- 1 -
6A/477-E
Radiocommunication Study Groups /Received:4 November 2014
Subject:Question: 133-1/6 / Document 6A/477-E
5 November 2014
English only
European Broadcasting Union
proposal for a NEW ITU-R REPORT on field trials of
ultra high definition tv over dtt networks
Collection of field trials of UHDTV over DTT networks
The standardisation of parameters for Ultra High Definition is underway at ITU-R where various recommendations and reports have been published as for example:
•Rec. ITU-R BT.2020-1 (06/14) ‘Parameter values for ultra-high definition television systems for production and international programme exchange’;
•Rec. ITU-R BT. 2035-0 (07/13) ‘A reference viewing environment for evaluation of HDTV program material or completed programmes’;
•Rec. ITU-R BS.2051-0 (02/14) ‘Advanced sound system for programme production’;
•Report ITU-R BT.2246-3 (2014) ‘The present state of ultra-high definition television’,
Other recommendations are expected to come soon (such as one recommendation on High Dynamic Range).
The standardisation process is also well underway at the DVB level, with the Standard TS 101 154 V2.1.1 recently published (07/2014) as DVB Blue Book A157 ‘Specification for the use of Video and Audio Coding in Broadcasting Applications based on the MPEG-2 Transport Stream’ and which is expected to be published by ETSI in the coming months.
UHDTV Production of big live events has also started. The 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil had three games hosted in the Epic Maracana Stadium which were officially produced and distributed worldwide in 4k UHDTV. The EBU, by means of its operational branch (EUROVISION), ensured the worldwide delivery of the three games over its satellite and fibre network. At the same event, NHK made 8k UHDTV production trials.
The EBU believes that at the current stage of development, standardisation and implementation of UHDTV there is a need for the ITU-R WP6A to prepare a new report collecting the field trials of UHDTV distribution over terrestrial networks.
The intend of the report would be to provide evidence about the suitability of terrestrial networks to deliver UHDTV services to consumers on a large scale. In addition this would enable interested Administrations to follow the developments on implementation of UHDTV; it would also provide important support for equipment manufacturers.
The EBU proposes, in the Annex, an initial draft structure of such report including some information on the UHDTV trials done so far over DVB-T2 in Europe. This would be a living document and could be updated every time there are new UHDTV trials over DTT networks.
ANNEX
WORKING DOCUMENT TOWARDS A PRELIMINARY DRAFT
NEW REPORT ITU-R BT.[UHDTV-DTT trials]
Collection of field trials of UHDTV over DTT networks
TABLE OF CONTENTS
[To be completed]
1Introduction
The ITU-R believes that at the current stage of development, standardisation and implementation of UHDTV there is a need for a report collecting the field trials of UHDTV distribution over terrestrial networks. This would enable interested Administrations to follow the developments on implementation of UHDTV ; it would also provide important supporting information for equipment manufacturers.
UHDTV Production of big live events has already started, most recently the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil where three games hosted in the Epic Maracana Stadium were officially produced and distributed worldwide in 4k UHDTV. The EBU, by means of its operational branch (EUROVISION), ensured the worldwide delivery of the three games over its satellite and fibre network. At the same event, NHK made 8k UHDTV production trials.
The intend of the document is to provide evidence about the suitability of terrestrial networks to deliver UHDTV services to consumers on a large scale. This is a living document and can be updated every time there are new UHDTV trials over DTT networks.
2Status standardization of UHDTV
The standardisation of parameters for Ultra High Definition is underway at ITU-R and different recommendations and reports have been published as for example:
•Rec. ITU-R BT.2020-1 (06/14) ‘Parameter values for ultra-high definition television systems for production and international programme exchange’,
•Rec. ITU-R BT. 2035-0 (07/13) ‘A reference viewing environment for evaluation of HDTV program material or completed programmes’
•Rec. ITU-R BS.2051-0 (02/14) ‘Advanced sound system for programme production’
•Report. ITU-R BT.2246-3 (2014) ‘The present state of ultra-high definition television’
Other recommendations are expected to come soon (such as one recommendation on High Dynamic Range).
The standardisation process is also well underway at the DVB level, with the Standard TS 101 154 V2.1.1 recently published (07/2014) as DVB Blue Book A157 ‘Specification for the use of Video and Audio Coding in Broadcasting Applications based on the MPEG-2 Transport Stream’ and which is expected to be published by ETSI in the coming months.
3UHDTV field trials over DVB-T2 networks
3.14k field trials
This section summarises the different 4k trials done over DVB-T2 networks. The table in Annex 1 collects the parameters used in each of the trials.
3.1.1France
During the Roland Garros Tennis Championship held in Paris in June 2014, the public service broadcaster France Télévisions transmitted live content in 4k Ultra HD over the satellite, DTT and internet platforms.
The 4k content was produced live on site and transmitted over the DTT platform with the parameters in Annex 1.
The content produced was sent by optical fiber to the DTT transmitter, the Eiffel Tower, which covered Paris with the UHDTV signal.
3.1.2Spain
The public service broadcaster RTVE, together with the Technical University of Madrid (UPM), undertook a 4k Ultra Definition TV trial in DVB-T2 at the beginning of 2014. RTVE used a4k pre-recorded production made using 3840 x 2160-pixel images about the Prado Museum.
The 4k signal was transmitted in the DTT platform with the parameters in Annex 1.
It is planned to carry out further trials in this frequency channel where the multiplex will remain in operation until the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games. The trials will be consistent with the principles stated in EBU TR 128 ‘EBU Policy Statement on Ultra High Definition Television’and, in particular, will test those parameters (or a combination of them) that provide a more immersive viewing experience, such as frame rate, dynamic range, color gamut and enhanced audio.
3.1.3Sweden
The transmission was primarily made for the Teracom customer event “TV-Puls” January 23rd2014, but was on air the week before and two weeks after this date. Two encoded streams were alternately broadcasted during this period. Stream 1 was of-line encoded using a Thomson VS7000 (server based) encoder. Stream 2 was kindly supplied by Samsung, meaning that all parameters of this stream are not known to Teracom.
The 4k signal was transmitted in the DTT platform with the parameters in Annex 1.
3.1.4United Kingdom
The ready availability of 4k material for two major sporting events of great public interest in the summer of 2014 (the FIFA World Cup in Brazil, and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow) allowed the BBC to run a series of trials concerning distribution of this material. As well as trials of streaming the content online (via DVB-DASH), the BBC’s transmission network operator, Arqiva, operated a network of three high-power DTT transmitters broadcasting a multiplex containing one UHD service.
The 4k signal was transmitted in the DTT platform with the parameters in Annex 1.
The transmissions were successfully received and decoded for a series of public and private demonstrations in all three service area.
It is worthwhile noting that HEVC decoders in existing receivers were successfully used in the trial.
4[UHDTV field trials over ATSC networks
5Field trials over ISDB-T networks
6Field trials over TDMB networks]
M:\BRSGD\TEXT2014\SG06\WP6A\400\477e.docx05.11.1421.02.08
- 1 -
6A/477-E
ANNEX 1
Parameters used in the UHDTV trials over DVB-T2 networks
Country / Transmitter site / Covering / ERP / DTT System / Transmission Mode / Multiplex Capacity / Signal bit rate / Video Encoding Standard / Picture Standard / Frequency usedFrance / Eiffel Tower / City of Paris / 1kW / DVB-T2 / 32k, extended mode, GI = 1/128, 256QAM, FEC2/3, PP7 / 40.2 Mbit/s / 22.5 Mbit/s
17.5 Mbit/s / HEVC / 3840x2160p
50 frames/s
10 bits per pixel / 514 MHz
(Ch26 in Region 1)
Spain / ETSI Telecomuni-cación / Ciudad Universitaria, Madrid / 125W / DVB-T2 / 32k, extended mode, GI = 1/128, 64QAM, FEC5/6, PP7 / 36.72 Mbit/s / 35 Mbit/s
(other bit rates also tested) / HEVC / 3840x2160p
50 frames/s
8 bits per pixel / 754 MHz
(Ch56 in Region 1)
Sweden / Stockholm Nacka / City of Stockholm / 35 kW / DVB-T2 / 32k, extended mode, GI = 19/256, 64QAM, FEC3/5, PP4 / 31.7 Mbit/s / 24 Mbit/s / HEVC / 3840x2160p 29.97 frames/s
8 bits per pixel / 618 MHz (Ch 39 in Region 1)
UK / Crystal Palace / Greater London
(serving over 4.5 Million households) / 40 kW / DVB-T2 / 32k, extended mode, GI = 1/128, 256QAM, FEC 2/3, PP7 / 40.2 Mb/s / Variable (some trials at 35 Mb/s) / HEVC / Mixture of 3840x2160p
50 frames/s and3840x2160p
59.94 frames/s
Most of the trial at 8 bits per pixel, some at 10 bits per pixel / 586 MHz
(Ch 35 in Region 1)
Winter Hill / North-west of England, including Manchester and Liverpool (serving 2.7 Million households) / 22.5 kW / 602 MHz
(Ch 37 in Region 1)
Black Hill / Central Scotland, including Glasgow and Edinburgh(serving 1 Million households) / 39 kW / 586 MHz
(Ch 35 in Region 1)
______
Document1( )05.11.1421.02.08