB-T use.

Also, understand the limits (Signal Contribution / Distribution, Re-transmission, SFN, Max. Bitrate) in a 7MHz Channel Bandwidth.'

 

Agenda

DVB-T2 Theory – RF Parameters
Comparison between DVB-T & DVB-T2 (MER,C/N, coverage) and to simulate the robustness of DVB-T2
T2 Gateway
Single Frequency Network in DVB-T vs DVB-T2
Wide area SFN in DVB-T2
DVB-T2 re-transmission
Capacity Load (Bitrate) using HEVC / MPEG4 Compression in DVB-T2 for different T2 Parameters

Location: Rohde & Schwarz. Unit 2, 75 Epping Road. North Ryde NSW 2113

 

 

You get the feeling that Rohde & Schwarz might have been driving the recently trial.

Edited August 16, 2018 by bizzibee

[bizzibee]

As posted by M'bozo on whirlpool here:

 

https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=2713352&p=12#r236

 

DVB-T2 trial happening on Gold Coast now. See:

 

https://www.txaustralia.com.au/news/505-the-future-of-tv-being-trialled-on-the-gold-coast

 

Looks like the channels being used from Mt Tamborine are 28 (529.5MHz & 43 (634.5)

 

https://web.acma.gov.au/rrl/assignment_search.lookup?pEFL_ID=4361861

 

https://web.acma.gov.au/rrl/assignment_search.lookup?pEFL_ID=4361868

 

Good to see they are testing DVB-T2 in other locations as well. I guess they will do the same testing they did in Sydney and finish with 4K Tests

BA have details on their Web site too. See:

 

https://www.broadcastaustralia.com.au/next-generation-tv-trialled-gold-coast/

 

 

[bizzibee]

So the second phase of DVB-T2 Trial has commenced. See:

 

https://www.broadcastaustralia.com.au/second-phase-of-dvb-t2-trial-commences/

 

Quote

 

Second Phase of DVB-T2 Trial commences

by Editor | Mar 11, 2019 | Media release |

 

Broadcast Australia, TX Australia and Free TV are pleased to announce that the second phase of the Queensland trial of a next generation broadcast technology, DVB-T2, is to be undertaken in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast from March to April.

The trial builds upon trials conducted in Sydney and on the Gold Coast in 2018 to assess the performance of next generation DVB-T2 technology in the Australian environment.

 

The trial will originate from the Gold Coast Translators owned and TX Australia managed transmission site located at Mount Tamborine on the Gold Coast and the TX Australia managed transmission site on Mt Coot-tha in Brisbane. The transmissions will be on Channel 28. It will be operating in a new mode of digital television technology called “extended single frequency”. Results will be analysed to determine the service threshold in the target coverage area in extended SFN (single frequency network) mode.

 

DVB-T2 is being considered as a technology which could replace the current DVB-T standard for television which has been in operation since 2001. When combined with new compression technologies, DVB-T2 will have the potential to allow 4K TV reception with four times the picture quality of the current high definition standard.

 

This trial is a collaboration between TX Australia, Broadcast Australia and Free TV Australia who would like to thank GatesAir, Rohde & Schwarz and Enensys Networks for their continued loan of equipment for the trial. It is a prime example of the innovation and first-class engineering skills within the Australian broadcast industry.

 

 

https://www.txaustralia.com.au/news/513-dvb-t2-trial-second-phase-commences-in-brisbane-gold-coast-march-to-april-2019

 

Quote

 

DVB-T2 Trial – Second Phase Commences in Brisbane / Gold Coast – March to April 2019
11 March 2019

 

The trial builds upon trials conducted in Sydney earlier in the year to assess the performance of next generation DVB-T2 technology in the Australian environment. The trial will originate from the Gold Coast Translators owned and TX Australia managed transmission site located at Mount Tamborine on the Gold Coast. It will seek to replicate the characteristics measured and analysed in the Sydney trials and assess the service threshold in the target coverage area in extended SFN (single frequency network) mode, utilising the audio and visual content used in the Sydney trial provided by members of Free TV.

 

DVB-T2 is being considered as a technology to replace the current DVB-T standard for television which has been in operation since 2001. When combined with new compression technologies, DVB-T2 will have the potential to allow 4K TV reception and four times the picture quality of the current high definition standard.

 

This trial is a collaboration between TX Australia, Free TV Australia and Broadcast Australia. It is a prime example of the innovation and first-class engineering skills within the Australian broadcast industry.

 

TX Australia’s Executive Chairman, Paul Mullen said: “TX Australia is delighted to be working closely with Free TV and Broadcast Australia to trial this new technology originating from the premier transmission site on the Gold Coast at Mount Tamborine. It is vital that the Australian broadcast industry keeps abreast of new technologies and undertakes trials such as this to ensure the best quality content is available to the viewer. We would like to acknowledge GatesAir, Rohde & Schwarz, Enensys and Teamcast for providing loan equipment for this trial.”

 

Broadcast Australia CEO Peter Lambourne said: “Terrestrial free to air television delivers its service to 99% of the population and over 20 million Australians tune into television every week. This trial is an important part of ensuring that when the time is right, the terrestrial television platform is ready for the next stage of its evolution and that it can deliver the best possible viewing experience.”

 

Free TV CEO Bridget Fair said: “Following our successful collaboration in trialling next generation television in Sydney in June, we are very pleased to be working with TX Australia and Broadcast Australia in further trials. These trials are important to ensure that all Australians will continue to have access to the free news, sport and entertainment programs that they rely on and love into the future.”

Quote

 

 

Has anyone in these areas picked up any test transmissions on Channel 28 (529.5 MHz), yet? Be interested to know if anyone has.

 

License details:

https://web.acma.gov.au/rrl/licence_search.licence_lookup?pLICENCE_NO=10547475/1

 

https://web.acma.gov.au/rrl/assignment_search.lookup?pEFL_ID=4361860

 

https://web.acma.gov.au/rrl/assignment_search.lookup?pEFL_ID=4361861

Edited March 11, 2019 by bizzibee