Enhanced access to free-to-air satellite television thanks to DVB-I

The combination of two interactive television technology standards, DVB-I and HbbTV, was chosen as the basis for the Sat. tv Connect service.

Hundreds of channels

DVB-I, in its latest release, is used as the standard solution for the ‘organization’ of the free-to-air broadcasting environment on the different satellite positions of Eutelsat to:

• Manage multiple service lists per satellite position, with sub-filtering by region, country or language (up to 33 different Sat.tv lists so far).
• Optimize and simplify the installation of satellite channels by using the “instant tuning” and “LCN range” functions that are integrated into the DVB-I service list. These guarantee direct zapping to the chosen television or radio channel, without the need for time-consuming pre-scanning of the entire satellite position, and facilitate channel classification.
• Enhance the user experience by enriching the native TV interface with channel logos, thumbnails and programme information that can be integrated directly into the channel’s zapping banner and television guide (with programme information for more than 500 channels to date), thanks to the prioritization, when available, of DVB-I metadata over the broadcast EIT (Event Information Table) that is traditionally used for such information.
• Enable flexible service-list discovery, for both connected and unconnected scenarios, with service-list installation via a broadcast signal that declares either DVB-I entry point parameters or directly the DVB-I services lists.
• Initiate service hybridization, offering the widest free choice of free-to-air broadcast and FAST streaming channels.

HbbTV is the core standard for Sat.tv Connect’s interactive application. It provides a first level of service even on TV sets that do not support DVB-I. This complementary application is a multilingual portal (English, French, Arabic, Italian, Farsi and Russian) that also gives access to an enriched EPG based on the user’s list of favourite Sat. tv services and zaps directly to the channel of their choice.

The Sat.tv Connect portal is launched via the Sat.tv promotion channel on each satellite or via partner channels.

Metadata management

Sat.tv Connect’s architecture is fully cloud-based to ensure scalability according to the number of concurrent users. At the heart of the solution is the EVMM (Eutelsat Video & Metadata Manager) server, which allows semi-automatic editing and management of channel lists and aggregation of enriched programme metadata. It is based on a daily analysis of all free-to-air channels on the satellites, to update technical information and periodically renew the EPG with information from metadata providers.

All of this information is then exported to various backend and front-end environments to feed the DVB-I endpoints (central service list registry – CSR – and metadata servers), the HbbTV server, and the DVB SI/PSI generator. Thus, service lists and programme data information can be delivered to the whole Sat.tv ecosystem.

Sat.tv Connect will be launched in September 2024 and will be available immediately on all connected TV sets with integrated satellite tuner and HbbTV compatibility, as well as on a wide range of Vestel TV sets with integrated DVB-I client. Other TV partners will follow.

This article first appeared in Issue 64 of DVB Scene magazine.

The Sat.tv Connect service was demonstrated on the DVB booth at IBC2024. A short demonstration is given in this video from Millinium Events: start watching from 12’54”.

Ralph Edeine is Head of Engineering and Technical Solutions with Eutelsat Group, where he has worked for more than 15 years. He is an active contributor to DVB’s standardization work across several domains.