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DVB and 5G-MAG join forces on the future of TV over 5G

20.01.2022

The DVB Project and the 5G Media Action Group (5G-MAG) have agreed to work together to help bring the commercial deployment of 5G-based television services closer to reality. 

Following the signing of a formal liaison between the two organizations, a Joint Task Force (JTF) will move forward quickly with activities related to the combination of 5G systems with DVB solutions. Its work will be based on the Commercial Requirements for DVB-I over 5G, developed last year by DVB and published as DVB BlueBook C100.

Chair of the DVB Project, Peter MacAvock, said:
“This is another milestone in DVB’s shift to internet-centric solutions, where DVB-I service discovery and DVB-DASH streaming are core technologies. With 5G networks set to be widely deployed in the coming years, we believe DVB’s proven track record in digital television can underpin the emergence of truly universal media delivery. We see 5G-MAG as our natural partner to accelerate this important work.”

Members of DVB and 5G-MAG have been invited to join and participate in the JTF. It sits outside the formal structures of the two organizations, being instead governed by a dedicated framework covering its formation, activities, deliverables and other matters. The first joint meeting is scheduled for 26 January 2022. 

Deployment guidelines

The initial focus of the JTF will be to map use cases and commercial requirements for DVB-I over 5G into a set of deployment guidelines. JTF participants will also identify gaps in existing specifications, delivering technical requirements to either DVB or 5G-MAG, as appropriate. This is likely to lead to DVB, for example, updating DVB-I to signal 5G systems and extending DVB-DASH to support certain 5G-related interfaces. 

Within DVB, the recently formed technical working group on 5G-related matters, TM-5G, will coordinate the necessary updates to existing DVB specifications along with any new work arising from the activities of the JTF. The TM-5G group is chaired by Frédéric Gabin of Dolby.

Validation work

The JTF may also trigger 5G-MAG work on 5G systems profiles, recommendations or updates to relevant specifications such as the ETSI specification for LTE-based 5G Terrestrial Broadcast (ETSI TS 103 720). With respect to verification and validation of the relevant specifications, the group may provide recommendations for 5G-MAG’s work on open-source software – the 5G-MAG Reference Tools – within the scope of the use cases and requirements for DVB-I over 5G.

5G-MAG – the 5G Media Action Group – brings together the media and ICT industries to collaborate on a market-driven implementation of solutions within the global 5G ecosystem capable of meeting the requirements for the production, distribution and consumption of multimedia content, services and applications.

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