DVB Steering Board
Approves Milestone
Specification for
Future UHDTV
Services
17 November, 2016
At the 84th meeting
of the DVB Steering
Board (SB), which
took place today,
the latest
specification for
Ultra High
Definition
Television, UHD-1
Phase 2, was
approved. The new
specification is a
major milestone for
the industry,
guaranteeing
interoperability and
enabling
broadcasters and CE
manufacturers to
provide UHD-1 Phase
2 products and
services. This could
mean that the first
DVB UHD-1 Phase 2
services, that
include the new
features, would be
available from next
year.
The specification
covers various
elements for the
improvement of video
and audio quality
for broadcast TV
services including
High Dynamic Range
(HDR) which
significantly
increases the
contrast ratio and
results in pictures
with more 'sparkle'.
The DVB solution
supports Hybrid Log
Gamma (HLG) and PQ
(Perceptual
Quantizer).
Furthermore, the new
specification
defines Higher Frame
Rates (HFR), going
beyond the current
50/60 Hz. HFR offers
sharper images of
moving objects. When
it comes to audio,
DVB has added the
latest Next
Generation Audio
(NGA) schemes
supporting object-
or scene-based
audio. These new
features can be
combined with HD and
UHD resolutions. The
specification will
be published as
BlueBook A157 and
will be passed to
ETSI for formal
publication as TS
101 154 v2.3.1.
Commenting on the
new specification,
DVB Chairman, Peter
MacAvock said
“Today’s approval of
the specification is
the result of
enormous effort from
the contributors,
and further evidence
of DVB’s leadership
in the broadcast
industry. DVB views
the Phase 2
specification as a
key enabler for
exciting products
and services.”
The specification
was a massive team
effort with over 30
companies and other
interested parties
participating
through the DVB
Commercial Module,
the Technical Module
and the Steering
Board. It is
estimated that some
36 online meetings
and 14 physical
meetings took place
over the 3 years.
This commitment by
DVB Members bears
testament to how
standards’ bodies
play an important
role and emphasizes
the importance of
getting consensus
and wide approval
for new standards.
David Wood, Chair of
the DVB Commercial
Module for UHDTV who
oversaw much of the
work on the
specification,
commented “When they
draw up the history
of television, the
agreement by the DVB
Steering Board to
the UHD-1 Phase 2
specification will
surely be writ
large. It marks the
culmination of many
years work by scores
of DVB Member
engineers, and is
probably the tipping
point for the new
age of UHDTV.”
