These specifications outline how IPTV digital television services may be delivered to home receivers over Internet protocol connections. DVB specifications are used by the broadcast industry as a basis for designing compatible transmission products and home receivers.
"Viewers of IPTV services want home cinema-style sound, just like they get on DVD and other digital TV services," commented Jason Power, Market Development Manager, Dolby Laboratories. "With Dolby Digital Plus now included in the DVB specifications, telecom operators can deliver the full Dolby surround sound experience at a data rate that's practical for IPTV."
Dolby Digital Plus (technical name: E-AC-3) is an extension of the Dolby Digital format, an audio standard for DVD-Video players worldwide, and the choice for many existing digital TV broadcasts around the world. Dolby Digital Plus provides IPTV operators with a flexible and efficient multichannel audio solution that maintains many of the advantages of Dolby Digital, such as connectivity to millions of home A/V receivers, while offering lower data rates and added features. Support for the technology is being built into the current generation of chipsets for IPTV.
Dolby Digital Plus has been included in the DVB specifications at the request of operators and electronics manufacturers within the consortium. The Dolby Digital (originally known by its technical name, AC-3) format has also been included. According to the specifications, either technology may be implemented as the sole audio format in an IPTV system. Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby Digital are already also featured in DVB specifications for digital cable satellite and terrestrial transmissions (TS 101 154) and have been selected as audio formats for HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc(TM).
Since the industry consortium was created in 1993, the DVB specifications for digital television have been adopted throughout Australia and Europe, and in parts of Africa, North and South America, and Asia - Dolby.
Posted February 16th, 2007 by Nymphadora
