Digital Terrestrial Television is still in its infancy in Europe. Until now, only the United Kingdom and Sweden have begun implementation of the new digital television platform. In this context, David Levy, consultant to the BBC in this area, travelled to Lisbon in order to share his experiences with other participants in the working group "Implementation Models and Public Interest Objectives" of the International Conference on Digital Terrestrial Television,. David Levy declared that digital broadcasting will play a key role in the "creation of a digitally literate Europe". Only 10% of the British population has so far adhered to DVB-T, a relatively small number, in Levy's opinion, given that four million new television sets are sold every year in the UK. The "real challenge" at the moment, he added, was to explain to consumers the great advantages in adhering to digital technology, in order to ensure that "when consumers but a new TV set, they buy digital".
Levy explained that the UK Government predicts that 50% of the UK population will be covered by digital broadcasts by 2003, and that this figure will increase to 100% by 2003. In the coming decade, 95% of the population should acquire digital equipment at "affordable costs", in order to ensure that more vulnerable sections of the population such as the old and the poor are not excluded from the Information Society.
Francisco Pinto Balsemão, President of the European Film and TV Forum, attended the same working group and identified the need to establish a "common date for "switch-off" throughout the European Union". Switch-off means the cessation on analogue transmissions and consequent transition to the digital system, which Balsemão believes should occur by 2010 at the latest.
Balsemão also explained that he was especially preoccupied with the costs of "simulcasting" - the simultaneous transmission of analogue and digital signals of the same programme - until definitive transition to digital is secured.
Balsemão explained that the costs of simulcasting "could generate competitive disturbance in the market".
Claudine Ripert-Landler, Director of International Relations and Regulatory Affairs for Canal Plus, affirmed that "digital is now a reality in Europe", given the considerable number of Europeans that already receive digital services. Given the "supply of free, public generalist channels" it is necessary to satisfy consumer expectations, she declared, including the possible need for "the supply of free thematic channels".
Portability and mobility 'arrive' in television
Digital Terrestrial Television (DVB-T) will bring portability and mobility to television, explained Fernando Cruz, Portugal Telecom's specialist for this area, who spoke within the working group Technological and Market Aspects of DVB-T, in the International Conference jointly organised by the Instituto da Comunicação Social (ICS) and Instituto das Comunicações de Portugal (ICP), as part of the Portuguese Presidency of the European Union. Cruz referred to the constraints of analogue television in terms of interference caused by the excessive burden on the spectrum, weak resistance to multi-channel transmissions and low capacity for data transfer. "We already use almost all the spectrum assigned to television broadcasting with the current 49 channels" he explained.
Fernando Cruz emphasised that DVB-T is not a continuation of analogue terrestrial television, but a completely different broadcasting system, based upon new physical parameters and new applications for consumers and television and network operators. Fernando Cruz referred to the three existing delivery mechanisms for digital television: satellite (DVB-S), cable (DVB-C) and terrestrial or Hertzian (DVB-T). The executive of Telecom, declared that terrestrial broadcasting is the only means of simultaneously offering fixed, portable and mobile digital television reception. He also emphasised that DVB-T will increase the production of television content, given the increased distribution capacity, growth of new television services (interactive television, "pay per view") and other services such as Internet and e-commerce.
Within the working group, Technological and Market Aspects of DVB-T, the English Nigel Laflin, of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), explained that Digital Terrestrial Television offers the possibility of reception "without ghosting or other interference, and always guaranteeing a high image definition". Nigel Laflin underlined the need for Digital Terrestrial Television to be planned at the European level, in order to ensure minimum disturbance within the analogue network.
