Germany

[DE] Plans for Countrywide Development of DVB-H and DMB

IRIS 2006-2:1/12

Max Schoenthal

Berlin

The countrywide development of handheld television is to be launched with pilot projects in Hamburg and Berlin using the DVB-H and DMB standards.

With this in mind, the respective Land media authorities, the Medienanstalt Berlin-Brandenburg (Berlin-Brandenburg media authority - mabb) and the Hamburgische Anstalt für neue Medien (Hamburg new media authority - HAM) have invited companies to bid for DVB-H and (in Hamburg) DMB transmission capacities.

DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting-Handheld) is a standard created by the Digital Video Broadcasting Group for the transmission of TV signals to handheld receivers.

DMB, on the other hand, is based on the DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) standard, which is used for digital radio broadcasting. DMB takes this standard a stage further by including video data transmission. From a technical point of view, this is achieved by converting data into MPEG-4 signals and using faster data transmission rates. DMB, like DVB, has been recognised as a European standard by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI).

In agreement with other Land media authorities, efforts are to be made to create the conditions necessary for the gradual introduction of these transmission technologies in Germany. The aim is to begin promoting awareness and acceptance of handheld television by launching attractive offers, including as part of additional projects, if possible during the 2006 Football World Cup.

It is particularly hoped that this process will provide insights into technical questions and possible innovations, the economic feasibility and acceptability to users of service content, reception devices and price structures, the practicability of national programme structures and issues linked to communication studies and media law.

Tendering for handheld television is also currently under way in Bavaria and Saarland. However, at present this only concerns the DMB standard.