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Directv Press Release DVB-2

4K views 22 replies 13 participants last post by  dduitsman 
#1 ·
#4 ·
It means they've taken a bunch of related technologies from several companies and bundled them into an easy to "eat" license ("Happy Meal"). They are hoping others that now know the licenses are available and at what the costs are will adopt the technology and pay the fees. Without offers like this its risky for a company to adopt a given technology without first entering extensive license negotiations with multiple companies.

The companies that created this initiative have figured out some split of the license fees.

It also tends to serve as notice to those that may be using the technology without a license that DTV holds those patents and what they would claim as damages.
 
#5 ·
DVB-S2 is something you don't hear much about in this forum, and I applaud DirecTV for taking the leap and adopting it (the "other" company isn't using it). The article mentioned a 30% performance improvement over DVB-S, and this is true. What it means to us is more HD channels and less rain fade at Ka band. DVB-S2 allows MPEG-4 compression for HD and pilots to recover the signal during high noise conditions (rain fade).

So far DirecTV is using DVB-S2 for some of the locals. The problem with DVB-S2 is it's not compatible with the older DVB-S receivers, so they have to replace all of the older receivers before they can implement DVB-S2 across the board. This is the main reason Dish has so far chosen to not use DVB-S2.
 
#6 ·
Scott in FL said:
DVB-S2 is something you don't hear much about in this forum, and I applaud DirecTV for taking the leap and adopting it (the "other" company isn't using it). The article mentioned a 30% performance improvement over DVB-S, and this is true. What it means to us is more HD channels and less rain fade at Ka band. DVB-S2 allows MPEG-4 compression for HD and pilots to recover the signal during high noise conditions (rain fade).

So far DirecTV is using DVB-S2 for some of the locals. The problem with DVB-S2 is it's not compatible with the older DVB-S receivers, so they have to replace all of the older receivers before they can implement DVB-S2 across the board. This is the main reason Dish has so far chosen to not use DVB-S2.
But why would Dish not use it on their newest MPEG-4 receivers? Their HD is or soon will be exclusively MPEG-4, and their Eastern Arc service is MPEG-4 only, so that would seem to be the perfect time to go with it.

I had moments of rain rade on both SD and HD local channel feeds last night during the Olympic volleyball and closing ceremony, storms in the metro Atlanta area had me reverting to OTA at times.
 
#7 ·
tkrandall said:
But why would Dish not use it on their newest MPEG-4 receivers?
Don't know. When I was at the NAB show in April I walked over to the Echostar booth and asked if Dish had any plans to implement DVB-S2. The person I spoke to said no, because it was too expensive to change out the existing receivers.

The pilots used with DVB-S2 can not eliminate rain fade, only help. Ka-Band is more susceptible to rain fade than Ku-Band, so the DVB-S2 pilots help keep Ka-Band on par with Ku. But they can't eliminate it completely.
 
#8 ·
As this is a press release, we can quote the whole release
S2 Licensing Formally Launches DVB-S2 Patent Licensing Campaign
Monday August 25, 7:00 am ET
DVB-S2 Patent License Offered Under Essential DVB-S2 Patents Owned by DTVG Licensing, Inc. and RAI (Radiotelevisione Italiana); European Space Agency (ESA) Expected to Join Initiative Soon

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--S2 Licensing announced today the launch of a licensing campaign under the combined patent rights in DVB S2 standardized technology held by DTVG Licensing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of The DIRECTV Group, Inc. and the owner by assignment of DIRECTV's essential DVB-S2 patents, and RAI. ESA is in the late stages of agreeing to the initiative and is expected to contribute its DVB-S2 patent rights to those of DIRECTV and RAI, at no additional cost to licensees, later in 2008.

ADVERTISEMENT
DVB-S2 (Digital Video Broadcasting - Satellite, 2nd Generation) is the second generation DVB system for broadband satellite communications, covering digital TV and HDTV broadcasting, interactive services, and professional links by satellite. DVB-S2 enables delivery of a significantly higher data rate (e.g. 30%) in a given transponder bandwidth than the previous DVB-S standard.

For the convenience of adopters, the license under the combined portfolios (currently representing over twenty patent families) is now available to all parties practicing or planning to practice the DVB-S2 standard, and provides favorable terms to speed adoption of the DVB-S2 standard. For consumer applications, such as satellite television set-top box receivers, a license under the combined portfolios is available for a one-time royalty of US$0.50 for each encoder or decoder present in a product for quantities exceeding 500,000 over the term of the license, and US$1.00 per encoder or decoder in lower quantities. Terms for other applications, such as digital satellite news gathering, data trunking, and up-link station modulation, are offered at reasonable and non-discriminatory terms, available upon request.

Attractive financial incentives are available for parties who enter into the license agreement prior to December 31, 2008. Parties interested in more information or in securing a license are invited to contact John T. Whelan, Esq., CLP (jwhelan@s2licensing.com), or visit our website at www.s2licensing.com. Appointments with interested parties are also being scheduled in association with IBC2008 (Amsterdam, 12-15 September 2008). Please contact us to schedule a meeting.

About DTVG Licensing, Inc.

DTVG Licensing, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:DTV - News) and is the owner by assignment of several families of patents essential to practice the DVB-S2 Standard. The DIRECTV Group is a world-leading provider of digital television entertainment services. Through its subsidiaries and affiliated companies in the United States, Brazil, Mexico and other countries in Latin America, the DIRECTV Group provides digital television service to more than 17.1 million customers in the United States and over 5.1 million customers in Latin America.

About RAI

RAI (Radiotelevisione Italiana) is the Italian Public Broadcaster for radio and television over the air, via satellite and cable or any other means. It provides programme production and network operation for three national analogue television channels broadcast in VHF/UHF bands. These programmes are re-broadcast in digital format by satellite and in two terrestrial bouquets, including a growing number of thematic channels in clear. It provides also production and network operation for three radio channels, broadcast in MW and FM, and of international radio programmes in SW.

About ESA

European Space Agency (ESA) is an international organisation, with 17 Member States, set up to provide for and to promote, for exclusively peaceful purposes, cooperation among European states in space research and technology and their space applications. ESA draws up a European space plan and has the task of carrying it out. Its activities span the fields of space science, Earth observation, telecommunications, satellite navigation, human spaceflight, microgravity research, exploration and space transportation systems. ESA has its headquarters in Paris, France, with establishments in The Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Spain, a launch base in Kourou, French Guiana, and offices in Washington, Moscow and Brussels.

Contact:

DIRECTV, Inc.
Robert Mercer, 310-964-4683 (Media)
or
License Inquiries:
John T. Whelan
jwhelan@s2licensing.com
Thanks Curtis0620!

Cheers,
Tom
 
#9 ·
Ken S said:
It means they've taken a bunch of related technologies from several companies and bundled them into an easy to "eat" license ("Happy Meal"). They are hoping others that now know the licenses are available and at what the costs are will adopt the technology and pay the fees. Without offers like this its risky for a company to adopt a given technology without first entering extensive license negotiations with multiple companies.

The companies that created this initiative have figured out some split of the license fees.

It also tends to serve as notice to those that may be using the technology without a license that DTV holds those patents and what they would claim as damages.
Well said and described.

Thanks,
Tom
 
#10 ·
tkrandall said:
I had moments of rain rade on both SD and HD local channel feeds last night during the Olympic volleyball and closing ceremony, storms in the metro Atlanta area had me reverting to OTA at times.
You say that like its a bad thing.......OTA-HD, unless taken directly from the station via fiber which they are not doing at very many places, will be better than DirecTV if received by a good antenna. I am not trying to starting a debate, just stating something that as a local TV engineer makes me upset.
 
#11 ·
tvjay said:
You say that like its a bad thing.......OTA-HD, unless taken directly from the station via fiber which they are not doing at very many places, will be better than DirecTV if received by a good antenna. I am not trying to starting a debate, just stating something that as a local TV engineer makes me upset.
It's not a bad thing, just a convenience thing. :)
 
#12 ·
tvjay said:
You say that like its a bad thing.......OTA-HD, unless taken directly from the station via fiber which they are not doing at very many places, will be better than DirecTV if received by a good antenna. I am not trying to starting a debate, just stating something that as a local TV engineer makes me upset.
No, not bad at all. Reverting was a bad choice of words.

I usually watch the OTA feeds especially whenever I am merely watching live tv. During the Olympics I was using the MPEG-4 feed from DirecTV a lot because I was doing so much recording of stuff.
 
#14 ·
dduitsman said:
Scott and/or others,

What are pilots in this context?

Thanks,
Dave
Pilots, or more correctly pilot symbols, consist of additional information which the receiver uses to help lock onto the carrier. That's a very simplified description.

The pilots are inserted into the DVB-S2 frame structure along with the data (video and audio information).

DVB-S2 allows the use of higher order modulation compared to DVB-S which allowed only QPSK. These higher order modulations (8PSK, 16APSK and 32APSK) require LNBs with high stability and low phase noise. In short, DVB-S2 can not get away with the cheaper LNBs now used by DVB-S. These pilot symbols give the receiver something to lock onto.

Another example is during rain fade when the C/N drops (signal falls into the noise). The pilots help the receiver hang in there a bit longer before losing lock.
 
#18 ·
This is most likely marketing politics. The phrase "offered at reasonable and non-discriminatory terms" is generally necessary for private intellectual property to become part of an ITU Recommendation. DVB-S2 is now an ETSI (The European Telecommunications Standards Institute) standard. By making it an ITU Recommentation, the owners of the DVB-S2 intellectual property will make more money in the end.

Ernie
 
#19 ·
D* is already using DVB-S2 for MPEG4 HD, except they use QPSK because KA band has much lower noise threshold than KU. E* can switch to DVB-S2 at any time. Their video coding is exactly like DVB-S2, but they use 8PSK with FEC Turbo Coding which gives them 10% bandwith gain over FEC Trellis coding used with DVB-S2.
 
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