The directors of Europe’s public service broadcasters (PSBs), gathered at the EBU General Assembly in Geneva, were presented today with a vision of a multi-platform, multi-format future. EBU Technical Director Lieven Vermaele stressed the importance of developing a clear technology strategy to ensure that PSBs are present on all platforms. He said they should expand from the traditional model of a linear shared experience into the personal and mobile domains and also into non-linear and socially-driven experiences. Broadcasters no longer have control of the devices and platforms on which their content is available, but with strategic innovation they can and will thrive.
Focus on file-based HDTV
While consumer electronics manufacturers will continue to push new technologies, it isn’t always necessary to follow them – or at least not straight away. Mr Vermaele said that the focus for now should be on file-based HDTV production and distribution, with branded content integrated on a wide variety of devices.
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Hybrid Radio and Hybrid Television demonstrated in Geneva.
A number of technology demonstrations showcased the areas in which the EBU is active, both in technology development and standardisation. Delegates were given an opportunity to try out the latest in 3DTV and were also given a glimpse of the next generation of HDTV based on a 4K system. Hybrid was also a key concept with a demo of the HbbTV platform that will open the way for PSBs to make the most of both broadcast and broadband delivery channels; a hybrid radio demonstration showed how radio is moving in an exciting new direction too. Other demonstrations included second screen technology that connects linear TV with a shared social experience, the use of tablets in file-based production and a live demo of how the adoption of the EBU Loudness Recommendation R128 directly addresses the issue of audio level differences in broadcasts.