The EBU Technical Committee (TC) and Technical Assembly (TA) meet at the invitation of VRT in the historic city of Ghent, in Flanders, Belgium. Amid the cloisters of the 'Bijloke' where once the finer techniques of the surgeon's knife were taught, the cutting edge of new media technology was the subject of discussion.
| New structure
On the first day of the meeting, the senior elected body, the Technical Committee met to prepare for the full TC meeting. Most of the discussions centred on the future structure of the Technical Committee's activity. Like the other EBU Committees, the current structure was set in 1994. Much has changed in technology, Members' needs, and in new communications tools since then. The Technical Committee and EBU TECHNICAL have analyzed options over the past six months, and proposed new working methods which should be more relevant to today, and more flexible. |  |
The Technical Committee also examined progress with one of the most challenging technical concepts of the time - the combining of television and broadband Internet in a single receiver. Finally, the age of 'convergence' may become reality, with 'hybrid broadcast/broadband' (HBB). Though many companies are developing technologies for this, the Technical Committee is striving to harmonize the alternatives.
VRT experience
The Technical Assembly began the afternoon with an explanation of the progress made by VRT, the Flemish national broadcaster, in developing their services. They are one of the most successful public services in Europe, with many important lessons for EBU Members. The Assembly was welcomed by Dirk Wauters, Director General of the VRT. There are two more days of cloisters and convergence ahead…