MHEG and ETSI

ETSI MHEG – THE NEXT STEP

MHEG-5, as used for interactive TV services, is based on the International MHEG-5 Standard specification ISO/IEC 13522-5 with extensions to cover delivery via broadcast medium using a DSMCC object carousel. The MHEG profile defined for use in the UK was used as the basis of the MHEG-5 Broadcast Profile published as ETSI ES 202 184 V1.1.1 (2004-11) in 2004. This was based on the UK Profile 1.06 - the current profile for use in the UK for Freeview DTT services and forms the basis of other Profiles used throughout the world.

With the development of MPEG-4 .H246 AVC decoders, high definition video services have become a practical proposition. Many broadcasters have launched, or are planning to launch high definition services such as Freesat in the UK, Freeview HD using DVB-T2 transmission in the UK, Freeview New Zealand, Freeview Australia, TVB in Hong Kong and elsewhere.

Many broadcasters wish to add interactive services and MHEG-5 is an obvious choice, especially for free-to-air markets, where the low cost of implementation and a healthy supply chain are key factors. However, until recently the only practical MHEG profile was based on the capabilities of MPEG chipsets from the late 1990’s with no support for high definition graphics, international character sets or return channel functionality.

These shortcomings have been addressed with the publication by the DTG (Digital TV Group) - the independent, platform-neutral and technology agnostic industry association for digital television in the UK - of D-Book 6.0 early in 2009. This moved the UK profile of MHEG firmly into the 21^st Century.

Work is currently underway to bring these latest developments in MHEG-5 specifications into the ETSI MHEG Broadcast Profile. Since October 2008 there has been an initiative to update the ETSI MHEG specification with the creation of an ETSI work group. The work group’s task has been to update the ETSI MHEG specification to add support for high definition graphics with increased colour depth and screen resolutions, support for an IP-based return channel (MHEG-IC) with audio/video streaming capabilities and support for PVR extensions enabling an EPG to be delivered effectively and efficiently as an MHEG application with compressed schedule data. In addition support for an extended font repertoire is included, ensuring that most languages that use a Latin-based character set can be supported. The ETSI MHEG work group has used D-Book 6 as its main input to the process but has also included input from other MHEG profiles used worldwide.

The updated version was submitted to ETSI for approval in September and is making good progress through the proces. It will be available for download from the ETSI website (www.etsi.org ) once it has been reviewed and formally accepted, expected to be March this year.